# UK Post Office's Identity Checking Service for notarizing/certifying passport?



## mongobean (May 29, 2011)

I will be applying for a spouse visa soon, and I'm looking for the most inexpensive way to notarize/certify a copy of my passport. I came across this service from the Post Office here in the UK:

Post Office® | Counter services | Passports & identity | Identity checking service

Would this be an acceptable form of certification for my spouse visa application?

Thank you!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

mongobean said:


> I will be applying for a spouse visa soon, and I'm looking for the most inexpensive way to notarize/certify a copy of my passport. I came across this service from the Post Office here in the UK:
> 
> Post Office® | Counter services | Passports & identity | Identity checking service
> 
> Would this be an acceptable form of certification for my spouse visa application?


No. What they offer is to check the completed form and any documents enclosed for British passport application. Also for certain other applications such as driving licence.

The British partner's passport only needs to be photocopied and enclosed - there is no need to be certified or notarised. And the actual applicant's passport has to be enclosed as part of supporting documents, as visa when successful will be placed inside it.


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## mongobean (May 29, 2011)

Thanks for the reply, Joppa!

I've been reading lists of what documents other forum members have sent to apply for a spousal visa (for when an application is made in the US to have the partner settle in the UK) and each of them have had the British sponsor create a notarised/certified photocopy of their passport, and in some cases, birth certificate and bank statements. Could you confirm that this is not required?

Thank you!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

mongobean said:


> Thanks for the reply, Joppa!
> 
> I've been reading lists of what documents other forum members have sent to apply for a spousal visa (for when an application is made in the US to have the partner settle in the UK) and each of them have had the British sponsor create a notarised/certified photocopy of their passport, and in some cases, birth certificate and bank statements. Could you confirm that this is not required?


For British passport, you don't need it certified or notorised - plain photocopy will do, as UKBA has electronic access to passport details. For other passports, such as when the UK partner is on ILR and not a citizen, certified copy may be useful/required. The fact that some people have sent in notorised copy of everything doesn't mean it's required.

You normally send in original birth certificate and bank statement, accompanied by photocopies.


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## Kitara (Nov 29, 2011)

Singapore Visa Center required my spouse passport to be notarise..


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Kitara said:


> Singapore Visa Center required my spouse passport to be notarise..


That's an unusual request. For US applicants, UKBA will be happy to accept plain photocopy of bio pages of sponsor's British passport (though perhaps not other types of passport).


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## UkIvatt (Jan 17, 2012)

Joppa said:


> That's an unusual request. For US applicants, UKBA will be happy to accept plain photocopy of bio pages of sponsor's British passport (though perhaps not other types of passport).



I am getting ready to apply for my spouse visa from the US as well. I was informed by many people that you do need to have your passport bio page notarized. If you do not , then you must send in your original long form birth certificate with a photo copy of the passport bio page. I know of a man that was recently denied a visa do to not sending in a notarized copy just a photo copy. The UKBA has access to your passport records, however they do not access them. It is up to you and your responsibility to send in the correct documentations.


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## Kitara (Nov 29, 2011)

when i submit my application, the lady at the visa application center check for notarise stamp on the photocopy of my spouse.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

UkIvatt said:


> I am getting ready to apply for my spouse visa from the US as well. I was informed by many people that you do need to have your passport bio page notarized. If you do not , then you must send in your original long form birth certificate with a photo copy of the passport bio page. I know of a man that was recently denied a visa do to not sending in a notarized copy just a photo copy. The UKBA has access to your passport records, however they do not access them. It is up to you and your responsibility to send in the correct documentations.


I know of many US applicants who have successfully applied for their visa without getting the copy of their partner's UK passport pages notorised/certified. Perhaps the person in question had his visa denied for reasons other than a notorised stamp? I'm only talking about British passport - if your partner has another passport with ILR, it may need to be certified.

_Evidence of your sponsor’s immigration status/ permission to be in the UK
This could be copies of:
bio-data pages from their passport or travel document
a valid UK visa or UK stamp from their passport
a Home Office letter confirming their permission to stay in the UK_

Doesn't say anything about them being certified/notorised.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/out-of-country/sup-docs-settlement.pdf


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## Liz in UK (Jul 31, 2011)

When we applied for my fiancee visa, my husband emailed me a scanned copy of his passport bio page. It was not notorised, and our visa application was successful. We applied from the US.


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## UkIvatt (Jan 17, 2012)

Liz in UK said:


> When we applied for my fiancee visa, my husband emailed me a scanned copy of his passport bio page. It was not notorised, and our visa application was successful. We applied from the US.



I wonder why this gentleman posted on another forum exactly what the UKBA said in his denial. There were other things also, so maybe that was just an add on. 

I really wish there was a site you could go to that would tell you exactly what you needed etc. The UKBA's site is just a bare minimum and then you start looking at forums and everyone has a different opinion about everything!


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## Liz in UK (Jul 31, 2011)

UkIvatt said:


> I really wish there was a site you could go to that would tell you exactly what you needed etc. The UKBA's site is just a bare minimum and then you start looking at forums and everyone has a different opinion about everything!


The supporting documents that need to be submitted are going to vary from person to person because they are very much dependent on that person's situation. For example, everyone will need to submit bank statements, but people with fewer resources will also have to submit something from a family member saying they're happy to co-sponsor. Looking at other people's posts, I feel like we submitted very little information, but we were approved.

My advice is to look at the UKBA site, gather together the documents relevant to you, and if you feel that that does not adequately represent you, your case, your relationship, or your situation, then add the documents you feel will do that. All we submitted for our fiancee visa were proof of finances (bank statements, tax returns, letter from accountant, etc), proof of housing, a cover letter outlining our wedding plans and our travel plans subject to approval, a letter offering to sponsor me from my husband, and letters from our parents saying they support us, they've seen us together, and should we need financial support they are happy to help. (Less important from my family as they are not in the UK, but still included.) And photos of us spanning our entire relationship. Also my passport and a copy of his passport, not notorised.

Our spousal visa was applied for priority in the UK, and we submitted even less. Both of our passports, marriage certificate, wedding photos, and the same financial information and proof of housing that was submitted with the fiancee visa.

Basically that was a long winded way of saying that there is no specific list of what you need to submit because everyone's case will be different, some requiring more information than others. Good luck.


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## UkIvatt (Jan 17, 2012)

Liz in UK said:


> When we applied for my fiancee visa, my husband emailed me a scanned copy of his passport bio page. It was not notorised, and our visa application was successful. We applied from the US.


That is great to know Liz. What year did you apply? I am not to worried, I just wish there was some pretty straight forward advice to give people. Applying for a visa is stressful enough without having different forums, telling you so many different things. Some say notarize some say don't. Some say when they look at your income the formula they use is: Rent, council tax and utilities and some say Rent and any loan payments. It can get quite confusing to wade through it all. However, at the end of the day I have learned a lot about immigrating to the UK from the US. Thanks everyone!


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## Liz in UK (Jul 31, 2011)

I applied for my fiancee visa in February 2011. (I think I got confused by the whole entry date being within 3 months of the application, as I asked for it to be valid July 1st, but it was still approved and with the date we wanted.) And then I applied for FLR(M) in November.

As for different forums telling you different things, it can be confusing. On this forum, the moderators (especially Joppa) seem to really know their stuff and give good advice about what you need and the various laws.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Liz in UK said:


> I applied for my fiancee visa in February 2011. (I think I got confused by the whole entry date being within 3 months of the application, as I asked for it to be valid July 1st, but it was still approved and with the date we wanted.) And then I applied for FLR(M) in November.
> 
> As for different forums telling you different things, it can be confusing. On this forum, the moderators (especially Joppa) seem to really know their stuff and give good advice about what you need and the various laws.


Thanks for your compliment.
UKBA has improved its website and the information contained in it to help visa applicants, but there is always room for improvement no doubt. Before the internet, they were kept very much in the dark and were given little help in deciding what needs to be supplied and in what form, also about criteria they have to meet. But visa fees were a lot lower, and there was no fee for those applying in UK, except for naturalisation.

As for supporting documents, they don't want to be too prescriptive as individual circumstances vary, and they want applicants to use their intelligence to decide what is relevant in their particular case. Also I may add that by leaving some details vague, it gives them room for discretion in decision making. They don't want to give the impression that by submitting documents A, B and C, you will be guaranteed a visa. They place emphasis on the quality of evidence submitted, rather than the quantity. 

Some people have given their complete list of supporting documents they have supplied. While it may help some people, as I've said, personal circumstances vary and what is relevant for one may not be for another, and people should use discretion in deciding what to submit and in what form. If in doubt, ask here.
Also take with a pinch of salt what you read on other immigration forums - some are not as well moderated as this one!


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## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

*CTC/Notorised stamp on photocopy of spouse's passport*



Kitara said:


> when i submit my application, the lady at the visa application center check for notarise stamp on the photocopy of my spouse.


Hi everyone.

I'm from Singapore. I would be applying for my UK Spouse Visa soon in about 2 weeks' time. 

I have my husband's photocopy of his passport pages certified true copied (ctc) by a lawyer some time back. Is there any difference with a notarise stamp instead? Do I need to ask my husband in UK to have copies of his passport pages notarised? 

Please advise, thanks!


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## Kitara (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi

Wish you good luck. Notarise means only notary lawyer are able to give notaries. Notaries stamp is for overseas verification. I know that is another term is for locally use. Notary lawyer are more expensive. I am not sure what type of certification you have. You might want to check with the lawyer if his stamp can be use for overseas purposes..


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## Yoshi_1981 (Dec 5, 2012)

*Thanks!*



Kitara said:


> Hi
> 
> Wish you good luck. Notarise means only notary lawyer are able to give notaries. Notaries stamp is for overseas verification. I know that is another term is for locally use. Notary lawyer are more expensive. I am not sure what type of certification you have. You might want to check with the lawyer if his stamp can be use for overseas purposes..


Hi,
Thank you Kitara! I will check with the lawyer.


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## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

Liz in UK said:


> The supporting documents that need to be submitted are going to vary from person to person because they are very much dependent on that person's situation. For example, everyone will need to submit bank statements, but people with fewer resources will also have to submit something from a family member saying they're happy to co-sponsor.


We did not have to even submit bank statements. Maybe because it was tier 2 visa. The sponsor letter basically said they would pay to support us for the 2 years. We thought we were going to have to and made sure not to touch the savings account the entire time we were waiting but they did not ask for it.

We had to provide certified/notarized copies of our passports to apply for our bank account to verify our identity since we were not doing it in person. We were in the US but went to our local postal center (not the us post office) that offered notary services. They had to write on the photocopy itself:
"I have met this individual and confirm this photo is a
true likeness of them. I certify that I have seen the
original document and confirm this is a complete and
accurate copy of the original.
Signed John R Smith
JOHN R SMITH 2 April 2009 
Solicitor
A Firm & Co Solicitors
7 Some Place
Any Town AT3 45B
Tel 001 444555 5555"


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