Nobody to sign passport photos, anyway out of it

NoodleDoodleMan

The Irish system is much better, although it can cause confusion - the guidelines advise that a witness has to know the applicant. However that is a legal term to indicate that the witness can verify the applicant's true identity from official documents which have photo ID, in other words another passport or driving licence.

The witness doesn't absolutely require to have meet the applicant previously.

Having the Garda perform this service is very helpful - mind though that the RoI only has a population of 6 million (give or take) compared to the UK's 60 (ish) million.

I doubt the British police would gladly undertake such a service 🙄

NoodleDoodleMan

Or

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81967252#Comment_81967252

Or an Irish one.

alex284

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81967226#Comment_81967226

I asked for the exact reason, and I’m still waiting for a reply from HMPO. I’ve known my friend for over 10 years, and he clearly holds a UK passport.

alex284

Regarding Dubai (and similar cases), the countersignatory must hold a British, Irish, EU, US or Commonwealth passport. I don’t think it’s comfortable for people to disclose their citizenship, even to a neighbour in a multi-apartment building, and I also don’t think the chances are good in some countries.

Then, HMPO replied: “The reasons why the person is rejected are not specified”.

I still don’t understand why they rely on an outdated countersignatory rule from 1915 instead of using Post Office staff and the biometric machines they already use to collect passport data. And why a notary public can do so many official verifications, but can’t do simple identity confirmation for this process.

All of this adds unpredictability into our lives. It feels like HMPO is asking applicants to solve identity verification problem for them in increasingly complex and indirect ways.

Research shows that people now communicate more online than offline. On average, internet use is around 6.5 hours per day globally, with a large share spent on messaging and social media platforms. It would seem more logical if online profiles or verified digital presence could be considered in some way.

I know HMPO can sometimes verify identity via video call. Has anyone here had that experience? How did it go?

la531983

Assuming you are the OP under a different Username, what happened when you wrote to the Passport Office as advised by the helpline?