5 ms·

I applied for a passport online, which all went well at the time, but yesterday I got a letter from them saying that I didn't fill out all the information (on a

by jdswain 12y ago

I applied for a passport online, which all went well at the time, but yesterday I got a letter from them saying that I didn't fill out all the information (on a web form?). Included with the letter was a paper application form which, as far as I can tell, I need to fill out completely, basically starting again. And it's kind of difficult as I've sent all the original documentation with the first application so I don't have all the details at hand.

justincormack 12y ago
The passport application is really odd, it is still essentially a paper based process, with a fake web frontend that basically just prints out paperwork.
- gmac 12y ago
  Yes. I wonder if there's old legislation somewhere that mandates the form a passport application will take, and they've gone as far as they can without changing the legislation itself?
  - justincormack 12y ago
    Perhaps. Thats why government digital policy needs to be joined up end to end, ie can make legislation to fix dev issues.
- UnoriginalGuy 12y ago
  That was my experience. 1) Fill out web-form 2) They print it for you and mail it to you 3) You sign it. 4) You do the Post Office's "Check and Send" which is pointless. 5) You eventually get a passport. It is from the dark ages.
- Lawtonfogle 12y ago
  I've seen this design before and the reasoning is that your physical signature is needed per policy (at least in the areas of US law I've worked in). We can only replace a physical signature with a two-factor authentication, and you can imagine the nightmare that is to set up in a way that is any bit usable to the general public.
dazc 12y ago
For me it was just a renewal, so the form is essentially a tick box. The only complication is that you need to send a new photo. I can imagine an application for a new passport is going to be a lot more complicated.

5 ms·

I applied for a passport online, which all went well at the time, but yesterday I got a letter from them saying that I didn't fill out all the information (on a

by jdswain 12y ago

justincormack 12y ago
The passport application is really odd, it is still essentially a paper based process, with a fake web frontend that basically just prints out paperwork.
- gmac 12y ago
  Yes. I wonder if there's old legislation somewhere that mandates the form a passport application will take, and they've gone as far as they can without changing the legislation itself?
  - justincormack 12y ago
    Perhaps. Thats why government digital policy needs to be joined up end to end, ie can make legislation to fix dev issues.
- UnoriginalGuy 12y ago
  That was my experience. 1) Fill out web-form 2) They print it for you and mail it to you 3) You sign it. 4) You do the Post Office's "Check and Send" which is pointless. 5) You eventually get a passport. It is from the dark ages.
- Lawtonfogle 12y ago
  I've seen this design before and the reasoning is that your physical signature is needed per policy (at least in the areas of US law I've worked in). We can only replace a physical signature with a two-factor authentication, and you can imagine the nightmare that is to set up in a way that is any bit usable to the general public.
dazc 12y ago
For me it was just a renewal, so the form is essentially a tick box. The only complication is that you need to send a new photo. I can imagine an application for a new passport is going to be a lot more complicated.