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I'm aware what the Recognised professions are (so please don't repeat). Either I don't know them long enough or not in touch with them any longer or has passed away or not in the Recognised professions list. Besides waiting, is there any other way round this?

https://www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications/accepted-occupations-for-countersignatories

Site like this touches on the topic, but never address the direct question that has been raised (just repeats the criteria).

https://www.passports-office.co.uk/blog/cant_find_anyone_countersign_passport/

Update: If you call the passport office and ask for advice they say just to get it done by someone that has known me the longest with an attached letter explaining how long he/she has known me. They have stated this is not guaranteed to be accepted. Just a suggestion for us to try something (Which doesn't help).

Another caveat I should mention is that even if they are on the list, they need to have a valid/current passport otherwise it's useless.

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    Have you considered using "a person of good standing in their community" instead of someone in a recognized profession?
    – Patricia Shanahan
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 13:30
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    @PatriciaShanahan What does that even mean though? The page linked doesn't attempt to explain, which suggests that even the passport office aren't sure.
    – MJeffryes
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 14:55
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    @MJeffryes It seems that it's not that they're unsure, it's that they recognise it's not really possible to define all possible cases (if they could, you could just put them on the explicit list of approved people). There's some (internal?) guidance on it here. "a person who enjoys a good reputation in the community ... has credentials that can be checked ... and who would have something to lose by wrongly countersigning".
    – Andrew is gone
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 16:12
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    Some people move around so much that they never get to be known by an approved person. What can they do in that case?
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 17:55
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    @AzorAhai Yes the last link says so. - my passport was signed by a GP which would not be allowed now and I moved school so had not been there 2 years - so how would I get one now?
    – mmmmmm
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 18:32

2 Answers 2

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It says on that very page you link

If you’re not sure who to ask to be your countersignatory

Call the Passport Adviceline.

If anyone knows what you can do, surely they will.

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    Maybe it would be good to have the actual advice given by the Passport Adviceline in the answer, if possible? As it stands, this answer doesn't really provide anything over the quite inadequate advice given on the page the question asker linked.
    – MJeffryes
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 14:36
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    @MJeffryes I agree. I don't, however, know what it is. Maybe it's information on what they consider to be 'a person of good standing in their community', and the answer is so comical that they don't want to publish it?
    – AakashM
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 14:50
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    Why not call them and publish what they have to say?
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 17:00
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    @MJeffryes The advice would be specific to the situation of the asker. If there was a generic answer, you wouldn't have to phone up to get that advice -- it would already be in the written guidance.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Oct 17, 2018 at 17:43
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Note that there is no stated maximum period that you can be out of contact of with the person, before they can't counter-sign the application.

Is there any suitable person that you're out of contact with? The owner of a cafe, the owner of your previous employer, someone at your mosque (I assume, based on your name, that likely to be your religion)?

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