Child’s first passport application

[Starmum22]

Hi all, hoping one of your lovely knowledgable Dibbers can help me. I’ve just helped my dd apply for her baby’s first passport. During the application it asked for the details of the paternal grandparents, which I supplied as much as I could. However, at the end of the application it asked us to send both sets of grandparents’ birth certificates and marriage certificate! Is this not a bit excessive?! My dd is estranged from her ex-partner’s family so there is no way they would provide her with these documents. I’ve emailed the passport office to ask for advice but I thought I’d try the Dibb and see if anyone else has had a similar experience and could share what happened with their application.

Thanks 😁

[daytonababe]

My little granddaughter has nothing to do with her father or his family , though he’s on the birth certificate.

When we did her passport applications ( we’ve done 2 as we had her name legally changed )
We left off all details about her father and his family .
Both times it was approved and sent back quickly .

[Starmum22]

Thanks so much for your reply. I’m hoping they just process it with our family details then. It seems very excessive to ask for the paternal gps details even if they were part of her life!

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by Starmum22

Thanks so much for your reply. I’m hoping they just process it with our family details then. It seems very excessive to ask for the paternal gps details even if they were part of her life!

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I know ..

I actually don’t know anything about her fathers family really it’s all very complex.. and hell would freeze before we asked his mother for details

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by RiverandMummy

Hi,

I did my baby’s passport a month ago and I can’t remember it asking for grandparent details - just mum and dads passport information. How strange that it comes up different. We wouldn’t know my husbands paternal grandparent info either.

The pain in the bum thing I had was finding someone in their list of “recognised professions” willing to authorise it. Especially as hardly any of my close friends have met my little boy due to being born in jan the middle of the big lockdown🙄.

Hopefully you can bypass that info. Xx

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It definitely asked for grandparents details when I first did my granddaughter in Sept 2018 and then again august 2020

But as above I didn’t fill in anything for that or her fathers details

For a baby / child whoever countersigns the passport must have known you for at least 2 years not the child .

[Munchkinmouse]

It’s all to do with checking that the child can ‘inherit’ British nationality and is usually asked on applications where the parents aren’t married as this can affect how nationality is passed on. You’ll find that if parents are married with British passports and have provided their passport info grandparents details won’t usually be requested. Where parents are not married they will often go back a generation to check. You can still submit it without, I would just recommend giving them a quick ring to advise you don’t have the certificates and they will do their own checks. Just be prepared if they can’t find the info they need they may ask again for them. If you really need them you may be able to get copies of certificates from your local registry office, they are usually really good at helping you find the right person if you haven’t got all the details, e.g. dates of birth and marriage.

[Lisa_Lollipop]

It's been a few years since we applied for our LB's first passport but I know that despite me and OH not being married we definitely didn't supply documents for grandparents. From what I recall I was told that as we both had valid UK passports and were submitting our passport numbers in his application that was enough information.

[TigerMom]

The law changed a few years ago and a baby no longer has the right to british citizenship just because it is born here. If Mum and Dad were both born here and have passports then you won't be asked for grandparents details. However, if this is not the case then they will ask for Grandparents details. Not being able to supply a parents or grandparents details is not unusual but you may find that you are asked to supply reasons as to why it can't be provided.

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by RiverandMummy

Apologies, i didn’t explain myself very well! I meant that although they knew me as most hadn’t met my baby yet a lot were unwilling to do it.

I also had a couple of people I asked refuse as they questioned why I was getting a passport for him when shouldn’t be travelling at mo! 🙄

I definitely don’t remember providing grandparent details, just our own passport numbers and dates. Unless it’s mummy-brain 😂😂

Did you apply online?

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Yes I did both her applications online ,
The 2nd one when she was almost 2 was a complete name change so we had to send her deedpoll off and also get someone to verify online that it was her .

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by TigerMom

The law changed a few years ago and a baby no longer has the right to british citizenship just because it is born here. If Mum and Dad were both born here and have passports then you won't be asked for grandparents details. However, if this is not the case then they will ask for Grandparents details. Not being able to supply a parents or grandparents details is not unusual but you may find that you are asked to supply reasons as to why it can't be provided.

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We weren’t asked anything either time

I did expect to be as he’s on the birth certificate and I didn’t include him on either passport application but it was fine .