Countersigning a passport means a second person (other than you) signs your passport application form and the back of one photo to confirm your identity. HM Passport Office reads that signature as proof that you are who you say you are.
Choosing the wrong person as your countersignatory leaves your application on hold while HM Passport Office asks you for a replacement. Not every application needs a countersignature though, so start by checking whether yours does.
TL;DR: Who can countersign a UK passport?
HM Passport Office calls this person your countersignatory on paper forms and your digital referee if you apply online.
Your countersignatory has to meet all 6 conditions below.
Note that the phrase “good standing in the community” is never defined further in the official guidance. That leaves HM Passport Office room to accept people whose jobs sit outside the published list.
When is a passport countersignatory required?
HM Passport Office asks for a countersignatory when its own records cannot confirm your identity, or when a replacement carries a fraud risk.
The table below shows which applications need one:
| Application type | Countersignatory needed? |
|---|---|
| First adult passport | Yes. |
| First child passport | Yes. |
| Child passport renewal, age 11 and under | Yes. |
| Child passport renewal, ages 12 to 15 | Only if their appearance has changed. |
| Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged passport | Yes. |
| Adult renewal where you still match your current photo | No. |
| Adult renewal where your appearance has changed | Yes. |
Renewing an adult passport rarely calls for a countersignature. HM Passport Office compares the photo on your new application against the one stored on your existing passport record.
However, that comparison might fail in two situations. Your appearance may have changed so much that staff cannot recognise you from the stored photo. Or your record may hold no photo at all, which happens with older passports.
In such cases, the HM Passport Office asks for a countersignature to confirm your identity, as it does on a first application. Those first applications also call for the fullest set of paperwork, so work through the documents needed for a new passport before you post anything.
Official requirements for a passport countersignatory
Your countersignatory’s passport also gets checked. The details they write on your form have to match that record.
The table below covers what your countersignatory has to be and what they have to provide:
| Requirement | What HM Passport Office expects |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 or over. |
| Known you for | At least 2 years. |
| How they know you | Face to face, as a friend, neighbour or colleague. |
| Passport | A current British or Irish passport in their own name. |
| Where they live | In the UK, if you are applying from the UK. |
| Details they supply | Their passport number, address, daytime phone number and occupation. |
| Where they sign | Section 10 of the paper form, plus the back of one photo. |
On the back of one photo, your countersignatory writes “I certify that this is a true likeness of” followed by your title and full name. They add their signature and the date underneath.
Only 1 of your 2 printed photos needs this wording. You never sign or date the photos yourself.
There are two more requirements:
For a child under 16, the 2-year rule applies to the adult who signs the form. The countersignatory has to know the parent or guardian (you), which is what makes newborn applications possible.
Applying from abroad changes things a little. Your countersignatory can live in the UK or overseas, in any country. HM Passport Office prefers a British passport holder, then an Irish passport holder, then a European Union (EU), United States (US), or Commonwealth passport holder.
Your countersignatory sends no documents of their own. The passport number they write on the form is what HM Passport Office checks against its own records.
The exception is a countersignatory holding an EU, US or Commonwealth passport. They must include a colour photocopy of their passport photo page, which slows processing.
Everything else in the envelope is yours, such as your old passport on a renewal or your birth certificate on a first application. Once your new passport arrives, it becomes the strongest acceptable form of ID in the UK.
Recognised professions that can countersign a passport
HM Passport Office accepts 47 jobs, covering what your countersignatory does now or did before retiring.
The accepted jobs are grouped below by sector:
Legal and government
Finance and business
Health and care
Education, faith and community
Armed forces and transport
Other professions
HM Passport Office does not treat that list as final. Its internal guidance tells staff to apply the same rules to any similar job title.
Several of these professionals can also certify a photocopy of your passport as a true copy of the original. The rules on who can certify documents cover who holds that power.
Who cannot countersign a passport?
HM Passport Office cross-checks your surname, phone number and email address with your countersignatory’s. A shared phone number or matched surname might get them rejected, and you have to find someone else.
The people below cannot countersign your application, whatever their job:
A friend in the civil service can still sign your form. The ban covers staff working on behalf of HM Passport Office. Someone at HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, or a Jobcentre is fine.
Whoever you pick has to know you well enough to vouch for you. A false declaration on a passport application is a criminal offence, so nobody should sign for someone they barely know.
Witnessing a signature follows separate rules. Someone barred from countersigning your passport can often still witness a legal document for you. Check who can witness a signature on a legal document before you rule anyone out.
Common countersignature mistakes that delay applications
A countersignature that fails these checks costs you weeks, because the form goes back for a fresh signature before HM Passport Office can carry on.
The errors below cause most of those delays:
What if you don’t know anyone to countersign a passport?
Examiners can use discretion in these cases. Falling short of one rule does not always end in rejection.
Start by widening your search. The list covers everyday jobs that few people connect with officialdom, such as a pub landlord, a bank or building society official, your child’s teacher, a pharmacist, or a local councillor.
A self-employed friend registered as a company director at Companies House also qualifies. What counts is knowing you for 2 years outside a professional setting.
Official guidance on confirming identity with referees’ names: 3 situations where examiners can be flexible:
If none of that solves it, call the Passport Adviceline before you submit anything. They can tell you whether the person you have in mind will be accepted.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Below are a few common questions about passport countersignatories:
Get your passport copy certified for international use
Once your passport arrives, you may need to certify a copy before you can use it abroad.
A certified copy of your passport is a photocopy signed by a solicitor or notary to confirm it matches the original. Foreign banks and employers often ask for one when you cannot hand over the passport itself.
For use abroad, that copy might also need an apostille for a UK passport. The certifier must be on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) register, because the FCDO confirms their signature before issuing the apostille.
London Apostille Services Ltd saves you from having to approach both parties yourself. A network of FCDO-registered solicitors and notaries certifies your copy before we submit it to the FCDO for the apostille.
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