Son 20, lost passport

[croyde]

So he has to reapply and needs a witness. Someone who knows him well, a friend but has an important job ie judge, police, nurse, head teacher, pharmacist etc

He has no friends, only online abroad and who at around that age would have friends with important jobs.

I had enough problems applying for mine recently and luckily my pharmacist helped as he's supplied me drugs (legal) for the past 20 years.

Does seem a bit archaic for these digital times along with supplying original household bills etc

Trying to get EON to verify a paper bill was a ridiculous process.

Hope his mum knows someone important.

[Spare tyre]

GP, college or old school teacher, scraping the barrel I know. Any neighbours in the right positions?

I got a childhood friends dad who is a cop to sign something for me as He has known me for years

[Sheepshanks]

My wife does them quite a bit - she's a Civil Servant.

I guess you've looked at the list of people who can countersign - it's pretty extensive. I don't remember this, but she's adamant I did one when she wasn't here and it got rejected, I should qualify on a couple of counts.

[croyde]

You can't use a doctor any longer unless they are a 'good friend'.

I used to use my GP as he'd treated the family for decades but we never shared a pint

He retired during Covid so I asked the other guy who has also treated me for years but he actually said that as he didn't really know me, he couldn't be a witness.

Just seems mad that in this computer, online age that we still have to do these pretty Victorian things.

He's replacing a lost passport, they already have his details, his NI number, have taken tax off him, his licence, his address, school record etc.

The witness thing just seems daft to me. Next they'll want a wax seal

[Bill]

OTOH in the days of Photoshop etc someone who actually knows you seems more important.

[Ambleton]

amongst my group of friends about 70% of us are self employed contractors and therefore "company directors".

Apparently this makes us of high moral standing to sign the required paperwork for visas and passports etc...

Last time my pal asked me to do it i drew a mustache, hat and spectacles on his photo whilst he was in the loo

(Yes, I did make sure he had a spare passport photo first)

[Jim1064]

The list is pretty big:
https://www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applica...

[Glosphil]

Isn't the witness signing to verify that the photo is a reasonable likeness?

Edited by Glosphil on Sunday 12th February 22:51

[croyde]

Glosphil said:

Isn't the witness signng to verify that the photo is a reasonable likeness?

Yes. But is supposed to know the applicant. They can be called by the passport office to check.

[Skyedriver]

Ambleton said:

amongst my group of friends about 70% of us are self employed contractors and therefore "company directors".

Apparently this makes us of high moral standing to sign the required paperwork for visas and passports etc...

Is Andrew Tate a Company Director?

[ApOrbital]

Ouch.

[ARHarh]

So what makes those professions any more honest and upstanding than a dustman? Or are dustman civil servants? Its really just a bit out of date for our modern woke times surely. Maybe we should mention it to some of those do gooders and they can get something that needs changing changed.

[Paul Dishman]

ARHarh said:

So what makes those professions any more honest and upstanding than a dustman? Or are dustman civil servants? It's really just a bit out of date for our modern woke times surely. Maybe we should mention it to some of those do gooders and they can get something that needs changing changed.

From the link

"Accepted occupations for countersignatories

Your countersignatory must either:

work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession
be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ "

so presumably a dustman of good standing could be a countersignatory.

I've countersigned passport applications for patients in the past, but only for those people that I knew well, not for randoms who wandered in off the street and asked.

[Sheepshanks]

Ambleton said:

amongst my group of friends about 70% of us are self employed contractors and therefore "company directors".

Can you be a self-employed company director? If the company was a Ltd, then normally the directors would be employees of the company.


The 'good standing' bit is something of a nonsense. The sort of person that would normally apply to - Vicar, Magistrate etc, is on the professions list anyway.

[98elise]

Ambleton said:

amongst my group of friends about 70% of us are self employed contractors and therefore "company directors".

Apparently this makes us of high moral standing to sign the required paperwork for visas and passports etc...

Last time my pal asked me to do it i drew a mustache, hat and spectacles on his photo whilst he was in the loo

(Yes, I did make sure he had a spare passport photo first)

It's funny that when I was a Petty Officer in the RN I couldn't sign them. I was trusted with classified/secret information, and in charge of weapons (missiles guns etc), but not trusted enough to sign a passport photo!

Since I left I've had a couple of one man band limited companies which makes me trustworthy enough apparently!

[JuanCarlosFandango]

I just signed for my neighbours kids a couple of weeks ago. All fine as far as I know. I'm not an MP, solicitor or GP.

[Super Sonic]

JuanCarlosFandango said:

I just signed for my neighbours kids a couple of weeks ago. All fine as far as I know. I'm not an MP, solicitor or GP.

But you are a member of PH.

[croyde]

Looks like his optician will sign. Knows him well as he's always losing or breaking his specs.

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Super Sonic said:

But you are a member of PH.

Not even 6,000 posts yet! 5 years is May. Borderline.

[brman]

Doesn't the post office do all that for you, including sending off the right stuff? Or is a lost passport different to a standard new/renewal?