Completely with you. Although the above picture is nice, I'm more than happy to spend a week off indoors as opposed to abroad. My wife's idea of a holiday involves so much time in the bedroom that I end up back at work more knackered than when we set off!
I would just pay for a passport and then never have to think about this ever again. If you don't mind having the issue on your mind and prolonging things with HR, carry on. It'll probably come in handy in the future, be it for ID or travel - just do it.
This is a genuine question and I am interested in others's opinions.
I do not have a passport. I have not had a passport for 10 years and I don't need or want one now. That is my opening position.
In the past I have been abroad and travelled quite extensively however these days, being on my own I have no desire or need to do so again. This being so and having no intention of leaving these shores again why in the name of God would I need to pay a premium to obtain a piece of paper that merely certifies who I am and that I am a British Citizen?
As I say I have no interest in travel and really cannot envisage any circumstance which would involve me in leaving the UK. For those of you who will no doubt point out to me that holidays are a necessary part of a life balance - balls!. I can quite happily take a holiday from work and never leave my house. I have lots of books that I haven't yet read many films that I haven't yet seen and Sky TV. As a result, if I ever feel the need to observe foriegn culture there is always the Discovery Channel.
I mentioned above that I have in the past travelled and perhaps it would be useful if I outline the reasons I no longer have any wish to do so:
1. As a working Joe and in common with most people on here ( I suspect) if I am off work no other bugger is going to pick up the slack, as a result I need to work my arse off for several weeks before departure to ensure that no sh*t hits any fans whilst I am away. Similarly, when I get back I need to work my arse off to catch up with the sh*t I could not anticipate prior to departure awhich has been festering on my desk for a week or fortnight or however long I have been away.
2. Whilst I am not scared of flying I can see no good reason to pay out a considerable amount of money to spend several hours in an uncomfortable seat, being subjected to inedible food and tortured by appalling "in flight entertainment", only to arrive at a destination where they all speak a different language and you can't drink the water.
3. Having put up with the above and arrived, you spend most of the time there starting to unwind and at the very moment you begin to relax it's time to pack and do all of point 2 in reverse.
What is the point?
Now, I realise that this is only my opinion but I wanted to set out my stall in advance of the real issue. I have today been told that I MUST obtain a passport in order for the HR dept to be able to certify that I am legally entitled to be employed in the UK. I have refused and I will continue to refuse until they come to their senses. I have offered my photo drving license as evidence and offered to produce my birth certificate all to no avail.
As a fifty something who has been born and raised here why should I have to prove my bona fides to anyone? I believe I can do so without pandering to the whim of legislation and applying for a meaningless document that tells you no more than any other document I can produce however I am not going to do so without a fight.
As mentioned I am interested in others views but I am probably not going to be persuaded otherwise.
Personally I think it's an absolute disgrace that this sort of shit happens. Guaranteed it will be because some idiot in Human Resources has interpreted some piece of legislation incorrectly and assumed that it's their legal responsibility to go above and beyond what the government requires (namely, proof of your eligibility to work in the UK). As stated in posts above, owning a passport is not a legal requirement, and it certainly isn't required to 'prove' you can work here. I'd also be inclined to tell them to pay for it for you if they 'need' it to check a box on their system, and if not, tell them to poke it.
I have today been told that I MUST obtain a passport in order for the HR dept to be able to certify that I am legally entitled to be employed in the UK. I have refused and I will continue to refuse until they come to their senses. I have offered my photo driving license as evidence and offered to produce my birth certificate all to no avail.
Who exactly has told you you MUST obtain a passport? Theres a big distance between a high court judge and a fat bird in admin with a cob on...
As others have said, theres nothing in Law that says you have to own a passport. All its gonna be is some awkward jobsworth thats got a form to fill in with the words `Passport Seen' and a tick box next to it and they're just stubbornly sticking to the party line. Man up, tell 'em you ain't going to get a passport but you have the other legally excepted forms of ID and if they refuse to accept 'em you'll be going above their head to someone with a bit of clout. The jobsworth wont want to get a call from a big cheese asking why such a petty and unnecessary piece of office bureaucracy has been brought to his/her attention.
I've experienced the same sort of thing btw....fight fire with fire!
If you are already employed they would've had to prove your eligibility to work already
I personally think you should have one just in case you ever change your mind and want to hop on a plane train or automobile and go somewhere else at the drop of a hat
If you are already employed they would've had to prove your eligibility to work already
I personally think you should have one just in case you ever change your mind and want to hop on a plane train or automobile and go somewhere else at the drop of a hat
The onus does lie with the employer but they can only carry out their responsibility if the employee provides the necessary evidence.
A passport however is not required. Follow the link above to see that only proof required is a British birth certificate and written proof from a government agency of NI number.
Comments
Enjoy, it will be my sixth visit. Easily the best place I have been (have been to 73 different countries/Islands)
Birth Certificate should work (unless your Scottish and.................................)
As others have said, theres nothing in Law that says you have to own a passport. All its gonna be is some awkward jobsworth thats got a form to fill in with the words `Passport Seen' and a tick box next to it and they're just stubbornly sticking to the party line.
Man up, tell 'em you ain't going to get a passport but you have the other legally excepted forms of ID and if they refuse to accept 'em you'll be going above their head to someone with a bit of clout. The jobsworth wont want to get a call from a big cheese asking why such a petty and unnecessary piece of office bureaucracy has been brought to his/her attention.
I've experienced the same sort of thing btw....fight fire with fire!
https://www.gov.uk/legal-right-work-uk
If you are already employed they would've had to prove your eligibility to work already
I personally think you should have one just in case you ever change your mind and want to hop on a plane train or automobile and go somewhere else at the drop of a hat
A passport however is not required. Follow the link above to see that only proof required is a British birth certificate and written proof from a government agency of NI number.