The Student Room Group

passport countersignature..

I need to get a british passport done asap anyway seeing as college has finished i cant get one of the photos signed by a teacher and i need to get it signed like this week, dont really want to go to the doctors, as well i havn't actually been to this doctors before since i registered when i was probably 11 or something. Anyway the question is can i get it signed by my auntie who is a teacher. I know you cant get it signed by a relative but she has a different surname?

Or how does the passport place know if the sigs real or not anyway? like if its a real doctor do they do a checkup? Kinda need to know if you have any idea..
Reply 1
do you not have any neighbours who could do it for you? or any of your friends parents? i wouldn't have thought it was that hard to find someone who wasn't related...

lou xxx
Reply 2
None of them are proffessionals. And we dont really like our neighbours lol.
Anyway i actually hold an italian passport which i had got a countersig for when i first got it a couple of years ago so i emailed the passport office to ask if i need another sig for the british passport. Like if i just send of the italian one..that would be ok right?
Reply 3
wesetters
No, they won't accept that. Do you go to a library regularly or anything? They might be able to do it. The countersignatory has to be a british citizen.


I do actually. but i just read the forms and you need passport number and personal contacts . I dont know the librarians personally and they probably dont recognise me anyway..


The only option i have is my friends mother who is a nurse.. or i'll just have to ask a doctor. but no one likes to give such personal details for a near stranger do they?? its so fustrating for my italian passport all they needed was a signature on the back of the photo and an address not passport numb ers etc..
Reply 4
lucidia
I do actually. but i just read the forms and you need passport number and personal contacts . I dont know the librarians personally and they probably dont recognise me anyway..


The only option i have is my friends mother who is a nurse.. or i'll just have to ask a doctor. but no one likes to give such personal details for a near stranger do they?? its so fustrating for my italian passport all they needed was a signature on the back of the photo and an address not passport numb ers etc..


if it's your GP they will probably charge you... i'd just ask this friend's mother

lou xxx
Reply 5
i just asked my girlfriends mother, who is also a nurse, she was happy to help.
Reply 6
they do check sometimes- so dont fake it and dont get relatives to do it!
lucidia

The only option i have is my friends mother who is a nurse.. or i'll just have to


thats what I did, when I was filling mine out, our family friend who happens to be a nurse was with us and she countersigned mine and my photos, and it was fine.
Reply 8
Why didn't I have to do anything vaguely related to this to get my Mexican or Spanish passports?
Reply 9
judi_lover
they do check sometimes- so dont fake it and dont get relatives to do it!


I work for the passport office and can categorically state we check ALL the time. The only people who don't check all the time...well, the are basically discovered and fired.

I wouldn't like to say anything about how Mexico or Spain issue their passports, but the whole point of the countersignatory section is to help prevent fraud. It's hardly a rediculous idea. If you live in the UK and have done for more than 2 years, it should be perfectly easy to find a countersig.
Reply 10
Mellie
If you live in the UK and have done for more than 2 years, it should be perfectly easy to find a countersig.


most people i know arent one of the proffessionals listed.. but it should b e ok if i can get my friends parent to sign it, though i have to wait before that can happen because its about finding the time.

oh, do you have any idea if its the busy period at the moment for passport applications?? because i wanted to the post and check thing but i need it before the 26th of august (they say two week unless busy)..otherwise ill just have to head over to liverpool..
Reply 11
It's not as busy as it was last year, but it's getting busier, certainly. The thing is, even if you send your application to Liverpool or Peterborough, it could and probably will get transferred....so it depends where it ends up.

Remember though, the Check & Send thing is deceptive. I've had to deal with a zillion people who want to know why their passport application hasn't been processed in ten days time. Nobody at the Post office has proper training in how to examine applications. They basically check your fees are paid, you'se sent in some photos and if you are lucky, they will make sure the most obvious part of the form is filled in. But if one minor thing is wrong with your application (eg, you're countersignatory needs to be contacted, your credit card payment does not go through, more documents are needed etc) the ten day turnaround goes out the window.

On saying that, if your application is correctly filled in and supported, 26 days is a generous amount of time to get it sorted.
Reply 12
Mellie
It's not as busy as it was last year, but it's getting busier, certainly. The thing is, even if you send your application to Liverpool or Peterborough, it could and probably will get transferred....so it depends where it ends up.

Remember though, the Check & Send thing is deceptive. I've had to deal with a zillion people who want to know why their passport application hasn't been processed in ten days time. Nobody at the Post office has proper training in how to examine applications. They basically check your fees are paid, you'se sent in some photos and if you are lucky, they will make sure the most obvious part of the form is filled in. But if one minor thing is wrong with your application (eg, you're countersignatory needs to be contacted, your credit card payment does not go through, more documents are needed etc) the ten day turnaround goes out the window.

On saying that, if your application is correctly filled in and supported, 26 days is a generous amount of time to get it sorted.



Thanks for the info.. do think it best if i go, by appointment, to liverpool and pay 77.50 for the guarenteed one week fast track service or is this a waste of money??
Reply 13
lucidia
Thanks for the info.. do think it best if i go, by appointment, to liverpool and pay 77.50 for the guarenteed one week fast track service or is this a waste of money??


They usually say people who aren't travelling within 2 weeks don't need to visit an office, but they won't turn you away. If you can afford it and get to an office, I'd probably do it myself...you don't want to be sitting 4 days before you're travel date wondering if it's going to arrive.
Reply 14
i dont know if on the spot costs more. im only wiling to pay the £77.50 if its even a little likely i wont be able to get my passport before the 26th if i send it off either on the 3rd or the week after on the 10th (depending on when i am off and which week i will be able to get it countersigned)

EDIT: i think ill go down to liverpool...i dont want to worry like you said mellie
Reply 15
lucidia
i dont know if on the spot costs more. im only wiling to pay the £77.50 if its even a little likely i wont be able to get my passport before the 26th if i send it off either on the 3rd or the week after on the 10th (depending on when i am off and which week i will be able to get it countersigned)

EDIT: i think ill go down to liverpool...i dont want to worry like you said mellie


Well best of luck! And enjoy your trip! :biggrin: