I have read the sticky and the linked threads / posts.

I have this slight problem, In the 9 & 1/2 years that I have held my current passport, I have gained enough weight to change my appearance, and so believe that I am in need of a counter-signatory.

Here's where the problem lies, I have changed my Dentist in the past year & a half (after not seeing the previous one for another year), have not seen a doctor for 6 months and he was only my physician for about a year, have no personal acquaintance of a Judge, elected government official, or other learned professional. I do know the head of the neighbouring county's health department, and believe that she should qualify, if she weren't my sister in law and so is a relative, which I have read on another site, along with notaries, are not accepted as Cosigns.

All the posts linked in the sticky which mentioned counter-signatories not being required are over two years old now, so I don't know what I can get away with.

Am I screwed?

Anyone in a professional capacity can sign it.

Get the local plod to do it, or your bank manager etc.

Do you have a child in school? A teacher or principal could sign it.....

I got 2 friends we have made here to sign the passport applications for me and my 2 kids when we did the renewals at end of 2010. They have only known us since we have been in US (almost 18 months) and no checks have been done. One is a realtor and one is a MD.

I bank online, have no children, and the only times that my path crossed with the police were to talk my way out of a speeding ticket.

Now, if Sheila Klinker were to return to Indiana, I possibly could use her (through a friend) LOL.

I have held a job in Lafayette, IN for five years now, I suppose that I could use middle to upper management at the facility?

Do you go to a church or synagogue? A pastor/priest/rabbi can also sign for you.

Atheist. LOL.

I done a great job of keeping below the RADAR haven't I?

The big joke is I was going to go for US Naturalization this year, but decided to have a vacation back in blighty 3 months after the expiry of my current passport. If I could have waited until I was a US citizen, I wouldn't be in this situation.

Got a pet? My vet signed mine! Use the library? You could ask the head librarian. Does the bank you use online have a bricks and mortar branch you could stop into? Do you use an accountant?

Doesn't everyone forge their countersignatories?

I suppose thats one way to get travel out of the USA permitted.

Commit fraud (a federal offense), after a spell in the pen., they boot your ass out, and your expired passport then gets you into the UK as proof of citizenship.

Yes.

How is forging a countersignatory for a UK passport a federal offense? Ok - I suppose you are committing that fraud on US soil. I've never bothered to get a valid countersignature on back of a passport photo. Seemed to me like a pointless pain in the arse. Never been a problem.

I thought you were joking.

No. I'm sure no-one ever checks up on this sort of thing. How would they even go about doing that? I worked in various bank branches for 11 years. As staff/managers between us we'd acted as valid counersignatories for hundreds of bloody passport photos (we discussed this). No-one ever checked up.

What would be the point?

Maybe most people do do that. I didn't think of it.