Guidance

Countersignatory: how to examine

Updated 9 December 2022

This guidance was withdrawn on 12 May 2023

This guidance is no longer current.

Version 10.0

This guidance is for His Majesty’s Passport Office staff who examiner the countersignatories of UK and overseas applications.

About: Countersignatory: how to examine

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff:

• how to examiner the countersignature section of the application form

• when not to examiner 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.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors then email Guidance & Quality, Operating Standards.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email Guidance & Quality, Operating Standards.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

• version 10.0

• published for Home Office staff on 27 September 2022

Changes from last version of this guidance

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

When to examine a countersignatory

This section tells HM Passport Office staff when to examine a countersignatory on a paper passport application.

Our customer guidance tells the customer when they need to provide a countersignatory.

However, we may not always examine the countersignatory, even when the customer has provided one.

If you, the examiner, have an application that was completed using the paper application form (SEO4 or OS form), you must always examine the countersignatory, if the:

• customer is applying to renew their old passport and either:

  • you cannot identify them from the photo on their previous passport record on Main Index (MI) or G-Search when you compare it to the one on the application

  • the previous passport record on MI or G-Search does not have a photo

• customer has asked us to deliver to a different address and they are a child or vulnerable adult

• application is for a first-time passport and the customer is not going through the interview process (for UK or overseas applications)

• application has been returned or recalled from the interview process and it has not or will not take place (UK applications only)

• application is a first-time passport application and the customer is going for an overseas interview

• application meets the criteria in the confirming identity guidance

If the customer has not provided a countersignatory on their paper form and you need one to the confirm the customer’s identity, you must ask for one.

You must refer the application to the Counter Fraud team (CFT) if it is confirmed in the risk indicators guidance.

If CFT return the application to you and add a case note to an application to show ‘No CFT interest’ you must examine the countersignatory (if this guidance confirms you must).

When not to examine the countersignatory

When a customer provides a countersignatory on their application, we may not always need to examine their information.

You, the examiner, must decide if you do not need to examine the countersignatory when:

• you can clearly identify the customer from the photo on the previous passport record on MI or G-Search when you compare it to the one on the application

• we invite a customer to an interview (UK applications only)

• the application is a joint application with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

• the Counter Fraud team (CFT) investigates an application and adds a case note to show, ‘Identity (ID) not in doubt’

Before you decide not to examine the countersignatory, you must make sure:

• you consider the application as a whole, considering all the facts before you make a decision

• you have confirmed the customer’s identity, there are no risk indicators and the application can continue without a countersignature

• the name on the back of the certified photo matches the name on the application

Fraud or safeguarding concerns

You, the examiner, must refer the application to an Enhanced Application Checking (EAC) examiner, if:

• you have fraud concerns with the application

• the countersignatory tells us that they do not know the customer

• 2 or more countersignatories do not respond to 2 letters, asking for more information

• the countersignatory cannot confirm a vulnerable customer’s change of delivery address

• the countersignatory passport number is:

  • stolen

  • lost in the post

  • lost or unavailable

You, the EAC examiner, must follow enhanced application checking guidance. If you have concerns, you must refer the application to the CFT.

You, the examiner, must refer the application to the CFT, if:

• you have any safeguarding (for example, child protection) concerns

• the countersignatory’s passport number is a deceased passport holder

Examining a countersignatory

This section tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff how to examine a countersignatory who has completed a paper application form (SE04 or OS form).

If you (the examiner) are examining the countersignature section on a paper application form (SE04 or OS form) on the Application Management System (AMS).

You must:

1. Check the application for any warnings or matches relating to the countersignatory and deal with them, in line with the warnings guidance.

2. Check all watchlist checks are completed (in line with confirming identity guidance).

3. Compare the countersignatory’s signature on the application form and the certified photo:

• if you have any doubts over a countersignatory’s signature, you must compare them with what is on Main Index (MI)

• if there is no record on MI, you must contact the countersignatory (see: Confirming ID – countersignatory and digital referees guidance) and check the consent and authorisation is genuine

4. Check the information on the countersignature section of the application form matches the details recorded on AMS and:

• correct any errors (if AMS allows you to change the information)

• click Save to save the changes and prompt the system to re-run automated checks

5. Check the countersignatory is acceptable to confirm the customer identity for passport purposes.

6. Check if the same handwriting has completed the entire application (see: who can confirm a customer’s identity guidance).

7. Check if you can apply discretion (see: who can confirm a customer’s identity guidance) if the countersignatory:

• is unqualified or has not listed their qualifications

• is an unemployed professional

• has known the customer for less than 2 years

• does not live in the same country as the customer (overseas only)

8. Check the countersignature section has been completed in full and contact the countersignatory if any information is missing.

9. Check the countersignatory has correctly certified the back of 1 photo confirming the photo is a true likeness of the customer and contact the countersignatory if the certification on the photo is incomplete. (See: Confirming ID – countersignatory and digital referees guidance).

• if the application is for a UK first time application and the customer is attending an interview, you must only check if the name on the back of the certified photo matches the name on the application

10. Read all other case notes and the additional information fields, including from the previous passport application (if you need to) to see if there are reasons to support the countersignatory’s responses.

11. Add a case note to show the actions and decisions you made.

12. Contact the countersignatory if you need additional confirming identity checks, to confirm their identity or that of the customer.

13. Case note any checks or searches you have made.

If you cannot accept the countersignatory, you must ask the customer for a new one using Confirming ID – countersignatory and digital referees guidance.

See fraud or safeguarding concerns if you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns.