Passport - confirming identity

[JohnDee]

Hi All,
I hope you are well.
I have applied for my first passport. They want someone to confirm my identity.
I need someone who is of recognized profession but I don't know anyone especially after moving in to a new location where I only know a gas engineer. What can I do in this case?
Who can confirm someone’s identity

For some applications, HM Passport Office needs someone to confirm the applicant’s identity. This helps protect their identity and check the application belongs to the right person.

To confirm someone’s identity online, you need to:

• be 18 or older
• and work in or be retired from a recognised profession

You must also be either:

• a current UK or Irish passport holder living in the UK - if the applicant lives in and is applying from the UK
• a current UK, Irish or other EU, US or Commonwealth passport holder - if the applicant lives and is applying from outside the UK

If you’re not a UK or Irish passport holder it will take longer for us to process the application.

You need to have known the applicant, or the person making the application, personally for at least 2 years – for example as a friend, neighbour or colleague.

You must not be related, in a relationship with or living at the same address as the applicant or the person making the application. Recognised professions

You must work in or be retired from a recognised profession and know the applicant personally.

Examples of recognised professions include:

• accountant
• airline pilot
• articled clerk of a limited company
• assurance agent of a recognised company
• bank or building society official
• barrister
• chairman or director of a limited company
• chiropodist
• commissioner for oaths
• councillor - local or county
• civil servant - permanent
• dentist
• director, manager or personnel officer of a VAT-registered company
• engineer with professional qualifications
• financial services intermediary, for example a stockbroker or insurance broker
• fire service official
• funeral director
• insurance agent of a recognised company - full time
• journalist
• Justice of the Peace
• legal secretary - fellow or associate member of the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs
• licensee of a public house
• local government officer
• manager or personnel officer of a limited company
• member, associate or fellow of a professional body
• Member of Parliament
• Merchant Navy Officer
• minister of a recognised religion including Christian Science
• nurse - registered
• officer of the armed services
• optician
• paralegal - certified, qualified or associate member of the Institute of Paralegals
• person with honours - OBE or MBE
• pharmacist
• photographer - professional
• police officer
• Post Office official
• president or secretary of a recognised organisation
• Salvation Army Officer
• social worker
• solicitor
• surveyor
• teacher or lecturer
• trade union officer
• travel agent - qualified
• valuer or auctioneer - fellow or associate member of the incorporated society
• Warrant Officer or Chief Petty Officer

Professions that are not accepted

You cannot confirm someone’s identity if you:

• are a doctor, unless you state you know the applicant well (for example they’re a good friend) and you recognise them easily from their photo
• work for HM Passport Office
• work at UK Visas and Immigration and are involved with applications for British citizenship or right of abode in the UK

[PallasAthena]

If you know no-one in any of those jobs I can only suggest you phone the Passport office for advice. You won't be the first person to have this problem so I expect they have a solution.

It doesn't have to be someone living in the new location you have moved to. The person can be resident anywhere in the UK.

You don't say how old you are but as it's your first passport I wondered if you are young enough to still be remembered by your school teachers?

[islandgirl]

Doctors often do this but charge. Also I have done a few for people I know and it is all online so it does not have to be someone where you now live.

[PallasAthena]

The Passport office rules that OP quoted say Doctors are generally not allowed to do this unless they know you personally eg as a friend.

I believe this was put in the rules at the request of the NHS/ doctors professional associations who feared GPs would get too much of their time taken up dealing with it and lead to disputes between GPS and patients about whether the GP knew the patient sufficiently well to confirm identity.

[JohnDee]

Just to clarify it was a naturalisation. It's kind of silly that some years ago I had to go through the whole process including similar identity verification but in writing and a visit in the department where they took my picture and fingerprints but didn't verify my identity for a passport at the same time. You pay X for naturalisation but you have to pay Y for a passport and go through the whole process again otherwise you are in limbo like you don't exist. I don't mind paying extra for a passport since I spent a lot more on the former but where is the logic in there?
It's 21st century and identity verification is just barely by a proxy.