I'm applying through descent from my Irish grandmother (paternal) who was born in Co. Cavan and later moved to the U.K. I have her birth certificate and her marriage certificate to my grandfather. I have my father's birth certificate, marriage certificate to my mother and decree absolute from their divorce. I also have my own birth certificate and all the required documents for me. All the names and dates of birth correspond across all the certificates. So far so good.
Problem: since my parents divorce (over a decade ago) I haven't seen my father and so have no idea where to start with a copy of his passport. I do have his old cancelled passport from ~1980. Similar problem with any ID for my grandmother. Is there any way to work around this? I have read some things suggesting a sworn affidavit that this is the case might help, but the person posting never came back to post the result. Does anyone know if this has been accepted before? On all accounts he's not a very nice guy (I have some legal documents that would show this) and if it came down to to tracking him down or not applying for FBR I would more than likely not apply.
I've sent emails asking about this but obviously they are really busy with applications right now and I haven't heard back. Wondering if anyone knows anything or has been in a similar situation. Would be really grateful for any input
