American passport applications confirm your identity and obtain references through documentation. First-time applicants must present proof of citizenship and a government-issued photo ID to the passport acceptance facility, where they must apply in person. The agent at the passport acceptance facility acts as your professional reference and submits the application to the U.S. Department of State on your behalf.
The United States does not have a requirement in passport applications for a personal or professional reference. However, applying for a passport in Canada requires personal references from two people who have known you for longer than two years. They must fill out a section on the application stating their name, relationship to you, address and contact number.
In addition, the Canadian passport application, like the British passport application, requires a "guarantor," or a "countersigner." This person must also have known you for two years, be an established professional of some sort, carry a passport themselves, and be able to be contacted by passport services at a later time. They must fill out a section of your passport application, give their own passport number and sign the back of your passport photos as well.
Passport photos are visual references that depict your true likeness. In Canada and the United Kingdom, these documents must be signed by your countersigner or guarantor. Passport photos for U.S. passport applications are submitted unsigned.
