1What a guarantor is actually for
A guarantor is a named adult who is willing to be contacted about someone, and who accepts that their own name is attached to that person's conduct. In Nigerian hiring this matters more than the paper suggests, because it is often the only route back to a worker who leaves suddenly.
So judge a guarantor by one test: if this person disappears in eight months, can I still find and reach the guarantor? Everything worth putting on the form follows from that.
2What belongs on the form
- Full name as it appears on their identification.
- Phone number that answers, confirmed by actually reaching it.
- Relationship to the worker, in their own words.
- Their own identity reference, so the guarantor is a real traceable person.
- A photograph of their identification, uploaded by them.
- A photograph of their face, taken at the time of signing.
- Their signature and the date.
- A clear statement of what they are agreeing to.
An address helps, but a phone number that answers plus their own identity reference does more work in practice.
3Where guarantor forms usually fail
- The worker filled it in. The most common failure. The handwriting matches the applicant and the guarantor has never seen it.
- The number goes unanswered. Nobody tried it before filing the form.
- No identification. A name with no record behind it is not traceable.
- Both guarantors are relatives living in the same house. One event removes both.
- Nobody kept the date. A signed form with no date is hard to rely on later.
4How to check a guarantor is real
Three steps, in this order:
- Contact the guarantor yourself, on the number given, and confirm they know they are named.
- Make them complete their own section, not the worker. Separate the two acts.
- Check their identification exists behind the reference they gave.
On Hirably each guarantor receives their own private link, fills in their own details, uploads their own identification, takes a live photo and signs on their own device. We record when they did it, and reminders go out if they do not. Nobody can complete a guarantor's form on their behalf.
5A form you can use today
Copy this into a document if you are doing it by hand:
- Worker's full name, role applied for, date.
- Guarantor: full name, phone number, relationship, identity reference, home or work address.
- Statement: “I confirm I know the above person, that the details I have given are true, and that I agree to be contacted about them.”
- Guarantor's signature and date. Attach a copy of their identification.
- Repeat for a second guarantor who does not live with the first.
Or let us collect and check it for you - guarantor checks are in every package on our pricing page, and the documents we accept are listed on the evidence checklist.
Run these checks with Hirably
Identity, guarantors and previous employer settle within 36 hours of the worker agreeing. Every address is confirmed in person by a vetted agent, which takes 7 to 10 days. You see each check land as it settles.