UK passport renewal: did yours need countersigned?

[Joesox]

My passport's up for renewal. I'd like to avoid the hassle of finding a countersignatory if possible. This page says I don't need one:

Countersignature of the form and photographs is not necessary for those people over 16 renewing a passport, unless your appearance has changed significantly since your previous passport was issued.
...
Countersignatures on the back of your photographs are not necessary and the countersignature box on the application form does not need to be completed if your appearance has not changed significantly since your previous passport was issued.

However, the notes for the smart passport form (linked from the same page) don't mention that a countersignatory isn't necessary in this case. So, just to be sure, has anyone successfully renewed a UK passport in the last year (after the switch to processing in London), without getting the form and photos countersigned?

I did search but only found old threads:
Passport renewal in Taiwan (2010)
UK passport processing - FYI (2010)
Any qualified British teachers living in Taipei (2005)

[Super Hans]

Yes. I didn't need mine countersigned and I got mine last November. I had no issues - if you go to the Post Office and use their Check and Send service they will walk you through it.

[Joesox]

Yes. I didn't need mine countersigned and I got mine last November. I had no issues - if you go to the Post Office and use their Check and Send service they will walk you through it.

Thanks, Super Hans. So it sounds like you did that while still in the UK. Has anyone renewed without a countersignatory from abroad? On a British expats' forum, I read of someone applying from Australia who was asked to get their form and photos countersigned.

[Super Hans]

Sorry Joesox - yes, it was done whilst in the UK.
I have no experience of getting a passport from abroad.

[*monkey*]

Your signature alone is fine, even when requesting a new passport overseas - provided it's a straightforward renewal and you supply the old passport for cancellation.

[Joesox]

Your signature alone is fine, even when requesting a new passport overseas - provided it's a straightforward renewal and you supply the old passport for cancellation.

That's good to hear. Thanks.

[greenmark]

I just had mine renewed while abroad without any countersignature. The old passport was good enough

[Joesox]

Thanks, Greenmark.

By the way, does anyone remember what they put in the "Issued by" field for the "Previous Passport" area? I'm not sure whether to put the code of issuing state (GBR), the Authority (HKG), or something else. The notes don't mention this. Normally I'd just call and find out but at 72p a minute plus international call fees it could get expensive.

[Joesox]

OK, for future reference, I did phone the exorbitant helpline and for my money a very helpful guy told me that either "FCO" or "GBR" would be OK for "Issued by". He also confirmed what everyone here said - no need for a countersignatory provided I haven't gone major physical changes since my last passport photo. (I guess an increase in ear and nose hair doesn't count, so I should be alright.)

[Joesox]

OK, for future reference, I did phone the exorbitant helpline and for my money a very helpful guy told me that either "FCO" or "GBR" would be OK for "Issued by". He also confirmed what everyone here said - no need for a countersignatory provided I haven't gone major physical changes since my last passport photo. (I guess an increase in ear and nose hair doesn't count, so I should be alright.)

Got it back already. Took less than three weeks. Not bad at all.