Guidance

Countersignatory: how to examine: caseworker guidance

Tells HM Passport Office staff how to examine the countersignatories of UK and overseas applications.

• From: HM Passport Office
• Published: 7 February 2012
• Last updated: 9 December 2022
  Show all updates

  1. 9 December 2022

     This guidance has been updated to reflect the change in our sovereign from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to His Majesty King Charles III.

  2. 26 September 2022

     Accessible version added.

  3. 9 July 2021

     This guidance has been updated with formatting changes, and with some of the content moved to 'Confirming identity: countersignatories and digital referees’.

  4. 7 February 2012

     First published.

This publication was withdrawn on 12 May 2023

This guidance is no longer current.

Documents

Countersignatory: how to examine

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Details

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff:

• how to examine the countersignature section of the application form
• when not to examine the countersignature section of the application form

This guidance relates to countersignatories. A countersignatory is a person who confirms a customer’s identity for their passport application, using a paper application form (SE04 or OS).

If you are dealing with a Digital Customer Service (DCS) channel application, they become a digital referee and you must follow the digital referee guidance.