Referee - Unmarried Partner

Hi!

Currently struggling as my first choice of 1st reference (for my naturalization application) is renewing their passport and I’m not 100% clear on whether they can be my reference now since their passport will be cancelled. Would it be possible to have my unmarried partner’s sibling as my 1st referee instead?

From what I’ve read, we are not seen as relatives but nothing definitive and all advice relates to Unmarried Partner visas which don’t concern me as a EU citizen with EUSS. I’ve tried to have a look here too with not much success!

Thank you for the help!

Have you submitted the application already? You can just submit details of the new passport.

I’ve not submitted it yet but would like to submit over the weekend. The worry is that my colleague’s (who was my 1st choice) new passport will take a while to be delivered (they’ve said approx. 2-3 weeks).

I have read that with new UK passports, staff will check whether the details of the cancelled (old) passport and the renewed passport match but not sure if this would apply to naturalization applications.

Alternatively, I have a friend who is an ’Application Developer’ at a international tech firm so I’m guessing I could use them as a reference instead? The job is not on the list of examples but from what I’ve read she could still be my 1st referee. Just not too keen on that as my colleague and partner’s sister are both in professions that feature on the official list and I’m not sure how strict these guidelines are!

Why not just wait for your referee's passport to be delivered? Is there a specific reason why you need to submit now?