British citizenship referees: information to check

Citizenship referees must meet the current requirements for the application and agree to provide accurate details. Do not assume that any friend, relative or professional can act merely because they know the applicant.

Understand what each referee must satisfy

An adult naturalisation application needs two referees meeting the current Home Office criteria. One may be of any nationality but must be an eligible professional person. The other must hold a British citizen passport and be a professional person or over twenty-five. Each must have known the applicant for at least three years. Check the actual guidance before approaching people. ^[1]

Do not treat these as interchangeable roles. A person may meet one requirement while failing another, and a familiar professional title is not enough on its own. Make a brief checklist for each proposed referee covering the relevant role, the period they have known you and the restrictions that apply. That makes an early eligibility discussion much easier.

Check relationships and prohibited connections

The guidance excludes referees who are related to the applicant or to the other referee, employed by the Home Office, or acting as the applicant's solicitor or representative in the application. A professional adviser may therefore be unsuitable even though their occupation would otherwise appear relevant. Check both the connection to the applicant and the relationship between the two referees. ^[1]

Explain these restrictions when asking someone to act. Do not ask a relative to describe the relationship as friendship or use a colleague's details without their agreement. Where you are uncertain about a connection, raise the actual facts with the adviser instead of completing the declaration on the assumption that nobody will ask further questions.

Confirm knowledge and willingness to act

Ask whether the person is willing to provide the required declaration and accurate contact details. They should understand that the Home Office may make checks. A referee is not merely lending a name to finish an online form. Give them enough information to consider the request without pressuring them to confirm facts they cannot honestly endorse.

Clarify how long they have known you and in what capacity. Knowing a family member, recognising your name or having met you recently is not the same as knowing you for the required period. If their recollection differs from yours, resolve the discrepancy before using their declaration. Do not backdate an acquaintance to fit the application timetable.

Prepare the requested information securely

Use the current application instructions to identify the details needed. Collect those details directly and check their spelling and accuracy. A professional address, personal address or passport detail should not be guessed from public information. Agree a secure way to obtain sensitive information and avoid circulating it to people who do not need access.

Match the applicant's identity details across the form, photograph and referee declaration. If you have changed your name, explain the connection so the referee can understand the identity being confirmed. Keep supporting name-change evidence with the application record. Do not amend a signed declaration yourself where the referee needs to correct or confirm it.

Resolve suitability questions before submission

Current guidance also addresses relevant convictions and the checks that can be made on referees. If a proposed referee identifies a possible difficulty, seek advice on eligibility without asking for unnecessary private information. The appropriate response may be to use another eligible person or clarify the rules, rather than persuading the person to omit a relevant fact. ^[1]

If someone withdraws or becomes unavailable, review the replacement against all criteria. Do not assume that a substitute with the same occupation is automatically suitable. Keep the application consistent with the declaration actually supplied and follow the official instructions if a change is needed after submission. Record the correspondence explaining how the issue was resolved.

Include referees in the wider document plan

Read A citizenship application document checklist to place referee declarations alongside identity, residence and other nationality evidence. Allow enough time for people to review the request and complete their part properly. A last-minute search can delay a planned application, especially where the intended submission date has already been checked against residence requirements.

For British naturalisation application enquiry, identify the proposed referees' roles and any eligibility question without sending unnecessary personal records in the first enquiry. Case-specific nationality advice must be supplied by an appropriately regulated or otherwise legally authorised adviser. Ask whether the engagement includes checking referee suitability and reviewing the completed declarations before submission.

Retain the final declarations securely with the application copy and make sure the referees know how to respond if contacted. Their role does not replace the applicant's responsibility for accurate answers or establish that every citizenship requirement has been met. It is one defined part of preparing a genuine and properly supported application.

Illustrative example

An applicant proposes two acquaintances as referees. The adviser checks each against the current criteria before the declarations are completed.

Preparation checklist

• Check referee criteria
• Confirm genuine consent
• Verify contact details
• Review declarations for accuracy