Countersigning Your Passport Photo — Who Signs the Back
Some passport applications and photos must be signed on the back by someone else — your “countersignatory”. Get the wording, the eligibility or the choice of photo wrong and the whole application is sent back before it is ever looked at. This page answers three questions in order: does your application need a countersignature at all, what exactly must be written, and who is allowed to write it. Verified against the UK GOV.UK countersigning page and the HMPO examiner photo standards (v51.0), September 2026.
The 15-second answer
- Some paper applications and photos must be countersigned. GOV.UK: “Some paper passport applications and photos must be signed by someone else (the 'countersignatory') to prove the identity of the person applying.”
- You sign nothing. GOV.UK is explicit: “You do not have to sign or date the photos yourself.”
- Your countersignatory writes one fixed sentence on the back of one photo, then adds their signature and the date underneath it.
- Only one of your two photos is signed. The other must stay blank, and writing that shows through on a scan is a rejection.
Does your application need a countersignature?
GOV.UK names five situations. You must get your paper form and one of your 2 print photos signed if you're applying for a:
- first adult passport
- first child passport
- replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged passport
- renewal of a passport for a child aged 11 or under
- renewal of a passport if your appearance has changed and you cannot be recognised from your existing passport
These five are the situations the official rule names. Note the fifth one carefully — it is the reason a renewal can suddenly need a signature: if an examiner would not recognise you from your existing passport photo, the renewal joins the countersignature list.
What your countersignatory must write on the back
The wording is fixed. GOV.UK says your countersignatory should write the following on the back of one photo: 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 under the statement.
Only one photo is written on. The HMPO examiner photo standards (v51.0, §4.5) state: “If the customer needs a countersignature, only one of their photos must be signed on the back. The other must remain blank. You must reject any photo that has writing or printing that shows up on screen when scanned.” That last sentence is why the blank photo must stay genuinely blank — no pencil notes, no initials, no printing that could ghost through.
Who can countersign
| Requirement | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| Has known you long enough | They must have known you (or the adult who signed the form if the passport is for a child under 16) for at least 2 years. |
| Can identify you personally | They must be able to identify you — for example they're a friend, neighbour or colleague, not just someone who knows you professionally. |
| Good standing | They must be “a person of good standing in their community”. |
| Recognised profession | Or they must work in — or be retired from — a recognised profession. |
Who cannot countersign
| Cannot be your countersignatory | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| A relative | You cannot ask someone to countersign your passport if you're related to them by birth or marriage. |
| A partner or housemate | You cannot ask someone to countersign your passport if you're in a relationship with them, or live at the same address as them. |
Applying from outside the UK
The passport your countersignatory holds matters more when you apply from abroad. GOV.UK says: “Your countersignatory must have a current British, Irish or other EU, US or Commonwealth passport. If they have a US, Commonwealth, or non-British or non-Irish EU passport, you must include with your application a colour photocopy of the page with their photograph on it.” So the eligible signer set widens outside the UK — but a US, Commonwealth or non-British/non-Irish EU signer costs you one extra document: a colour copy of the photo page of their passport.
One photo or two: the official rule
The count of photos is governed separately. The HMPO standards (v51.0, §4.4) state: “Customers must send 2 paper photos that meet the standards. If only one photo is needed (for example, as part of a renewal application) and no paper referee (countersignature) is needed, you must not ask for a second photo.” In practice: a countersigned application sends both photos, with exactly one signed on the back; an application that needs no countersignature sends only the photos the form asks for.
“I'll just sign it myself” is not an option
Signing the photo yourself does not satisfy the requirement, and it is not asked of you either — GOV.UK says you do not have to sign or date the photos yourself. The countersignature exists to have a third party confirm your identity: someone who has known you for at least two years, is not a relative, partner or housemate, and is of good standing or in a recognised profession. That is the whole point of the check, so substituting your own signature defeats it.
60-second countersignature check
- ☐ Your application is one of the five named situations
- ☐ Your countersignatory has known you at least 2 years
- ☐ They can identify you personally — not just professionally
- ☐ They are of good standing, or work in (or are retired from) a recognised profession
- ☐ They are not related to you, not your partner, and do not live at your address
- ☐ They wrote the fixed sentence on the back of ONE photo, then signed and dated under it
- ☐ The second photo is completely blank
- ☐ You did not sign or date either photo yourself
- ☐ Applying outside the UK: they hold a current British, Irish, EU, US or Commonwealth passport — plus a colour photocopy of its photo page where required
Official sources
The rules above are quoted from GOV.UK: Countersigning passport applications and photos and the HMPO examiner photo standards (v51.0, §4.4 and §4.5), both read 2026-09-26.
Frequently asked questions
Does my passport photo need to be countersigned?
Only for the applications GOV.UK names: a first adult passport, a first child passport, a replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged passport, a renewal of a passport for a child aged 11 or under, or a renewal where your appearance has changed and you cannot be recognised from your existing passport. For those, you must get your paper form and one of your 2 print photos signed.
Who can countersign my passport photo?
Someone who has known you (or the adult who signed the form if the passport is for a child under 16) for at least 2 years, who can identify you — for example a friend, neighbour or colleague, not just someone who knows you professionally — and who is a person of good standing in their community or works in, or is retired from, a recognised profession.
Who cannot countersign my passport photo?
You cannot ask someone who is related to you by birth or marriage, or someone you are in a relationship with or who lives at the same address as you.
What exactly must my countersignatory write on the back of the photo?
The sentence is fixed: 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 under the statement.
Do I need to sign or date the photo myself?
No. GOV.UK states that you do not have to sign or date the photos yourself. The countersignature is your countersignatory's written confirmation of identity, not yours.
How many of the photos must be signed?
Only one. The HMPO examiner photo standards (v51.0) state that if the customer needs a countersignature only one of their photos must be signed on the back, that the other must remain blank, and that you must reject any photo that has writing or printing that shows up on screen when scanned.
Does my countersignatory need a British passport?
It depends where you apply. GOV.UK says that if you are applying outside the UK your countersignatory must have a current British, Irish or other EU, US or Commonwealth passport. If they hold a US, Commonwealth, or non-British or non-Irish EU passport, you must include a colour photocopy of the page with their photograph on it.
Countersigning is one gate on a longer checklist. Get the freshness window right with the photo validity rules, keep the back pristine by printing on the print sheet, and if the application has already come back, work the rejected next steps. The physical do's and don'ts of the print itself are in the printing guide.