British Citizenship by Marriage
If you’re a German national who is married to a British citizen, you can obtain UK citizenship by marriage. Before you get UK citizenship, you must satisfy certain requirements.
For more insights about British citizenship through marriage, how to obtain it, the costs involved, or other services we offer, Total Law can help. Our IAA-certified immigration lawyers are readily available to assist you. Call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or complete our online contact form.
British Citizenship through Marriage: Overview
German citizens who are married to or in a civil partnership with a UK national can become UK citizens by marriage.
For this to be possible, you must meet some eligibility requirements as you will not be automatically granted British citizenship just because you’re married to a British citizen. That being said, if you’re in Germany, you must first obtain a UK Spouse visa, to join your partner who is in the UK.
After staying with your partner in the UK (or Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands) for 3 years, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK after meeting the indefinite leave to remain eligibility requirements. After obtaining the indefinite leave to remain, you can now apply for British citizenship by marriage.
Page Contents
- British Citizenship through Marriage: Overview
- Requirements for British Citizenship by Marriage
- How to Obtain British Citizenship by Marriage
- Cost and Duration of Acquiring British Citizenship by Marriage
- Legal Implications and Rights for British Citizenship by Marriage
- What Happens If My Application Is Refused?
- British Passport after Citizenship by Marriage
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Requirements for British Citizenship by Marriage
As a German citizen, you must meet some requirements to obtain British citizenship by marriage. Below are some of the requirements for UK citizenship by marriage:
Age
German nationals who want to apply for British citizenship by marriage must be 18 years old or above.
Residency Requirement
In your application for British Nationality by marriage, you must prove to the UK Home Office that you have been physically present in the UK for at least 3 years.
Note that the time you spent in the UK as a diplomat or a member of visiting armed forces is not included. You must also prove that you have not spent more than 270 days outside the UK within the 3 years before you apply.
Indefinite Leave to Remain
German citizens seeking British citizenship by marriage must satisfy the indefinite leave to remain requirements if they entered the UK on a Spouse visa.
This implies that you must have acquired a settled status in the UK after living with your partner in the UK for up to 3 years.
Good Character Requirement
As a foreigner seeking British citizenship, you must prove that you have been of good conduct since you entered the UK. The Home Office must be satisfied that you have not been involved in any criminality and have not broken the United Kingdom’s immigration rules since you entered the country.
Relationship with a British Citizen
This is one of the key requirements; you must establish the relationship you have with your UK partner. You must prove to the UK authorities that you have a genuine and subsisting relationship with your UK partner to be granted British citizenship.
How to Obtain British Citizenship by Marriage
As a German applicant who wants to obtain British citizenship by marriage, you can apply by yourself or allow our immigration lawyers at Total Law to ease you of the stress involved in this complex process. Our professional immigration lawyers will help you navigate the application process and ensure your application is prepared to the required standard. Call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or message us online for immediate assistance.
You can take the following steps to apply for British citizenship by marriage:
Complete Form AN
You must fill out the citizenship by naturalisation application form (Form AN) online with the correct information. Ensure that the information in your application form synchronises with the details in your documents to avoid a refusal of your application.
Fix and Attend Your Appointment
You need to book an appointment with the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) to submit your biometric information. At the appointment, your documents will be assessed by the UK authorities to know if you are eligible to be awarded British citizenship.
Include the Required Documents
You must bring all required documents to support your application to the appointment or you can scan and upload them online in the required size and format. Do not omit any required document to avoid a risk of refusal.
Pay Your Application Fee
You must pay your application processing fee and biometric fee including other fees where applicable.
Endorsement by Referees
As part of your citizenship application steps, your application must be endorsed by 2 referees. These referees must neither be related to you nor your legal representative. They must be professional individuals, such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and more.
Await a Decision
After the submission of your application, you must wait for the UK authorities to make a decision. Note that if you have been issued with a biometric residence permit, you must attach it to your application. You won’t be issued another one as it will be returned to you.
Attend Citizenship Ceremony
After a successful application, you’ll have about 90 days to attend a Home Office citizenship ceremony. Failure to attend the ceremony with a valid reason may result in the refusal of your citizenship application and will cause you to reapply.
Get Your Citizenship
You will be issued a certificate of naturalisation under British citizenship by marriage after the Home Office citizenship ceremony. Within 5 working days, you must submit your biometric residence permit back to the Home Office or else you’ll be fined £1,000.
Cost and Duration of Acquiring British Citizenship by Marriage
German citizens seeking British citizenship by marriage must pay:
- £1,605 for application fee
- £130 for the citizenship ceremony
- £19.20 for biometric information
It typically takes the UK Home Office up to 6 months (or more) to decide on citizenship applications.
Legal Implications and Rights for British Citizenship by Marriage
As a German citizen, you will not be granted the right to come and live in the UK because you are married to a British citizen.
While your UK-based partner who is a British citizen or a settled person has residency rights in the UK, as a partner, you will be subjected to immigration controls, and for this reason, you won’t enjoy those rights.
You will be allowed to join your partner in the UK via a Spouse or Family visa after meeting several eligibility criteria and providing documents to support your application.
After completing your residency requirements, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, provided you meet all the requirements.
Thereafter you can apply for British citizenship as long as the relationship with your UK partner is still intact and both of you still live together.
When you acquire British citizenship, you will entitled to those residency rights your UK partner enjoys, such as free healthcare, unrestricted movement, working without immigration restrictions, and more.
What Happens If My Application Is Refused?
As a German citizen, your citizenship by marriage application can be refused for several reasons, such as if you have not passed the life in the UK test, your character is questionable, the validity of your marriage is not proven, and more.
If your application is refused, you may seek an administrative review if you believe that a mistake was made by the Home Office in the process.
Alternatively, you may challenge the legal basis for the decision by applying for a judicial review.
Before you take any action, it’s best to involve one of our professional immigration lawyers at Total Law who will review your case and the reasons for your application refusal and advise you on the next line of action.
After analysing your situation, we can recommend an alternative route or submission of a fresh application depending on your situation.
Call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or complete our online enquiry form for immediate response.
British Passport after Citizenship by Marriage
As a German citizen who has obtained British citizenship by marriage, you can apply to obtain your first adult British passport. This passport is valid for 10 years and it serves as an identity for your British nationality while travelling abroad.
With your UK passport, you will be allowed to leave and enter the country any time you want without any immigration restrictions.
How Can Total Law Help?
The UK authorities know how crucial it is for you to reunite with your UK-based partner permanently, that’s why they offer UK citizenship through marriage. It’s not ideal that you apply for citizenship by yourself given how the procedures are complex and the risk of refusal due to omission of important documents in your application.
Also putting into perspective the level of accuracy needed in meeting various eligibility criteria and providing documents needed to support your application; you’ll need expert guidance for a seamless application.
Our immigration lawyers at Total Law can help you organise your application to the required standard and can even apply on your behalf. Call us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or complete our online contact form for guidance.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can apply for ILR if your partner is a British citizen or on a settled status in the UK and you hold a Family visa as a partner or spouse visa.
The indefinite leave to remain status allows you to stay in the UK for the foreseeable future to live, work, study, and engage in business activities without immigration restrictions. Whereas British citizenship confers on you the ultimate legal identity as a British citizen and the full rights to live in the country.
