Some questions about permanent residence

[obormot]

Dear board members: I am preparing to apply for EU permanent residence for me and my family (I am EU member, not all in my family are), and hope someone here can help to clarify a few issues for me.

1) I know there is a service to certify passports, so we do not have to send them in. Do they also certify EEA 2 residence permit, if it is not in the passport? My mother (who is non EU) has one on separate piece of paper, valid till February 2019. They ask to submit it, but if she does it would be difficult for her to travel outside UK in next months.
If they do not, can we request return of that piece of paper while they consider our documents?

2) 5 years ago I translated my birth certificate myself (to prove relation with my mother) and had it signed by a bilingual colleagues (at the university), with her coordnates. So it was a “certified” translation, but not done by officilal translator. It worked.
I also used this scheme before to translate documents for Family Permit, and for friends who applied for UK tourist visa.
But now I am a bit concerned, as I want documrnts to pass - would it be OK or should I look for an official translation company? (it is a simple standard 1 page document)

3) In our 1st year here my mother spent about 6 months abroad, but we did not keep full truck of dates, so it might be, say, 5 months 3 weeks, or 6 months 2 weeks.. I sent a letter to boarder authorities to ask for information on her behalf about departure-arrival dates. But it only returned the date of her first entry to UK in July 2013 on Family Permit. (After that she travelled on EEA2 permit).
My plan is to mark in online application that she never was absent for more then 6 months in a year, but to mention in cover letter that we are not fully sure of year 1 (we have some valid reasons - she was away in USA for about 5 months in a row, instead of two short trips as we initially planned, since she developed hypertention and doctors advised against intercontinental travail; but we do not have any doctors statements to support it)
Is it a good strategy?

4) Finally, we are 5 - two parents (both EU, working in UK continuously in one place for more then 5 years), two kids, and my mother.
I plan on two separate applications - one of my husband + kids as dependants (more strivhtforward one), and one of me + my mother. Or would it be better to apply all in one?
(My mother is over 70 and lives with us)

I would be enormously grateful for any advise

[Punguru82]

I would advise you send all original IDs and documents. I had a solicitor in the past who used certified copies of IDs and application was not considered. What you can do is to request the Passports back, the service which is valid and applicable.

[obormot]

I mean this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collectio ... ce-centres
This is a Euro passports return service approved by Home office (Not solicitor certified copies business). They certify copy of the passport (not national ID), and then send documents to Home office themselves.