Who can be a Referee for British Citizenship?

When you make an application for British citizenship, you’ll need to include two referees on the application form. This confirms your identity, helping the Home Office establish the application is being made for a genuine person.

If you’re making an application for British citizenship, it’s important to remember that not everyone can be a referee. Those providing a reference must meet the criteria set out by the Home Office, so it’s important to know who is eligible to avoid any issues once your application is submitted.

For both references, the referee must have known the applicant for at least 3 years, however there are a number of other requirements that must also be met.

Professional standing

The rules on British citizenship state that at least one of the referees you include on your application should be of a professional standing. The list of accepted professions is on the government’s website here.

This referee can be of any nationality and does not need to be a British citizen to provide a reference for your application.

Nationality, age and profession

The requirements for the second referee is slightly different. For this, the referee will need to be a British citizen and either a professional person (see the list above) or over the age of 25.

To avoid jeopardising or delaying your application, make sure your referees meet these requirements.

Who cannot be a referee for British Citizenship?

As well as the criteria which sets out who can be a referee, there are also rules that govern who can’t. For example, your referee cannot be someone you’re related to, nor can they be related to the other referee.

It is also prohibited to include a solicitor or legal representative who is managing your application for British citizenship, and your referee must not work at the Home Office.

Finally, anyone who has faced a prison sentence in the past 10 years whose conviction hasn’t been spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 will not be allowed to act as your referee on your application.

If you include anyone who falls under the above categories then the Home Office representative dealing with your file will contact you and ask you to include a different referee. This will delay your application, so to avoid adding any waiting time make sure you only include those who are eligible.

What information does the referee need to give?

The referees must provide a range of information when providing their reference. The following must be included:

• Full name
• DOB
• Addresses for last 3 years
• Telephone number
• Profession
• Email address
• British passport number (if they hold one)
• How they know the applicant

All of this information should be supplied by the referee to the applicant, who will then use it to complete the relevant sections on the application form.