Nobody to sign passport photos, anyway out of it

itsthelittlethings

If you really wanted to ask you would say "could I ask you to sign my passport photos - you haven't been bankrupt have you?". Going bankrupt is pretty rare.

jimi_man

ev8 said:

jimi_man said:

ev8 said:

jimi_man said:

Do you have any friends at all? And if so what do they do? Or did do? Or any people whatsoever that know you? Or did know you? 

No not one. I have friends but they do not fit this criteria and also some I haven't known as long or well enough to ask them this.

Hi

Apologies, I’m not asking if you have any friends that fit the criteria, I accept that you don’t know people on the first list. I’m trying to ascertain what your friends do to see if they’d fit the second list, which is far easier to fulfil.
For example do you have a friend that has a job, hasn’t been to prison and isn’t a bankrupt person. And has lived in the same place for a couple of years, maybe on the Voters register… that type of thing.  Doesn’t matter what the job is, they could work in the checkout at Sainsbury’s but still fit the bill. 

The more information you give then the more we can help. 

I'm unsure TBH, and I don't know if anyone I know has ever been bankrupt, I'm not sure how I even ask that.

So are you saying that you do have a friend or some friends but you don’t know anything about them - how long they’ve lived somewhere, what they do for a job or whether they’ve been in and out of prison etc? What about a neighbour or someone that lives close to you who knows you or can recognise you? Or an acquaintance that you know through your family? 

To clarify I’m not talking about the list of accepted professions, I’m talking about the second category which is persons of good standing in the local community - could just be someone who has held down a reasonable job. I know someone who worked in IT and signed it successfully. (And IT is just an example - use your imagination and think of other jobs). 

With reference to a doctor, they can only really be used if they are a friend rather than you know them professionally. 

Maybe your local pharmacist if you go there a lot and they know who you are as the restriction doesn’t apply to them. It’s only for identity purposes and they don’t have to be a close friend. Obviously they need a U.K. passport. 

I will be honest and say that we’re trying to assist but you’re not being very forthcoming with details which I’m starting to find slightly concerning. 

The only other option is to join a few local community groups of some sort or maybe adult education, and get to know some people and then wait two years and then ask one of them to do it. Or start going to a pub and get to know the manager/landlord. Two years later you can ask them to do it.

Anyone who is on that list of professions will always be glad to do it as it is an accepted thing. I’m a retired police officer and I must have done well into double figures of these over the years. It’s not exactly onerous so you should always ask. 

DullGreyGuy

ev8 said:

Emmia said:

ev8 said:

Emmia said:

ev8 said:

jimi_man said:

Do you have any friends at all? And if so what do they do? Or did do? Or any people whatsoever that know you? Or did know you? 

No not one. I have friends but they do not fit this criteria and also some I haven't known as long or well enough to ask them this.

Do you have anyone you know however well that fits the criteria for profession and time you've known them? If you do, ask them. 

I'm someone who works in a profession on the list and I've done the passport photos for a few people I've known socially for long enough. It's no bother really for me, but I know people find it awkward to ask. I just tend to say if they want someone to sign photos that I'm happy to do it.

No, that's why I opened the thread TBH

Well unfortunately, there is no way round it as a criteria. It's one of the essential rules. So bluntly you either need to think of someone, or not apply for a passport and accept you won't travel.

Well clearly, but there seems to be an issue with a big demographic not being able to find a person and so being limited to a life with no passport. 

That's fine to be blunt, it's just I'm not unable to read, I've read the list and just know nobody who fits the criteria.

I dont think it is a big demographic... take our local pub, bog standard inner city boozer in a residential area. Every now and then someone comes up saying they dont know anyone who can sign their passport and its the normal trip around the bar pointing out the shift manager can, the accountant can, the 3 trades running their own companies can, the retired copper can, the retired captain can, the publican can, one of the bar maids can, the three business owners can... on certain days there are more people there that can than can't. 

Its mainly because people dont think of the "manager of a limited company" or a "manager of a VAT registered business" and assume its high end professionals only. 

I think when you look at the demographics of people that are also fit to travel overseas the numbers will be proportionally tiny. Most those that give us an update on here typically eventually come back stating they got it sorted as they hadn't realised their neighbour was a manager at the shop they work in or such.

brianposter

A neighbour is the obvious solution.

alidai

brianposter said:

A neighbour is the obvious solution.

But how will they know if they’ve ever been bankrupt if they can’t ask them?!

NoodleDoodleMan

Would a neighbour satisfy the criteria for "a person of good standing in the community" ?

There's also the condition of knowing the applicant for a minimum of two years - recognising somebody is not the same as knowing them in the context required.

RAS

alidai said:

brianposter said:

A neighbour is the obvious solution.

But how will they know if they’ve ever been bankrupt if they can’t ask them?!

They won't know if they've ever been bankrupt.

But the person needing a signature can check the Insolvency Register.  It's public, free and provides basic information, names, date of birth and postcode. 

It usually only includes those who've been made bankrupt in the last 6 years or so. 

DullGreyGuy

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Would a neighbour satisfy the criteria for "a person of good standing in the community" ?

There's also the condition of knowing the applicant for a minimum of two years - recognising somebody is not the same as knowing them in the context required.

Depends if the OP lives in the ahole of no where and they only have a single neighbour within 30 miles or if they live in an urban setting with a dozen neighbours in each direction. It's not guaranteed that everyone is going to be suitable but there is a reasonable prospect in an urban setting that at least one is. 

ev8

You people are really sympathetic to people with anxiety/social anxiety and asking someone I just 'know of' if they've ever been bankrupt isn't really something I can work up the courage to do and also, there really isn't anyone who does fit the criteria anyway.

ev8

NoodleDoodleMan said:

I would be surprised if other countries issue passports without the applicant's identity being verified in a similar manner to here - however that's irrelevant in the case of British citizens, we have to respect our laws.

In today's world of criminality and terrorism the state has to take reasonable steps to ensure that applicants are who they say are.

For example, in 1971 the author Frederick Forsyth caused a drama when he wrote "The Day of the Jackal" and exposed a loophole to obtain a British passport illegally. 

Not suggesting you are in that scenario of course.

Hopefully this can be resolved.

They don't and obviously I'm not such a person and those instances are so rare this is all you could find and I doubt someone signing a photo is the difference between keeping us safe from terrorism or not. It is restricting those who are not sociable to not being able to access a passport however.