Nobody to sign passport photos, anyway out of it

NoodleDoodleMan

user1977 said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

eskbanker said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

The two key aspects are having known the applicant for at least two years and also being one of the prescribed list of occupations/professions etc. that are acceptable to the passport office to verify the photo.

The former is generally not an issue, the latter can be.

That just seems to be restating the problem, but as posted earlier, the option of ‘a person of good standing in their community’ is a valid alternative to someone who works in (or be retired from) a recognised profession on the list, hence that being recommended to OP in the absence of anyone suitable on the profession list.

Yes that alternative ticks the boxes, however the problem centres around what criteria constitutes a person of good standing in their community for the purpose required ?

Somebody whose public or professional reputation would suffer if they were found guilty of helping to make fraudulent passport applications.

Exactly.

I was able to countersign passport photos for ID verification purposes before I retired, and did so on several occasions.

However I would never have considered it without knowing the person personally over a few years.

jimi_man

ev8 said:

jimi_man said:

ev8 said:

jimi_man said:

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. 

The pharmacist I've used is from a chain and the person changes regularly.

I know people have tried to help, I can't help it if I already looked at the list and can't find anyone to do it. I have looked and exhausted it because I don't know or speak to many people. In the face of society today, I'm not sure why that's so offensive to people.

Is it so hard to believe a disabled person doesn't have a regular pub, or ever even goes to the pub but would like to do something nice for once and use a passport? Not everyone is like everyone else and I don't have a large social circle and nobody I knows fits any of this and I'm stuck. 

No it's not offensive at all. It is slightly difficult to believe though, that you quite literally don't know anyone else in the world irrespective of who they are.

BTW forget the bankrupt thing - no-one is suggesting you have to ask someone if they have been bankrupt. Once you have someone in mind you get them to do it. If the passport office don't accept that person then they'll tell you. 

However as has been said these are the rules in place at this time and if you don't know anyone at all then unfortunately that's it - you cannot apply for a passport - period. So you are restricted to enjoying travel in the UK.

If however you'd like to travel abroad in the future then you'll need to start engaging with some other people as I mentioned in an earlier post, joining some different groups, adult education, following a rock band - literally anything that involves interacting with other human beings. After two years then you can ask someone to do it. 

I appreciate it may not be easy from your perspective and I sympathise but owing to the rules that exist, there is no other way that you are going to get to travel out of the UK. 

It may be difficult to believe, but such is life as a disabled person, it's sometimes like this and isolating and then the few people who I do know don't fit the criteria.

Fair enough. As I said I sympathise. Unfortunately though, international travel is not going to be something you are going to be able to experience any time soon since I think we’ve exhausted all possibilities of helping you finding someone to countersign your passport. 

Annoying I’m sure but there it is. 

smudge56

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Exactly.

I was able to countersign passport photos for ID verification purposes before I retired, and did so on several occasions.

However I would never have considered it without knowing the person personally over a few years.

And you still can.  Being retired does not disqualify you from countersigning.  You just have to state what you did before you retired.  Anyone who is over 70 can countersign. Doesn’t matter what their occupation was.

brianposter

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

Emmia

brianposter said:

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

The MP will be able to do nothing, the rules offer a fairly wide scope of signatories, but the OP for whatever reason doesn't know or speak to anyone on the list.

Why are you making the suggestion? What do you think the MP will do?

sheramber

brianposter said:

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

Do you expect him to get the rules changed for the OP?

brianposter

sheramber said:

brianposter said:

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

Do you expect him to get the rules changed for the OP?

Yes. It is one of the reasons why we have local MPs and, as far as I am aware, all organisations are expected to adapt to the needs of the disabled.

Emmia

brianposter said:

sheramber said:

brianposter said:

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

Do you expect him to get the rules changed for the OP?

Yes. It is one of the reasons why we have local MPs and, as far as I am aware, all organisations are expected to adapt to the needs of the disabled.

The Passport Office will respond to the MPs letter saying that there is a wide range of people who can certify the photo, but the rules on this point, are the rules. The OP cannot self certify as that means they'd have to offer that to everyone, opening the door to fraud... 

The fact the OP isn't very sociable isn't something the passport office is responsible for. 

sheramber

brianposter said:

sheramber said:

brianposter said:

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

Do you expect him to get the rules changed for the OP?

Yes. It is one of the reasons why we have local MPs and, as far as I am aware, all organisations are expected to adapt to the needs of the disabled.

It takes more than one MP to  get changes. . 

 Businesses have to make REASONABLE adjustments for disability.  The list of persons who can sign could be considered  reasonable adjustments. 

Allowing people to get a passport by just applying would be  manna to the illegal immigrants. 

NoodleDoodleMan

brianposter said:

If you are still getting nowhere try writing to your MP.

As above an MP can't have long standing rules bypassed.