Referee essentials for UK citizenship applications

When it comes to submitting a citizenship application – whether as a child or an adult – one of the requirements is that it is supported by suitable referees. Knowing who can be a British citizenship referee is crucial to ensuring your application meets Home Office standards. Who can act as a suitable referee does differ for adults and children. Both naturalisation and registration applications need to be supported by two referees.

Adults

For adults applicants, the referees must have known the applicant for at least 3 years. One of the referees needs to be a British passport holder and either a ‘professional person’ or aged over 25. The other referee needs to be a professional person, such as a director of a UK limited company, a minister of religion or an accountant. A list of all roles which are considered to meet the ‘professional person’ criteria for a citizenship application can be found here: Countersigning passport applications and photos: Accepted occupations for countersignatories - GOV.UK. It is important to note that a doctor (GP) is not listed as an acceptable ‘professional person’ unless they state that they know you well (for example, they’re a good friend).

The referee also must not:

• be related to the applicant or the other referee

• be the applicant’s legal representative 

• be employed by the Home Office

• have been convicted of an imprisonable offence in the last 10 years for which the sentence is not spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

A referee which has been convicted of an imprisonable offence during the last 10 years will not normally be accepted. The Home Office can carry out checks on the referees to ensure they are suitable and qualified.  

Children

For children, the above requirements still apply; however, at least one of the referees must be a person who has dealt with the child in a professional role such as a teacher, doctor, health visitor or social worker.

If a child cannot provide a referee who has dealt with them in a professional capacity, they can ask the Home Office to exercise discretion to meet the referee requirements for an adult. You would be expected to provide evidence of attempts to secure a suitable referee in the application though. 

Those applying from outside the UK

For those looking to apply from overseas, the requirements are slightly more relaxed. The requirements above still apply in the first instance; however, where the applicant is living outside and does not know a British citizen passport holder who is a professional or over the age of 25, a Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the country in which they are residing may complete and sign the form providing they meet the other requirements.

Final points to consider when identifying a suitable UK citizenship referee

Once an applicant has identified suitable referees and confirmed that they satisfy the criteria detailed above, both referees will be required to complete and sign the Home Office’s ‘Referee Declaration’, which is provided as part of the application process. The ‘Referee Declaration’ includes confirmation that the referee could receive a fine of £5,000 or go to prison for up to 3 months if they knowingly give false information.

Home Office guidance indicates that if they do not think a referee meets the requirements, they would normally ask the applicant to provide a different referee.

Need help ensuring your referees meet the citizenship application criteria? Latitude Law provides expert guidance on UK nationality applications. Call us today on 0300 131 6767 or fill out our enquiry form below for tailored support.