HM Passport Office is reminding people of the rule
HMPO issued a social media alert on Friday(Image: clubfoto via Getty Images)
HM Passport Office has moved to explain a two-year rule some people may not know about.
Whether you’re applying for a new passport for a child or an adult, it’s likely you’ll need someone to confirm your identity. This is also the case if you’re replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged passport, renewing a child’s passport, or if your appearance has changed significantly. In a new alert on X, formerly Twitter, HMPO moved to explain the rules for ‘referees’.
Part of the post clarifies that “a referee must have known the person applying for at least 2 years and confirm their identity”. Additional guidance on GOV.UK outlines who is eligible to verify a person’s identity.
To qualify, a referee must be 18 years of age or older, reside in the UK, and currently hold a British or Irish passport. They must also have been acquainted with the applicant for a minimum of two years (this refers to the adult submitting the application if the passport is for a child under 16), and must know the applicant as a friend, neighbour or colleague, rather than someone they know purely in a professional capacity.
Referees must also be employed in, or retired from, a “recognised profession”. These include:
- accountant
- airline pilot
- articled clerk of a limited company
- assurance agent of recognised company
- bank or building society official
- barrister
- chairman or director of a limited company
- chiropodist
- commissioner for oaths
- councillor, for example local or county
- civil servant (permanent)
- dentist
- director, manager or personnel officer of a VAT-registered company
- engineer with professional qualifications
- financial services intermediary, for example a stockbroker or insurance broker
- fire service official
- funeral director
- insurance agent (full time) of a recognised company
- journalist
- Justice of the Peace
- legal secretary (fellow or associate member of the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs)
- licensee of a public house
- local government officer
- manager or personnel officer of a limited company
- member, associate or fellow of a professional body
- Member of Parliament
- Merchant Navy officer
- minister of a recognised religion (including Christian Science)
- nurse (RGN or RMN)
- officer of the armed services
- optician
- paralegal (certified paralegal, qualified paralegal or associate member of the Institute of Paralegals)
- person with honours, for example an OBE or MBE
- pharmacist
- photographer (professional)
- police officer
- Post Office official
- president or secretary of a recognised organisation
- Salvation Army officer
- social worker
- solicitor
- surveyor
- teacher or lecturer
- trade union officer
- travel agent (qualified)
- valuer or auctioneer (fellow or associate members of the incorporated society)
- Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers
You cannot confirm someone’s identity if:
- you’re related by birth or marriage
- you’re in a relationship with them or live together
- you work for HM Passport Office
- you work for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) on British citizenship or right of abode applications
- you’re a doctor – unless you know the person who has asked you well (for example, you’re a good friend)