Who can be a referee for British citizenship? The acceptable professions
You need two referees for a British citizenship (naturalisation) application, and at least one of them must be a "professional person" from the Home Office's recognised list, such as an accountant, solicitor, doctor, teacher, police officer or minister of religion. The other referee can be a professional person too, or simply someone aged 25 or over who holds a British citizen passport. Both must have known you for at least three years and meet the restrictions below. So yes, a care home manager can usually qualify, because "manager or personnel officer of a limited company" and similar management roles appear on the accepted-occupations list, but the safest route is to check the exact wording on GOV.UK before you ask them.
- You need exactly 2 referees on Form AN.
- Referee 1 must be a professional person of any nationality.
- Referee 2 must hold a British citizen passport and be either a professional person or aged 25 or over.
- Both referees must have known you for at least 3 years.
- Referees cannot be related to you or to each other, and cannot be your solicitor or agent for this application.
- Referees cannot be employed by the Home Office and must be of good standing (no recent imprisonable convictions).
The two-referee rule and the two categories
Every Form AN naturalisation application must be endorsed by two referees, and they fall into two categories.
The first referee must be a person of professional standing, of any nationality. GOV.UK gives examples such as a minister of religion, a civil servant, or a member of a professional body like an accountant or solicitor (though not the solicitor representing you on this application).
The second referee must hold a British citizen passport, and be either a professional person from the same list or aged 25 or over. So the second referee does not need a listed job, provided they are over 25 and hold a British passport.
In short: at least one referee must be a listed professional, and both must satisfy every restriction below.
The acceptable professional persons list
The Home Office uses the same recognised-occupations list that applies to passport countersignatories. It is not exhaustive, so if a job is not named, a similar profession of equal standing may still be accepted. Commonly accepted occupations include:
- Accountant, bank or building society official, financial services intermediary, insurance or assurance agent of a recognised company
- Barrister, solicitor, commissioner for oaths, Justice of the Peace, legal secretary, paralegal
- Doctor, dentist, pharmacist, optician, nurse (RGN or RMN), chiropodist, social worker
- Teacher or lecturer
- Police officer, fire service official, officer of the armed forces, Merchant Navy officer
- Civil servant (permanent), local government officer, councillor, Member of Parliament
- Minister of a recognised religion, Salvation Army officer
- Chairman, director, manager or personnel officer of a limited or VAT-registered company
- Engineer or surveyor with professional qualifications, valuer or auctioneer, funeral director
- Airline pilot, driving instructor (on the approved register), qualified travel agent, licensee of a public house
- Journalist, professional photographer, trade union officer, Post Office official
- A person with honours such as an OBE or MBE, or the president or secretary of a recognised organisation
This is a faithful summary rather than the complete text. Always confirm the current, full wording on the official GOV.UK accepted-occupations page before you approach someone.
Back to the care home manager question
A care home manager shows why you should read the list rather than guess. Management roles such as "manager or personnel officer of a limited company" and "director or personnel officer of a VAT-registered company" are on the accepted list, so a care home manager at a registered company will normally qualify. A registered nurse or social worker who knows you would qualify in their own right too.
The test is not the job title. It is whether the person fits a recognised professional category, has known you three years, and passes every restriction below. If in doubt, use them as your second referee alongside a clearly listed professional.
Do not choose a referee who is related to you, related to your other referee, or who is the solicitor or agent handling your application. Referees also cannot be employed by the Home Office. The Home Office may check that referees have no unspent convictions and that their signatures are genuine, so a referee who breaks these rules can delay or sink your application.
Every eligibility rule and restriction
Whatever their occupation, both referees must satisfy all of the following:
- Age 25 or over applies specifically to the non-professional second referee.
- Known you for at least 3 years. A newer acquaintance cannot vouch for you.
- Not related to you by birth or marriage, and not related to each other.
- Not your solicitor or agent representing you on this application.
- Not employed by the Home Office.
- Of good standing. Referees should not have been convicted of an imprisonable offence in the last 10 years, and the Home Office may verify this.
Get the referees right and you remove one of the most common causes of avoidable delay. For a walkthrough of how referees complete their part of the form, see our full guide to referees for naturalisation. And if you are unsure about a specific job, our piece on whether a postman or Royal Mail worker can be a referee shows how to test any occupation against the list.
Referees are only one part of the process. You also need to meet the residence, language and good character rules and pass the Life in the UK Test before you apply.