When applying for British Citizenship, applicants are required to provide two referees to endorse their application and help prove and verify their identity. These referees must meet a set criteria and must have known the applicant for a specified period. In this post, we discuss the referee requirements for a successful British Citizenship application.
Referee requirements for British citizenship
Referee 1
One referee can be of any nationality but must be a professional person. A professional person is one whose occupation falls under the acceptable professions list, such as a barrister or a dentist.
Referee 2
The second referee must be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
Each referee must have known the applicant for at least 3 years.
However, the referee must not:
- be related to the applicant or the other referee
- be the applicant’s 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.
Referee details required for British citizenship
Referees must provide their details and sign a declaration confirming their eligibility to act as referees. They must confirm that the photograph is a true likeness of the applicant.
The referees must provide the following details:
- full name
- date of birth
- addresses for the last three years
- profession
- telephone number
- email address
- passport number, if a British passport holder; and
- details of how they know the applicant.
It is a criminal offence to provide false information knowingly or recklessly, punishable with up to 3 months imprisonment or by a fine not exceeding £5,000 or both under section 46(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.
What happens if the referees do not meet the requirements?
If your referee doesn’t meet the requirements, the Home Office may ask for a different one, causing delays in the processing of your application. To avoid this, only include eligible referees in your application.
How we can help
To ensure a successful citizenship application, applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the British Nationality Act 1981. To discuss your citizenship application with an experienced immigration adviser from our team, please call us on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
Frequently asked questions
The requirement for professional standing applies to only one referee. The second can be any British citizen over 25, including retirees. However, a retiree cannot act as a professional referee as they’re no longer bound by professional standards.
No, a British citizenship referee cannot be related to the applicant.
A manager of a limited company can be a referee for British citizenship.
A referee convicted of an imprisonable offence during the last 10 years will not be accepted. The Home Office may check to ensure that the referees do not have unspent convictions.
