Who Can Sign Personal Licence Photos?

As part of your application for a Personal Licence, an applicant will need to provide two passport-sized photos. Both of these photos must be signed, one by the applicant themselves and another by a counter-signatory. But who can this counter-signatory be, and why is their signature so vital in your personal licence application?

What is a counter-signatory?

A counter-signatory must be someone who is known by the applicant, but not a spouse or relative. The point of a counter-signatory is to prove the identity of the person applying for the Personal Licence. This leaves various other people who you could ask to sign your photos, including a work colleague, a Manager whom you report to.

Ultimately, the counter-signatory must belong to someone who is a ‘a person of good standing in their community and work in a recognized profession. This also includes a professional who is retired from said recognized profession.

The full list of occupants that can be a counter-signatory are as followed:

• Accountant
• Articled Clerk of a Limited Company
• Assurance Agent of Recognised Company
• Bank/Building Society Official
• Barrister
• Broker
• Chairman/Director of Limited Company
• Chemist
• Chiropodist
• Christian Science Practitioner
• Commissioner of Oaths
• Councillor: Local or County
• Civil Servant (permanent)
• Dentist
• Engineer (with professional Qualifications)
• Fire Service Official
• Funeral Director
• Insurance agent (full time) of a recognised
• Company
• Journalist
• Justice of the Peace
• Legal Secretary (members and fellows of the
• Institute of legal secretaries)
• Local Government Officer
• Manager/Personnel Officer (of Limited Company)
• Member of Parliament
• Merchant Navy Officer
• Minister of a recognised religion
• Nurse (SRN and SEN)
• Officer of the armed services (Active or Retired)
• Optician
• Person with Honours (e.g. OBE MBE etc)
• Photographer (Professional)
• Police Officer
• Post Office Official
• President/Secretary of a recognised organisation
• Salvation Army Officer
• Social Worker
• Solicitor
• Surveyor
• Teacher, Lecturer
• Trade Union Officer
• Travel Agency (Qualified)
• Valuers and auctioneers (fellow and associate members
• of the incorporated society)
• Warrant officers and Chief Petty Officers

What other requirements must a counter-signatory hold?

Your counter-signatory must live in the UK and hold a current British or Irish passport.

Does the counter-signatory just sign the photo and that’s it?

No. As well as a signature, the counter-signatory must also declare that they have known you for more than 2 years and that you are who you claim to be. This can be done by adding the following statement, along with their signature on the back of the photo.

                     “I certify that this is a true likeness of (XYZ)”

Finally, the statement must be dated, along with a signature from the counter-signatory. This will complete your Personal Licence application and you will be ready to send off the application.

How to get a Personal Licence

Thinking of applying for a Personal Licence? The Personal Licence Training Course teaches individuals about the law and legal responsibility of being a licence holder and is part of the process for obtaining a Personal Alcohol Licence.

Once you have passed the Personal Licence Course, you will then be able to apply for a Personal Licence.

If you want to save yourself the hassle of applying for a personal licence, Get Licensed provides Easy Apply! Leave the process to us and we will work with your local authority to get your APLH licence. 

The Easy Apply option provides peace of mind and it’s perfect for people with busy schedules or who prefer to leave these types of processes in the hands of professionals. 

Additionally, we offer a complete APLH training course to help you prepare and you can click here to learn more about the APLH licence exam and application process from Carl. Get Licensed provides all the resources you need to successfully get an APLH licence.