Hawkini

Hi all, my two daughters passports' will expire in just under 3 months - and I have filled out the applications (smart ones) and got two US size passport photos (since I have evidence that is OK).

Now, Countersigning... ARGH... I have on one hand a UK Govt guidance that children renewals that are aged 12-15 do NOT need Counter signing - so wahey! Brilliant - none of the faffing about. The photos are obviously a tad "I kind of guess they still look like that, but not really."

We moved to the US just under two years ago, and moved to California 6 months ago - we don't really know anyone who would qualify as a GOOD counter signatory - and definitely not where we currently live.

I went to the Police station, but they flat out told us they wouldn't countersign, or any lawyer that I happened to get hold of.

So, does ANYONE have any experience of renewing a child passport aged 12-15 and not requiring a counter sign? The UK notes tells me I don't, but you guessed it, I do NOT want to waste the extortionate amount of money just because I didn't get someone to sign the forms.

Also as an aside, since they are US size photos, do I need to get whoever does counter sign them to right really small in the middle, or doesn't it matter (in case they need trimming etc).

Thanks!

N1cky

Ask the school head to sign, ours signed with no problems

Bob

Local bank manager, doctor, dentist, post master...anyone of good professional standing, as they say.

And as they're not Brits, they don't need their passport numbers scribbled down either.

Hawkini

So it doesn't matter that I haven't known these people for more than 2 years...? Such is the reason for me getting quite annoyed that the "USA Passport Webchat" person told me that I had to either get a lawyer or police officer to do it and that was it...?

RICH

It's not about who you know, it is about who the government knows.

MarylandNed

Renewals for children 12-15 do not normally need anyone to countersign. The only possible exception would be if the child is not recognizable as being the person in the old passport photo.

It doesn't hurt to have someone (I've used bank officials in the past) who has known you for a few months to countersign - it's not like you have a choice. Alternatively, you could simply follow the guidelines and not have a countersignatory for a 12-15 renewal - which would probably be OK anyway.

lizzyq

Here in the UK when I renewed our younger son's passport last year shortly after his 12th birthday I didn't get his photos counter signed and there were no problems. He had done the usual growing up from 7 to 12 so looked somewhat, but not unrecognisably, different in the new photos.

Lizzy

Pulaski

Pick a name from last weeks obituaries in the local paper, then squiggle something vaguely like that name. It's not like the British government is going to send someone out to check up on the signature!

celticgrid

We are currently renewing passports for our 2 children.

Son, aged 14, paperwork sent off without any countersignature. Current state is credit card transaction rejected (!) so trying to sort that out.

Daughter, aged 10, paperwork countersigned by school teacher.

In light of experience it would be my recommendation that getting fresh UK passports all round should be something any family emigrating should do before final departure from the UK. It postpones the hassles of renewal to a far enough ahead point in time that it is less likely to occur when all sorts of other grief is ongoing, plus there should be less issues regarding not having a countersignatory that's known you long enough.

Isn't hindsight wonderful

Hawkini

+1 - what a wonderful piece of advice many people will not take because they'll think (like me) oh the passports don't expire for "years" - trouble is it wasn't enough years...!

Thankfully my own, my wifes and my sons passports don't expire until 2015, and my other daughter was born here so she has a US passport that looks like it was printed in a back street counterfeit shop since the logo isn't dead center.... every time I look at it it makes me cringe...

So as of yet, I haven't heard of anyone applying for 12-15 kids renewals in the US without countersigning - I will probably just get the head teacher of their school to do it.

celticgrid

Yes. Further to my earlier message I do indeed have experience. I can now update the thread.

Son. Renewal. Aged 15. Simple. As per the clear instructions on the form we sent off the renewal application without getting the form or the photos countersigned. He actually doesn't look that different from 10 to 15, certainly less change than my photos last year after 10 years of life between [cut] and [cut] years old!

Received email stating the application cannot be progressed because it is not countersigned.

There really is no other option but to comply as the email is heavily marked as the "you can reply if you want but we just delete replies unread" type.

So, although the instructions are clear they are either incorrect or are being upheld by people incapable of following them. My advice is therefore get countersignatures for all applications. A nuisance, but not as much of a pain as the consequences!

Mummy in the foothills

My credit card rejected ours one year, so now I call and warn them it's coming, no problem since. Call the credit card and tell them to put it through. I used the kids school teacher one time, and then a parent of one pf the boys friends, he was a retired policeman.

Yorkieabroad

Probably not a lot of consolation, but its equally frustrating trying to get the kids US passports renewed. I'm trying to do that for my 10 year old at the moment, and its a right royal pain.....For a US passport for a minor you have to apply in person - no mailing in. A lot of the post offices that used to accept applications round us no longer do...and of the ones that do, most of them seem to have moved from an appointment based system to a "first come first served". What they omit to tell you is that even though they advertise open hours 9-11 then 1-3 (2 hour lunch anybody?), they will only issue 10 passports a day - once they pass that quota they close, regardless of what time it is. So although it touts itself as the Land of the Free, it most definitely is not the Land of the Free to Leave!!

Hawkini

Well, I didn't want a charge for passports and take the chance so I asked the kids middle school principal - they had no idea what I was on about so took the weekend to research it...!

And yes, I was very ready to go ahead and send with no countersignature as that is what the guidance says - but thanks to celticgrid - you have confirmed my suspicion that probably the whole 12-15 thing is for UK internal renewals only.

I have actually yet to send the damn things off even though I had them countersigned last week. Should do it quick before some jobsworth deems the date that they were signed is too far in the past...

celticgrid

Good advice, but unfortunately in this case we seem to have this episode plagued by idiots. We called the credit card company and they put a note on the account to accept the transaction. They still rejected it for a second time when the embassy re-tried. Third time lucky...

The child involved has had a birthday, meanwhile. If this drags on for another 11 months I'll have to change the application to an adult passport