British Citizenship & Naturalisation

Naturalisation is necessary to gain British Citizenship, which will permit you to reside permanently. Furthermore, when naturalisation is completed, you will acquire all of a citizen’s legal rights.

Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or 'settled status'

Eligibility and fees

You can apply for citizenship if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and have had one of the following for 12 months:

indefinite leave to remain in the UK
‘settled status’ (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’)
indefinite leave to enter the UK (permission to move to the UK permanently from abroad)

You do not need to wait 12 months to apply if you’re married to a British citizen.

You must also:

be over 18
prove you were in the UK exactly 5 years before the day the Home Office receives your application
prove your knowledge of English, Welsh, or Scottish Gaelic
have passed the life in the UK test
intend to continue living in the UK

be of good character – read the naturalization guidance

Residency requirements

You must have lived in the UK for at least 5 years before the date of your application. You also should not have broken any UK immigration laws.

If you have indefinite leave to enter or remain, the Home Office will not usually check if you broke any immigration laws before then.

You cannot include any time spent in the UK when you’re exempt from immigration control as a:

diplomat
member of a diplomat’s staff or household
member of visiting armed forces

The time you’ve spent outside the UK

You should not have:

spent more than 450 days outside the UK during the 5 years before your application
spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
broken any UK immigration laws (for example living illegally in the UK)

You may have lost your indefinite leave to remain or enter if you’ve been away from the UK for:

more than 2 years at any time since you got it (you’ll need to apply for Returning Resident visa)
more than 5 years if you have settled status
more than 4 years if you are a Swiss citizen, or the family member of a Swiss citizen, and you have settled status

This is one way to apply for British citizenship. Check if you’re eligible another way.

When to apply

You must have been physically present in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application.

Your application may be rejected if you were not in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office received it. This depends on the reason why you were not in the UK. The Home Office will consider if there are special circumstances, for example:

you were not able to live in the UK at the start of the 5 year period because of health reasons or travel restrictions
you were told to leave the UK during the 5 years but this decision was later overturned

How much it costs

It costs £1,330 to apply.

You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken – there’s no fee for this. You’ll be told how to do this after you’ve applied.

How to apply

There are 2 ways to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation. You can either:

make an application yourself
use an agent or representative

Apply for your children

You must apply separately for your children.

You can apply to ‘register’ your child for citizenship if they were born either:

outside of the UK
inside the UK before you were granted indefinite leave to remain

Read the guidance to check you can apply.

How much it costs

It costs £1,012 to apply for each child.

If your child is under 18 and you cannot afford to pay the application fee, you may be able to apply for a fee waiver.

You must also pay £80 for your child’s citizenship ceremony if they turn 18 during the application process.

When you do not need to apply for your child

Your child may automatically be a British citizen if they were born both:

in the UK
after you were granted indefinite leave to remain

You can apply for a child’s passport if your child is under 16.

Your child can apply for an adult passport if they’re over 16.

After you’ve applied

You’ll usually get a decision within 6 months – some applications can take longer.

It may take longer than the usual 6 months to get a decision because of coronavirus (COVID-19). This will not affect the decision.

You’ll be told if you need to provide more information to help with your application.

Attending a citizenship ceremony

You’ll need to attend a citizenship ceremony if your application is successful.

After you get your certificate

You must send your biometric residence permit (BRP) back to the Home Office within 5 working days of getting your certificate of British citizenship.

Cut your BRP into 4 pieces and put it in a windowless envelope.

Include a note saying you’re returning your permit because you’ve become a citizen. Include your name, date of birth and the document number (found on the front of the card) in the note.

Naturalisation BRP Returns
PO Box 195
Bristol
BS20 1BT

You’ll be fined up to £1,000 if you do not return your permit within 5 working days.

Travelling to and from the UK

Once you have a British passport you must use this to enter the UK.

If you do not want a British passport you can apply for a certificate of entitlement instead.

You cannot enter the UK using your BRP or certificate of British citizenship.

Why Choose Excellum Legal Solicitors

We understand the significance of your application for British Citizenship. To ensure that everything goes according to plan, you must take all the necessary steps to conclude your immigration journey in the United Kingdom with success.

We proudly assist our clients during their UK Immigration journey, ensuring they acquire British Citizenship without any hassle.

Get in touch with us now to find out more about your British Citizenship/ Naturalisation application requirements. Our experienced team are ready to answer any questions you may have.