Passport office, what a joke.

[JordanTurbo]

Still fuming 24hrs later!

Wife went up to Peterborough passport office yesterday to sort our 1 year old sons passport out on the fast track service. Only to be told that the doctor that has countersigned the application isn't good enough!

Apparently the person that has been the mother's GP for 5 years and the child's GP from birth does not know the applicant well enough to vouch for them. What the actual fk?!?

They spouted some st that "if the doctor was a friend or neighbour they would be able to do it." Where the fk this has come from I don't know! It's definatly not from the application guide or the informatiin sheet they gave my wife to leave with!

Surely the whole bloody point of the counter signature is that it should be someone detached from the applicant and less likly to help with a fraudulent application! Hence why it says they can't be a relative or partner.

I KNOW the doctor can do it! They signed my other child's application! And when asked why the doctors surgery advertise a signing service (which also cost £26 fking quid) the office had no comeback.

This farce came from the clerk and the manager after my wife asked to see them.

4hr round trip which now has to be done again next tuesday! What a fking joke!
Rant over!

Edited by JordanTurbo on Thursday 27th November 09:53

[JordanTurbo]

Puggit said:

I can understand your ire but...

https://www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applica... makes it clear

Gov web site said:

be able to identify the person applying, eg they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows them professionally)

Cheers,

Also on the same page:

Gov web site said:

Last updated:17 November 2014

I'd be interested to know what it said before the 17th, I got the application countersigned on the 12th.

Puggit said:

And doctors are not in the list (but nurses are!).

Luckily in our 3 neighbouring houses we have a councillor, accountant and policeman

The list is of examples and is not exhaustive. A doctor is still 100% a "recognised profession".

[JordanTurbo]

REALIST123 said:

Couldn't you just tell them the Doc is a friend?

On the form it asks how they know the applicant, the GP already wrote "patient" in that box.

Have now got a new application signed by the families officer at the camp I work at (I'm in the Army), and will be going back up to Peterborough on Tuesday.

[JordanTurbo]

mph1977 said:

hence the reason for de-emphasising Doctors in the listing; if you do know a Doc personally then great...

the text clarifying Nurse isn't brilliant it should really just say 'Registered Nurse' as an RGN or RMN appears on the same register as a Post P2k RN (adult) oir RN (mental health) , Child Branch post P2k / RSCN or a RN (learning disabilities) - and if an RN is good enough why not a Madwife ? As i assume the aim of the clarificxation to make usre it;s a NMC Registered Nurse , not a HCA , dental nurse or unqualified vet nurse ...

I suspect that a HCP registered Bod would also do (Paramedic/ Physio / ODP / OT etc etc)

I have one of those

[JordanTurbo]

tangerine_sedge said:

Is this the same Passport office that renewed 2 passports for my children last week. This was a 5 day turn-around including mailing...

At what point do you stop blaming the passport office, and start thinking that *you* might be the problem?

I wouldn't have been nearly as pissed off if the guy had given a proper explanation first time. Just sending my wife home with a "GP isn't good enough" was not the way to resolve the issue IMO

Went up on Tuesday with a fresh form and new counter signature. The woman we saw was 1000x more helpful than the last guy. Explained the original GP problem and how/why they have changed the rules.

New passport arrived today (2 days into the 5 day turn around).