Yes, as I said, I e-mailed the DVLA, and got 2 replies from 2 different people, both confirming that an original US passport is sufficient identification, so the photos don't need to be signed. One of the replies even said that the info on their website is wrong
![Wink ;)](https://www.talk.uk-yankee.com/Smileys/classic/wink.gif)
I sent the form, photo, my passport, and my marriage certificate (to show name change) in a Special Delivery envelope, with a prepaid SD envelope inside. It went in the post on Saturday, with guaranteed delivery by Tuesday. On Friday, I got my passport and marriage cert back in the SD envelope I included, with a note saying my license would follow, and to allow 10 business days. But it arrived in a regular envelope the next day. All told, it took a week--Saturday to Saturday.
BTW, I filled out the form online, then just printed and mailed the part that they needed me to sign. If you don't do the form online, it might take longer for them to process.