It’s more than possible to independently complete the majority of your passport application – that is until you require a countersignature. This is a person who can vouch for your identity by signing the back of one of your passport photos. The problem is that this individual can’t just be anyone from your life. Instead, it has to be a person who meets certain strict criteria. With this in mind, let’s take a look at which people can sign a passport.
Who can you choose?
It’s not as easy as just picking any friend, neighbour or family member and hoping that this person will suffice. Instead, the countersignature must be someone who you’ve known for two years or more, who isn’t a family member and who doesn’t currently live at your address. In addition, you can’t be in a relationship with them. They must also be a ‘person of good standing in the community’. Ultimately, this means that they must be part of a certain profession.
Which professions qualify?
There are more than 40 professions deemed acceptable to make someone qualify as an appropriate countersignature. The list of occupations includes police officers, doctors, barristers, journalists, civil servants, airline pilots and funeral directors. You’ll need to familiarise yourself with the full list to decide which person from your life would be the most suitable and practical choice.
What do they need to do?
The countersignature just needs to write ‘I certify that this is a true likeness of [title and full name of adult or child who is getting the passport]’ on the back of one of your passport photos, with their signature and the date. This then means that your passport application can be processed without any doubt over your true identity.
Good luck!
Don’t forget that you’ll first need to have suitable passport pictures before you can recruit a countersignature. The best way to do this is by using the service provided by Paspic. This way you’ll be able to take the photos from home, be confident that they meet the government guidelines and have the hard copies sent straight to your address to be signed by your countersignature.
