Naturalisation as a British Citizen

You might be able to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation if you are over 18 and have had ILR or Settled Status in the UK for at least 12 months.

To be eligible and apply for naturalisation as a British citizen, you must meet the eligibility requirements in accordance with the British Nationality Act 1981.

Contact our British citizenship lawyer now on 0161 989 9370 to get legal advice about how to apply for naturalisation and information about eligibility requirements.

Related Topics

• What is naturalisation as a British citizen?
• When can I apply for naturalisation after ILR?
• What are the requirements for naturalisation?
• Residency requirements for naturalisation
• English language requirements for naturalisation
• Life in the UK test
• Documents required to apply for naturalisation
• How to apply for Naturalisation?
• UK citizenship processing time after biometrics
• How much does it cost to apply for British citizenship?
• Need help with the British citizenship application?
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is naturalisation as a British citizen?

Naturalisation is the process by which a non-British citizen becomes a British citizen. It is one of the most common ways to obtain British citizenship.

Naturalisation as a British citizen gives you the same rights and privileges as someone who was born in the UK as a British citizen, including the right to live and work in the UK, access to healthcare and education, and the right to vote and stand for public office.

To be eligible for Naturalisation, you must have lived in the UK for a certain period of time, which is usually at least five years (or three years if you are married to a British citizen). You must also meet other requirements, such as being of good character, passing the Life in the UK test, and meeting English language proficiency requirements.

If you are eligible, you can apply for Naturalisation by submitting an application to the Home Office, along with the required documents and fees. The application process can take several months, and you may be asked to attend an interview or provide additional information or documents.

If you are not a British citizen, you might be able to apply for British citizenship either by naturalisation or registration, depending on your circumstances.

When can I apply for naturalisation after ILR?

You can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation 12 months after obtaining your ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) or Settled Status in the UK.

If you are applying for British citizenship by marriage, you do not need to wait 12 months to apply.

What are the requirements for naturalisation?

You must meet the eligibility requirements of the British Nationality Act 1981 to be eligible to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation.

To apply for British citizenship by naturalisation, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Age: You must be 18 years of age or older, or if you are aged between 16 and 18, must have parental consent to apply.
• Residence: You must have been in the UK for at least five years and held settled status for at least 12 months. There should be no gap in your residence in the UK of more than 450 days during the five-year period or more than 90 days in the last 12 months.
• Good Character: You must have good character, meaning you have not committed any serious crimes or immigration offences.
• Knowledge of language and life in the UK: You must have passed the Life in the UK Test and meet the English language requirement by passing an approved English language test.
• Intentions: You must intend to continue to live in the UK, and must not have spent more than 90 days abroad in the last 12 months before applying.

Read the guidance for the full list of eligibility requirements for British citizenship applications.

Residency requirements for naturalisation

To meet the residency requirements for citizenship, the applicant should have lived in the UK for at least 5 years before the date of your application.

The applicant should not have spent more than 450 days outside the UK during the 5 years before your application and should not have spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months.

Foreign spouses of British citizens may be able to apply after 3 years of lawful residence in the country.

English language requirements for naturalisation

If you are applying for British citizenship by naturalisation and you're 18 or over then you might need to prove your knowledge of the English language.

The British citizenship applicants must meet the English language requirements to prove that they can read, write, speak and understand English to a certain level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

You can prove your knowledge of the English language by having either an English qualification at the B1 level or a degree taught in English.

Life in the UK test

The Life in the UK test is a compulsory requirement to be eligible to apply for British citizenship.

The main object of the Life in the UK test is to prove that the applicant has adequate knowledge of British life such as British values, history, traditions and everyday life.

The Life in the UK test is a computer-based multiple-choice question test based on the Life in the UK handbook.

You will have 45 minutes in total to answer 24 multiple-choice questions and You must score 75% or more to pass the test.

Documents required to apply for naturalisation

The applicants will need to provide several documents in the support of their naturalisation application depending on their personal circumstances.

You must provide the following documents when you apply for British citizenship by naturalisation:

• Your current passport or the valid ID document
• Your BRP card (if have been issued to you)
• Proof you have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or settled status
• List of absences from the UK
• Proof of knowledge of English or English language test certificate
• Life in the UK test certificate

Read the guidance for the full list of documents you'll need to provide in the support of your British citizenship application.

How to apply for Naturalisation?

You can either apply online or by post for Naturalisation as a British citizen if you are meeting the eligibility requirements according to the British Nationality Act 1981.

Contact our UK immigration and nationality lawyer today to get legal advice about how to apply and the requirements of a British citizenship application.

Read the guidance on how to apply for British citizenship and the step-by-step process.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)