boonworkpermit wrote:I will soon submit an application for naturalisation and have one question regarding the referees. At the moment, I have one british friend who lives in the UK and another German laywer friend whom I have known when I lived in Germany many years ago.
I know that one referee does not need to be British. Does anyone know if it is OK to use someone who lives in another country?
Assuming you know them more than three years.
One referee MUST hold a current British Passport and be over the age of 25 or a professional person. Does your British Friend meet the criteria?
The other referee must be a professional person. There is no other criteria. However, it would be wise to quote your German friends German Passport Number and on the page where you can list other information, there must be some German registration number that he has as a lawyer with a regulatory body. Basically, make it easy for the caseworker to be completely satisfied this is a real person and is a professional person.
There is no requirement that either referee be UK Resident however, if they are not resident then the burden is on the applicant to remove any doubt the caseworker may have.