New British Passport in Married Name

[ktun 0]

Does anyone know how to overcome Countersignatory Issues in applying for a new British Passport in America?

I've downloaded the form and instructions to send to the British Embassy in Washington DC. The final part of the form is where you get it signed by a Countersignatory verifying your identity. The instructions state that:

"When you have completed the form, someone who has known you personally for at least two years should complete & sign Section 10. That person should be a British citizen....etc, who is a Member of Parliament, Justice of the Peace, Minister of Religion, Bank Officer, Civil Servant, or professionally qualified person eg. lawyer, teacher, doctor etc."

Well, there aren't any British Citizens around here, so on to the next part of the instructions:

"If you do not know a British National or other Commonwealth citizen locally, a citizen of the country in which you are residing may complete and sign the form, provided he/she has a similar standing in that country, has known you for two years and the Consul considers the signature to be acceptable. A member of your family should NOT countersign."

Whilst I do know a priest and a doctor here in the States that would qualify, there is no-one here apart from my husband who has known me for 2 years!

Any ideas? I hope to avoid calling the British Consulate in Washington for instructions as it costs $2.10 per minute!!!

Thank you

Kate

[ChristinaM 0]

I did in fact call the consulate in Washington, and they said that it can be countersigned by someone who knows you well here even if they haven't known you for two years

I had the same panic and thought I was going to have to send everything back to the UK to get it countersigned, but apparently not!

[Kajikit 65]

When I read that on my Australian passport application I figured I had to shelve it for 12 months until I'd been here long enough for our minister to fit the two-year-rule...

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I phoned too when I got to that question.... I had my lawyer sign it and I got my new passport no problems....

The phone call cost me $12.00

Kezzie

[ChristinaM 0]

When I read that on my Australian passport application I figured I had to shelve it for 12 months until I'd been here long enough for our minister to fit the two-year-rule...

May be different for an Aussie - we're all Brits!

[ktun 0]

Thank you all for the info and for saving me $12 on phone calls!! I guess I will get the doctor to sign it then, he's seen me every month pretty much for the past year when my husband has his check-ups.

[Melo 1]

Are you now expected to get a new passport? Once upon a time they used to make amendments in the same passport. I plan to add Higgins to my existing surname... would I need a new pasport?

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Because the photo page holds all your info they can no longer just change a name they have to issue a new passport... this is what I was told by Passoprt section in washington...

If your passport has less than 3 years to run it is better to get a full renewal than just an updated as the diffrence in cost is not much..

When I did mine (last june) it was $92 for update and $112 for new 10 year passport... as mine only had 2 years 3 months left I went for the full renewal...

Kezzie

[internetkafe 0]

Does anyone know how to overcome Countersignatory Issues in applying for a new British Passport in America?

I've downloaded the form and instructions to send to the British Embassy in Washington DC. The final part of the form is where you get it signed by a Countersignatory verifying your identity. The instructions state that:

"When you have completed the form, someone who has known you personally for at least two years should complete & sign Section 10. That person should be a British citizen....etc, who is a Member of Parliament, Justice of the Peace, Minister of Religion, Bank Officer, Civil Servant, or professionally qualified person eg. lawyer, teacher, doctor etc."

Well, there aren't any British Citizens around here, so on to the next part of the instructions:

"If you do not know a British National or other Commonwealth citizen locally, a citizen of the country in which you are residing may complete and sign the form, provided he/she has a similar standing in that country, has known you for two years and the Consul considers the signature to be acceptable. A member of your family should NOT countersign."

Whilst I do know a priest and a doctor here in the States that would qualify, there is no-one here apart from my husband who has known me for 2 years!

Any ideas? I hope to avoid calling the British Consulate in Washington for instructions as it costs $2.10 per minute!!!

Thank you

Kate

Kate,

I am using http://mezuncallingcard.com services. They charge 4.9 cents a minute for calls from US to UK.

I am sure you can find other companies that charge similarly.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

internetkafe

The call is to Washington USA not UK....

Kezzie

[ktun 0]

A couple of things from the British Embassy site FAQs:

14. Do I need to have my application countersigned if it is a straightforward renewal?

If your passport was issued in the last 10 years, this is not normally necessary unless your appearance has noticeably changed.

15. Who should I ask to countersign my application if I have been in the USA for less than 2 years?

A professional person of good standing (doctor, dentist, teacher etc) who is known to you. Or you can obtain a countersignature from your previous location.

Thank you, that is really helpful info

Kate