Copy of spouse's passport....

I was going to call the UK visa helpline, but as others have pointed out, they sometime give incorrect answers, so I thought I'd ask on here (get some "real life" advice!).
My husband lives in the UK and cannot give me his passport (we both think its a BAD idea for him to mail it).  So, before he left the last time he was here, we had a copy of it notarized.  Is this good enough?

I've never had it done myself but from what I've read that should be fine. As long as every single page (including the blanks) are copied and notarized individually.

Yes.  Get it certified by a solicitor or a notary, and get every page signed.

Victoria

Every single page!?!?! I only had his picture page copied and notarized
So, how does he go about getting that done in the UK then? Damn it!

He goes to a solicitor or a notary public.

There is debate on whether every page is necessary.....but I like to err on the side of caution.


Victoria

To be honest Uber- it will be A LOT cheaper for him just to send it to you. Getting every page notarized is expensive. Make sure he sends it registered overnight to you, I prefer Fed-Ex. But from personal expierance...DO NOT go with parcel force,my husband sent something to me overnight with them and it took a month to get to me

Some solicitors will only charge £20/£30 for the whole thing...you need to shop around.

I just don't think that the money is the main issue...if the passport got lost in the post, if the UK national suddenly needed to travel, the whole thing could turn into a big mess.


Victoria

rich fed ex'd me his passport and documents for my visa.  I still have his passport and will be bringing it with me on Monday, no sense in mailing it back.  But I do understand the "I might need my passport and dont have it issue"

oh...i'd like to add that my DH went to his local police station and they gave him a certified copy (basically a copy of just the page with his pic and info with a stamp from the police station and an appropriate signature from whoever made the copy).  he said that they were supposed to charge him (like 3GBP or something like that) but they didn't charge him because the copy was kinda crappy. 

anyway....dh couldn't send his to me either...so he emailed the home office/embassy to see what he could do...and they said that the police station was fine.  but...it's up to you.

anyway...i sent that in with my application and it worked fine.

Okay, I called the UK visa helpline and they told me they would NOT accept a notarized copy and going to a solicitor is also not accepted.  The woman told me that my husband MUST go to the place where the passport was issued, or another passport office for them to give him a certified copy.
Other people on here say go to a solicitor, etc.. Who is right? I"m SOOOO confused and frustrated because I'm spending a lot of money calling that helpline!

Okay, I called the UK visa helpline and they told me they would NOT accept a notarized copy and going to a solicitor is also not accepted.  The woman told me that my husband MUST go to the place where the passport was issued, or another passport office for them to give him a certified copy.
Other people on here say go to a solicitor, etc.. Who is right? I"m SOOOO confused and frustrated because I'm spending a lot of money calling that helpline!

here is the email that my DH sent:

-----Original Message-----
From: DH
Sent: 24 August 2005 14:46
To: publicvisaenqs@fco.gov.uk
Subject: Comment from DH - General Information


Hi. Can you please advise me where i can get someone to certify a copy of my passport.
i have tried the police ,lawyer, registry office, doctors, they have all refused, i cant send my passport to the U.S as i need it for work. Any information would be appreciated.

 
Response:  PublicVisaEnqs@fco.gov.uk  to me  30/08/05

The photocopy of the passport must be a true copy of the original and certified as such above the signature of a British practising solicitor or notary public. 

The Entry Clearance Officer may be prepared to accept ordinary photocopies of other supporting documentary evidence, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Any original documents sent will be returned.

 
Sent by:
Public Enquiries , UKvisas, London SW1A 2AH
Telephone: 020 7008 8438
Web-site: www.ukvisas.gov.uk

so....i dunno who is right either.  it's quite possible that the person that answered the phone didn't know what they were talking about (seems quite common in gov't offices).  DH was able to finally get a police stating to certify a copy for him and it worked fine.  the email address he sent the message to is off of the UK Visas website....maybe you can try emailing them and see if you get the same answer...?? 

 

Thanks for the advice, I just e-mailed them.  Truthfully, I don't know who to believe! Its SO frustrating, I'm about to call the UK visa helpline again just to see if their answer is different.  If it is, I'll give them my reference number from this morning's call and pitch a b*tch.  My stomach is in knots because I want to have everything perfect and do not want to have to wait to get my husband to copy it another way. 
I'm beginning to think having him fedex his passport isn't a bad idea.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I have successfully made the following applications using certified copies of the sponsor's passport:

Nationality
Fiancee visas
Spousal visas
Unmarried Partner visas
Entry clearance for a dependent child to enter the UK
Entry clearance for an elderly relative to enter the UK

In each case, I photocopied every page of the passport, and got a solicitor to stamp and sign every page as being a true and accurate copy of the original.  In order to do this, the solicitor has to actually see the original.

I am 100 per cent confident that certified copies of passports can be used instead of the original in every kind of application (providing the original passport does not need stamping) whether from within the UK or outwith the UK.  And I NEVER say 100 per cent, so that shows you!

Anyone who advised that certified copies are not acceptable is a moron. Anyone who says that copies certified by a notary public or a practising solicitor are not acceptable is a moron.

In case you were still doubtful, here is a link which clearly shows that certified copies are acceptable as evidence - look at 'what supporting documents should I include with my application'

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1018721067523

Victoria

Hi. Can you please advise me where i can get someone to certify a copy of my passport.
i have tried the police ,lawyer, registry office, doctors, they have all refused, i cant send my passport to the U.S as i need it for work. Any information would be appreciated.

http://www.thenotariessociety.org.uk/find_a_notary.asp

Someone here on UKY posted that in a thread a while ago, but I couldn't find the original thread. However, if you're still having trouble finding a notary, it may help.

Thanks for the advice, I just e-mailed them.  Truthfully, I don't know who to believe! Its SO frustrating, I'm about to call the UK visa helpline again just to see if their answer is different.  If it is, I'll give them my reference number from this morning's call and pitch a b*tch.  My stomach is in knots because I want to have everything perfect and do not want to have to wait to get my husband to copy it another way. 
I'm beginning to think having him fedex his passport isn't a bad idea.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Victoria obviously knows what she's talking about but I think you should just Fedex it back and forth if you are worried about the notarized copies not being enough.  I have sent my passport to and from India, the States, and within the UK.  I know it's nerve wracking but the chances of it not getting there are not that signficant especially if you do it by Fedex.  Just my opinion though!  You are really not supposed to be without your passport if you are in a foreign country, but anyway your DH is in the UK and it's his UK passport right?  So unless he really ends up having some immediate travel need that he didn't expect, chances are you'll be ok.