Getting first passport for grandhild - it's a nightmare

Farmor15

If your GD has Irish relatives she may be entitled to an Irish passport. I'm not sure how complicated the process is, if applying from outside Ireland, but a lot of people are doing it! It might be worth looking into.

You can apply for an Irish passport if you have a parent that was born on the island if Ireland.

If you have a grandparent born on the island of Ireland you have to apply to go on the foreign births register first, this takes approximately a year, you can then apply for a passport.

We will not go to the uk again because it is just too hard and we don’t want to send original documents ,birth certificates ,marriage certificates etc to them as requested. Our British passports are out of date and they won’t let us enter on our Australian passports. Same applies to many of our friends who now just go straight to Europe. They are constant travellers,more than us and would have been enjoyed going to the UK. We have never had this issue before, it started this year. What’s wrong with them ?

Try Citizens Advice they should be able to find out exactly what document you need
Yes you do need a passport for Southern Ireland but not northern as its part of UK

Try the adoption board on Mumsnet.

Our problem is, what is the title of a document that would show this? If they tell us "we need certificate ABC" or "we need a document called XYZ" then we could progress.

They can't tell you which certificate she needs to produce, without knowing the reason/method her name was changed. She, or your son, need to explain.

Common reasons for a woman to change her name are marriage, entering a civil partnership or divorce , legal procedures which are all registered with official records and certificates.

Or, she might have changed it by deed poll, with a signed witnessed statement. See

<https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll>

Of course the mother knows the reason; why doesn't your son? Can you see how odd that looks?

* But they absolutely refuse to communicate with us and we don't know why*

If your son either doesnt know the legal name of his child's mother; or why she changed it; and can't/won't ask her to explain, no wonder the PO suspect there's something afoot. That perhaps, the childs mother isn't aware, or doesn't agree to, the passport application.

Post-Brexit record in Irish passport applications from UK share.google/uIZi2J0e5nW7zrFm9

If your GD has Irish relatives she may be entitled to an Irish passport. I'm not sure how complicated the process is, if applying from outside Ireland, but a lot of people are doing it! It might be worth looking into.

I think I would make a stage 1 complaint to the passport office.

passport-advice-line.html

You are genuine but so many aren't and complaining will definitely get you someone "real" to talk it through with, even if it's an email exchange.

So which paperwork is being used the birth certificate of the child’s mother or her adoption certificate?

Have the passport office got both?

They only need the certificate that gives the name on your grandchild’s birth certificate.

Her birth certificate will give her birth parents name, the adoption certificate her adoptive parents names.

Does this help?

I was also going to suggest your MP, mine was very helpful when I was having problems with something similar for my brother, his member of staff said "it's surprising what can get when you mention an MPs name".

Did she change her name by deed poll?

Butterandjam Perhaps I didn't explain clearly enough.

I made the application in my son's name as he is severely dyslexic and it was him that the Passport Office refused to speak to, although I listened in each time he tried to speak to them and he was giving them the correct information.

When he does computer work he has an anxiety attack if it goes wrong, so it's easier for me to do it, especially something as important as a passport application.

They want to know how the child's mother's adoption name changed to the name she uses now. Our problem is, what is the title of a document that would show this? If they tell us "we need certificate ABC" or "we need a document called XYZ" then we could progress. But they absolutely refuse to communicate with us and we don't know why.

We're completely stuck and I hoped a poster on GN could point the way forward. The child's mother is not exactly helpful either.

As I said before, I can perfectly understand the need to be careful with child trafficking issues, but we seem to be beating our heads against a brick wall. We've answered all questions, sent all documents requested and still can't get any further forward.

In your OP there appears to be some confusiion between the adoption and birth certificates?

Adopted people in uk, use an adoption certificate instead of a birth certificate. AC has exactly the same legal recognition and use as a BC.

Do you mean, the childs mother is adopted, and Mums name on her own adoption certificate, is different from the "mother name" entered on GD's birthcertificate? If so, not surprising the Passp;ort office is asking for an explanation of the discrepancy.

In their eyes, the application may look suspect for several reason.

The only people aho can apply for a minorchilds passport, are its parents and court appointed legal guardians.

Your GP involvement "on behalf of her father and missing mother "; the fact you hadn't got the paperwork and provided inconsistent/non matching documents for her mother, could easily appear to be an illegal attempt to obtain a passport without knowledge of its parents ( like abduction of a child ) and that mighe explain why the PO have excluded you.

Your son needs to sort this out himself.
Which parent registered the child's birth?

I need my passport or other photo document to fly to and from Belfast to Edinburgh

Just a thought. Surely it’s the child parent who deals with this, not grandparents. Maybe that’s why they won’t speak with you.

supernana my husband has siblings in Belfast who very regularly travel to the south, Donegal, no passports.

Email your MP. Ours responds quickly though isn't particularly helpful. Others may be moreso.

Hope this is helpful

sago No, it's a UK passport.

Can anybody on here suggest any way we can get the Passport Office to discuss this problem with us? It seems they are unwilling to speak to us over the phone and I think face-to-face appointments are only available to those who have done a priority application. We're completely stuck. They were very helpful on the phone at the beginning of the process, but once the application was made and the fee paid, they became completely uncommunicative.

I'm at a loss. I understand they have to be careful regarding child trafficking, but we are fully legitimate and yet can't seem to get the passport.

We have been told we could possibly travel to Ireland without a passport, but I've also heard of cases where boarding was refused without a passport, which would be heartbreaking.

On the other hand, it seems we could fly into Northern Ireland and drive to Southern Ireland from there, without a passport. Has any other poster done this?

Help, please.

Is this for an Irish passport?
I found the passport office in Cork really helpful.

Not legally maybe, but in reality carriers require one, sorry I phrased it incorrectly

AI Overview

You do not legally need a passport to enter the Republic of Ireland from England if you are a British citizen, thanks to the Common Travel Area. However, many airlines and ferry companies now require a valid passport or passport card for boarding.

Yes ypu do fancythat Ireland is in the EU.

We had hoped to bring her home to Ireland over the current school holiday to meet here Irish family, but that chance has come and gone.

Did you actually need one for that particular journey?