i want to open an a/c with sharewatch and need a certified copy of my original passport or driving licence. The cops refused to do it, saying they dont do this anymore. Anybody else had this problem? Its a pain as now i have to go off and find an accountant or solicitor, which i dont have and ask them to do it for me!
Why wont Gardai certify original passport?
- Thread starter smiley
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Sounds like you had the grumpy Garda in your local branch!!
When I recently opened my Rabobank account they needed a Garda stamped copy of my passport or driving license which the local Garda station did no problems.
By "certified" I assume stamping the copy and signing it would suffice ?
Think your local one was just annoyed you interrupted his cup of tea!!
I've had to do this a couple of times myself, and they were very suspicious each time. I also tried to get one once for my husband, who has a plastic Ukranian passport cover over his British passport (purchased in the Ukraine as a souvenier on a trip with the lads). The Garda point-blank refused to make a certified copy until I pulled it out of the cover and showed him that it was actually a British passport. I don't know why they haven't sent a notice around to all the stations- certified copies are required by the money laundering laws to open a lot of accounts, and none of the Gardai seem to have any clue about it.
RaboDirect
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The Gardai should certify a copy of your passport or driving licence as they are a named authority that should do so. Occasionally some Garda stations are reluctant to do so. This link is the ML10 form that they should sign.
[broken link removed] - Certificate of Identity.
If your Garda station won't cooperate you can also have a chartered accountant, solicitor or your bank manager certify your ID.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
RaboDirect
[broken link removed] - Certificate of Identity.
If your Garda station won't cooperate you can also have a chartered accountant, solicitor or your bank manager certify your ID.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
RaboDirect
ubiquitous
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This is incorrect - a chartered accountant, or any other accountant, is NOT a recognised authority for this purpose. Neither, as far as I'm aware, is a bank manager.
I'd go back again to see if you can find another Garda on duty who might do this for you. I've done this frequently in my local Garda Station, and I've even gone into Pearse Street Station in town and had it done as well.
Also, get a few done at once if you do find a Garda will do it, it'll save trouble in the future.
Foxtrot said:
Apart from the idiocy of having a Ukrainian cover on ones passport, are the Gardai actually qualified to certify a British passport? What would qualify a Garda to identify that a British passport is legitimate and not fake? I wouldn't have thought Gardai should be certifying any passport other than an Irish one.
ubiquitous
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Thanks for correcting me, Mugs Game. Oddly enough when I was opening a stockbroker account recently, the stockbroker insisted the certification had to be by a solicitor or Garda. If I had known a Chartered Accountant would have sufficed I could have looked in the mirror!
Maybe the stockbrokers knew that you were a chartered accountant and therefore wanted to make sure that you'd get truely independent certification - i.e. not yourself or any of your accountant buddies?
ubiquitous
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They had no way at that stage of knowing my occupation. The request was made on a standard email which accompanied their application form.
The IFSRA text above does not specify that the certification has to be done by an independent person.
There is no way i am filling in that ML10 form...when you read it your are actually certifing that you are not in the possession of a passport or driving licence! bonkers!
i am going to get onto the garda press office..something tells me the gardai in that station dont know what they are at!
i have emailed the press office..will let yee know what the situation is.
i am going to get onto the garda press office..something tells me the gardai in that station dont know what they are at!
i have emailed the press office..will let yee know what the situation is.
smiley - unfortunately it seems that the way Garda stations are run in Ireland is very much down to the individuals in it. I don't think your example is particularly rare.
I had a situation where I turned up at a station with my insurance details (as requested) to be asked which Garda it was that wanted my details. I had no idea of course as I had been asked to come to the station, not report to a particular Garda. My wife witnessed an incident and was contacted by a Garda for details. There followed a series of voicemails back and forth for a few weeks - every time my wife got onto the station she was told - "Ah, sure that Garda is out today/on the road/in court" All of these were no doubt true and the Garda probably was busy, but it meant that no progress was made for a few weeks because the individual wasn't available. It seems strange that she couldn't have given the details on the record and be done with it. I also had the same when trying to get some form signed/witnessed in a station - greeted by a - "Sure, I don't know who you are, I can't sign that . . ." as if I was asking for something out of the ordinary or illegal or bizarre. I was just doing what it said on the form. A subsequent attempt on a different day got the form signed no problems. Makes you wonder about the value of having it signed/stamped/witnessed by a Garda.
z
I had a situation where I turned up at a station with my insurance details (as requested) to be asked which Garda it was that wanted my details. I had no idea of course as I had been asked to come to the station, not report to a particular Garda. My wife witnessed an incident and was contacted by a Garda for details. There followed a series of voicemails back and forth for a few weeks - every time my wife got onto the station she was told - "Ah, sure that Garda is out today/on the road/in court" All of these were no doubt true and the Garda probably was busy, but it meant that no progress was made for a few weeks because the individual wasn't available. It seems strange that she couldn't have given the details on the record and be done with it. I also had the same when trying to get some form signed/witnessed in a station - greeted by a - "Sure, I don't know who you are, I can't sign that . . ." as if I was asking for something out of the ordinary or illegal or bizarre. I was just doing what it said on the form. A subsequent attempt on a different day got the form signed no problems. Makes you wonder about the value of having it signed/stamped/witnessed by a Garda.
z
I've had this as well. The answer to that is that they're being asked to sign/certificate the copy to prove that it's an actual photocopy of the original passport or driving licence, rather than certifying who you are.
This was confirmed to me in Finglas Garda station recently where the Garda threw away the photocopy I'd made myself to make things easier for them and when back, made a new copy, and signed and stamped their copy.
G
Guest122
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Garda in Donnybrook Station stamped and signed multiple photocopies of my Driving Licence about two weeks ago, no problem, no hassle, most polite and courteous. May just depend on the individual Garda.
BB
BB
liteweight
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Irishtown Garda Station also made their own copy of my passport and then stamped it without any hassle.
Morgan 2.0
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I'm pretty sure they are oligated to do this for you, so long as your passport is in order and everything.
I've gotten about 6 of those things off my local garda station, so I don't see what the problem should be.
ok..this is the reply i received from the garda press office.
Hi
I can not clarify why the Garda did not sign your form.I have spoken to Garda xxx xxx who is on duty at present in xxxxxx and he will call to you to your home to assist you.
Regards,
I can not clarify why the Garda did not sign your form.I have spoken to Garda xxx xxx who is on duty at present in xxxxxx and he will call to you to your home to assist you.
Regards,
xxx xxx,Garda
Garda Press Office.
Garda Press Office.
Quite ridiculous all of this! It is good of them to assist me, but if they had just done this simple task in the first place, there would be no need for all this.
ps: i havent been at home yet, so i dont know if they have called to arrest me! 
ok...went to a garda station in a different county...dublin..
the garda on duty didnt want to do this either...he started looking for the ml10 form but couldnt find one..so in frustration..he decided to photocopy the form, stamp and sign them....success!!
they must have been issued with some sort of directive not to certify original forms of 'id' like this..he mentioned the comissioner of oaths..i think i will go there in future.
the garda on duty didnt want to do this either...he started looking for the ml10 form but couldnt find one..so in frustration..he decided to photocopy the form, stamp and sign them....success!!
they must have been issued with some sort of directive not to certify original forms of 'id' like this..he mentioned the comissioner of oaths..i think i will go there in future.