Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: As a foreigner living in the UK
• Method 2 of 3: As a UK citizen's partner
• Method 3 of 3: As a UK citizen or the child of a UK citizen
• Warnings

There are many paths to citizenship in the United Kingdom. Most Anglophiles (people fascinated by England) will have to go through various stages of immigration and spend at least a few years in the UK. You may be able to speed up the process if you are connected to the UK through a spouse, parent or citizenship in current or former UK territory.

To step

Method 1 of 3: As a foreigner living in the UK

1. Print a copy of the application form. The UK government provides a copy of this form on their website. The form is called AN or Application for Naturalization as a British Citizen. You can also request this form from many local government offices, such as a city or county council.
   • If the municipality offers a nationality checking service, you can pay a fee to have someone check your form for errors.
2. Get indefinite leave to reside in the UK. Indefinite leave, also called settlement, means that there is no limit on how long you can stay in the country. To receive citizenship, you must have spent at least the last 12 months indefinitely. You must also plan to continue to live in the UK.
   • To see if you can request unlimited leave, visit this interactive gov.uk webpage. Requirements vary depending on your type of visa.
   • If you are a resident of a country in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, you will need a permanent residence permit or other document proving permanent residence.
3. Have lived in the UK for at least five years. To automatically meet this requirement, you must have entered the UK as a resident (or within the British Army) at least five years ago, and you have not spent more than 450 days out of the country in the past five years. The UK government will often overlook total absences of up to 480 days.
   • Up to 730 days can be allowed if you have a family and home in the UK, your application meets all other requirements and you have lived in the UK for at least seven years.
   • Up to 900 days may be allowed if you meet the same criteria but have lived in the UK for at least eight years, or if the absence was due to your or your spouse's or registered partner's involvement in the British Army, or due to business travel for a job the UK.
4. Count your absences in the past year. Officially your time outside of the country should not exceed 90 days for the past 365 days, but up to 100 days is usually not a problem. Up to 179 days can be allowed if:
   • You have a family and home in the UK
   • and both meet all other requirements for the application.
   • or you have a compelling reason for your absence (e.g. business travel in the UK, British army).
   • Exceptions for 180 days and more are rare and require all three criteria above.
5. Meet the age limit and good character requirements. You must be at least eighteen years old to apply for naturalization citizenship. You are also required to answer all questions in Part 3 of the application form, "Good Character". Please note, these questions apply to events in any country, not just the UK, and include all civil and criminal penalties, including minor traffic offenses. If you answer yes to any of these questions, please describe the events in detail in the space at the end of the section and on additional sheets if necessary. Serious crimes or unsolved bankruptcies usually lead to a rejected application.
   • If you have official endorsements on your UK driver's license, print a copy of your file and attach it to your application.
   • You don't have to describe family law proceedings such as divorce. However, you must report any violations committed by your children, as well as court orders against them.
6. Check for waivers for the following requirements. If you are over 65, you do not need to pass the "UK life" test or prove your English proficiency. If you are under 65, but have a long-term physical or mental condition that prevents you from passing these tests, tick the box on your application to claim an exemption. Please describe why in the "Further Information" section on page 22. Include a letter from a physician with your request.
   • Depression and other conditions that respond to treatment are usually not enough to claim exemption.
   • No other exceptions apply, even if you used one for your settlement request.
7. Pass the "UK life" test. This test has 24 multiple choice questions on British traditions, history, law and values. You should get 18 of these right within 45 minutes. To schedule the test for a fee of € 45, go to this government website. After taking the test, wait in the building until you receive a graded copy of the test and a letter confirming you passed. You must enclose this letter with your application. If you have already taken the test as part of your application for settlement, you can add the old letter instead of taking the test again.
   • The official study guide is called Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship.
   • The photo ID that you bring to the test must be the same as that on your citizenship application. Write the exact name of your ID on the test. You also need proof of your address.
8. Demonstrate your proficiency in English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic. You can prove your English language skills by taking an English test through the home office at level B1 CEFR or higher. There are two B1 tests you can take: the IELTS Skills Test or the Trinity Grade 5 test. You can also contact UK NARIC to request the necessary documents to demonstrate that your degree in English language courses meets this requirement. Finally, a passport from an English-speaking majority country will usually meet this requirement.
   • If you intend to meet this requirement in Welsh or Gaelic, please include a cover letter describing your proficiency in the language.
9. Did two people fill in the referee section? As described on the form, one of these must be a British citizen. The other can be of any nationality, but must have a professional status, such as a civil servant position or membership in a professional organization. Please read the other requirements on the form carefully and find two eligible individuals.
10. Complete the rest of the form. This includes personal information, contact information and employment information. Follow the instructions on the form to attach all applicable documents. All applicants must include a biometric residency permit or a waiver from the BRP; you should have one of these from your settlement application.
11. Submit the form. If you are in the UK, Hong Kong or most other countries, send the application to "Department 1 / UKVI / The Capital / New Hall Place / Liverpool / L3 9PP". If you are in a British overseas territory, send the application to the governor.
    • Add a fee along with the form. For up-to-date information on how much the fee is, please consult this website.
12. Go to the citizenship ceremony. You will usually receive an answer within six months. If your application has been accepted, the response will indicate who to contact to schedule the ceremony. You must attend a citizenship ceremony within 90 days to receive citizenship. At the ceremony, you swear an oath of allegiance to the sovereign and pledge allegiance to the UK.

Method 2 of 3: As a UK citizen's partner

1. Confirm your marriage or civil partnership. To qualify for these more compliant requirements, include the following documents in your application:
   • Your partner's current UK passport, or a copy of every page of the passport (including blank pages), or his or her certificate of registration or naturalization as a citizen.
   • The marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate. If you have any other type of official partnership, or if you are part of a gay couple in a country that does not recognize your partnership, you can still meet these requirements. Contact the UK Visa and Immigration Office for advice.
2. Have lived in the UK for three years. To be eligible for citizenship, you must have entered the UK at least three years ago and lived here for most of the past three years. You may be absent for 270 days during this period, but up to 300 days can be overlooked. If you have a family and home in the UK and your application meets all other requirements, this number may increase:
   • Up to 450 days in the past three years if you have a residence of four years, or up to 540 days if you have a residence of five years. Compelling reason for absence (travel for British armed forces or British companies) can replace citizenship requirements.
3. When you can skip the residency requirement. You do not have to meet this requirement if your spouse or civil partner works for the UK government or in designated employment. This includes service with certain groups not directly controlled by the UK government, such as the British Red Cross, a member of the Council of Voluntary Welfare or NATO.
4. Complete the rest of the form as usual. Apart from these differences, the application for citizenship is the same as for foreigners living in the UK. Complete the Form AN, and add any additional documents or additional information according to the instructions. If you have any questions, please see the instructions above for foreigners living in the UK.

Method 3 of 3: As a UK citizen or the child of a UK citizen

1. Find out if you are already a British citizen. A UK citizen can hold a UK passport but does not have the automatic right to live and work in the UK. There are quite a few laws granting British citizenship to citizens of current and former overseas British territories, and to people born in those areas who would otherwise be stateless. In some cases, the spouse or child of a national may also be able to apply for nationality. If you are unsure whether you qualify for British citizenship, please contact the UK Visa and Immigration Office.
2. Complete the relevant form as a UK citizen. If you are a British citizen, you are usually eligible to fill out a simpler citizenship application form. You can find these forms at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-visa-forms#citizenship. Choose a form based on your status:
   • B (OTA) if you have another citizenship.
   • B (OS) if you have no other citizenship.
   • S1, S2 or S3 if you are a stateless person. (To find out which form applies to you, see the form instructions.)
   • EM if you are a resident of Hong Kong and are a resident on February 4, 1997.
   • RS1 if you previously renounced UK citizenship.
   • UKM (mother) or UKF (father) if you had a UK parent but did not have citizenship due to laws at the time of your birth.
3. Know if you qualify as a child under the age of 18. You can register as a citizen if you are under this age and qualify for any of these reasons:
   • If one of your parents has or has received unlimited leave since you were born, submit an MN1 form.
   • If neither parent is a UK citizen or is on indefinite leave here, but you lived in the UK from birth to the age of 10, please submit a T form.
   • If at least one parent was a British citizen at the time of your birth, or was here indefinitely, you are automatically a citizen. There is no need to submit an application.
4. Please contact UKVI for other situations. If none of the above instructions describe your situation, but you have another connection to the UK, please contact the UK Visa and Immigration Office. There are many corner cases that can make you a British citizen. The Home Secretary also has the option to grant citizenship to anyone under the age of 18, so a compelling case may allow you to bypass official requirements
   • Most people over the age of 18 must apply the regular process to foreigners living in the UK (see above).

• You can still apply for citizenship if you have committed a crime if the conviction has "expired," meaning that a certain period of time has passed since your conviction where you were not convicted of a new crime. The UK government still has the discretion to refuse applications for these crimes, and will often do so in the case of a sexual offense or other serious crime.
• You can apply on behalf of someone who has no common sense and is unable to apply. Include a cover letter explaining the situation and why you are applying, as well as a letter from a doctor or other professional who can verify the condition.

Warnings

• Time spent in the UK when you were exempt from immigration control does not count towards UK residence permit requirements. This also includes visits as a diplomat or member of a visit to the armed forces.