Countersigning British passport applications involves asking an eligible person to confirm your identity, check your application and certify a passport photograph. Whether you need a countersignature depends on your application type and whether you can be recognised from your existing passport photograph.
British passport support · Thailand office
This guide explains when countersigning is required, who can sign an application from Thailand, and the requirements for children and passport photographs.
When Is a Countersignature Required?
For paper passport applications, you normally need the application form and one of your two printed photographs countersigned when applying for:
- A first adult British passport.
- A first child British passport.
- A replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged passport.
- A renewal for a child aged 11 or under.
- A renewal where your appearance has changed so much that you cannot be recognised from your existing passport.
A straightforward adult renewal does not normally require a countersignature if you can still be recognised from your current passport photograph.
For the application process, read our guide to renewing a British passport in Thailand.
Who Can Countersign Your Passport?
Your countersignatory must:
- Have known you personally for at least two years.
- Be able to identify you as a friend, neighbour or colleague.
- Work in a recognised profession, be retired from one, or be a person of good standing in their community.
- Meet the passport requirements for the country from which you are applying.
Someone who only knows you through providing a professional service does not automatically meet the requirement to know you personally.
Accepted Occupations
Examples of recognised professions include:
- Accountant or bank official.
- Teacher or lecturer.
- Solicitor or barrister.
- Nurse, dentist or pharmacist.
- Police officer.
- Director of a limited company.
- Engineer with professional qualifications.
- Member of a recognised professional body.
This is a selection rather than the complete list. Check the HM Passport Office list of accepted occupations before asking someone to sign.
Having an accepted occupation alone is not enough. The person must also meet the personal relationship and other eligibility requirements.
Who Can Countersign in Thailand?
For a paper passport application made outside the UK, your countersignatory must hold a current British, Irish, other EU, US or Commonwealth passport.
They do not have to live in the UK simply because you are applying for a British passport from overseas. Someone living in Thailand may qualify if they hold an eligible passport and meet the other requirements.
If the countersignatory holds a US, Commonwealth or EU passport other than a British or Irish passport, include a colour photocopy of their passport photograph page with your application.
HM Passport Office states that applications may be processed faster when the countersignatory holds a British or Irish passport.
A Thai passport alone does not meet the published passport nationality requirement.
Who Cannot Countersign?
You cannot ask someone to countersign your application if they:
- Are related to you by birth or marriage.
- Are your partner or are in a relationship with you.
- Live at your address.
- Work for HM Passport Office.
A doctor cannot normally countersign simply because you are their patient. They may qualify if they know you well personally, such as a good friend, and can easily recognise you from your photograph.
What Must the Countersignatory Do?
For a paper application, your countersignatory must check the completed form and complete the countersignature section. This includes giving their passport number, contact details and signature.
By signing, they confirm your identity and that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in your application is correct.
They must also certify the back of one of your passport photographs using this wording:
I certify that this is a true likeness of [title and full name of adult or child who is getting the passport].
They must add their signature and the date underneath. For a child application, the wording must identify the child receiving the passport.
HM Passport Office may contact the countersignatory to check the information. Make sure they can respond to enquiries while your application is being assessed.
Child and Baby Passport Applications
For a child under 16, the countersignatory must have known the adult signing the application for at least two years. They must also be able to confirm the child’s photograph and the adult’s parental responsibility.
The two-year requirement concerns knowing the adult making the application. It does not mean that a newborn baby must have been known for two years.
For more information, read our guide to British passports for babies born overseas.
Online Identity Confirmation
Some passport applications use online identity confirmation instead of countersigned printed photographs. Where this applies, HM Passport Office emails the person confirming your identity with instructions.
Follow the instructions for your application route. An online identity check should not be treated as a replacement for the countersignature required by a paper application.
Cannot Find a Countersignatory?
If you cannot find someone who meets the requirements, contact HM Passport Office for guidance before submitting your application.
Paying a professional or using an application agent does not remove the requirement for the countersignatory to have known you personally.
Check the official countersigning guidance for the requirements and Passport Adviceline contact details.
Passport Application Help in Thailand
Thai Visa Express’s separate Thailand office can help with British passport application preparation and document checks. HM Passport Office assesses applications and decides whether a countersignatory is acceptable.
Whether you are renewing a passport, applying for your child or replacing a missing passport, contact our Thailand office to discuss the documents you need.
