British Citizenship Application

Life in the UK test

You need to pass the Life in the UK Test before you apply for British citizenship. The test asks questions about UK laws and the legal system, working, and other details of life in the UK. The minimum mark required to pass is 75%.

You can do the test any time before you apply for citizenship and can do it as many times as it takes to pass, but you’ll have to pay a fee every time. The cost for the Life in the UK test is £50.

You don’t need to take the Life in the UK Test if you have already passed it in the past, are under 18 or over 65 years old, or if you have a medical or physical condition that permits you from taking the test, confirmed by a doctor’s note.

Knowledge of English language

Applicants for UK citizenship must generally prove their English language ability.

You can do this by either passing an approved English language test at English level B1, B2, C1 or C2, or by showing proof of an academic qualification that was mostly taught or researched in English.

If you previously used a test result to verify your application for indefinite leave to remain and the qualification has run out, you still may be able to use it as long as you can prove that it was accepted when you applied for settlement in the UK.

You will not need to prove your English language ability if you’re aged 65 or over, unable to due to a long-term physical or mental condition, or if you’re from one of the exempt majority English-speaking countries.

Generally, you must have spent at least 5 years living continuously in the UK prior to your application for citizenship.

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

You also must not have broken any UK immigration rules during your whole stay in the UK.

Note that your application for citizenship may be refused if you were not in the UK for exactly 5 years when the Home Office receive it.

You must have your citizenship application endorsed by two referees.

One referee can be of any nationality but must be working as a professional in a verified job occupation. The other referee must hold a UK citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

Acceptable professional job roles include medical professionals, social workers, civil servants, bank or building society officials, accountants or teachers.

Each referee must have known you for at least 3 years and must not be related to you, the other referee, a solicitor or agent representing you, or a Home Office employee.

Completing and submitting the correct documents is imperative as part of the British citizenship application form. Having the correct documents will also speed up the processing time of the home office.

Evidence required includes:

• Evidence of identity and permanent residence statuses – such as your passport, birth certificate, or any other valid travel document.
• Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), residence card, or other proof that you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain or EU Settled Status.
• Previous immigration status and right to remain in the UK, including any visa that you held before you settled in the UK.
• Proof of English language requirement
• Passing the Life in the UK test
• Evidence of lawful residential presence in the UK during the qualifying period.
• Any details of time outside the UK
• You meet the good character requirement and you have never been in breach of any UK immigration laws
• References from two people: your application requires two referees of your choice. Their role is to confirm that the information you have provided on your form is correct. Without your referees’ signatures, your request cannot be valid, and it will be rejected. Both your referees must both have known you for at least three years, and they cannot be related to you or to each other. In addition, they must not have had any criminal convictions within the last ten years.

Applications for British citizenship can be made online via the official gov.uk website or on paper if you live outside of the UK.

The complete steps in order to apply are as follows:

1. Confirm your eligibility against the official criteria and ensure that you meet all the points necessary, including the residency, language and good character requirements.
2. Fill in the application form fully and accurately.
3. If applying online, upload your supporting documents and pay the application fee. If applying on paper, ensure you have securely bundled your form and documents together along with the payment slip.
4. Attend your biometrics appointment to give your fingerprints and photo.
5. Await your decision from the Home Office.
6. If your application is approved, attend a citizenship ceremony and receive your certificate of naturalisation.

Note that you will be legally obligated to return any physical biometric residence permits you still own to the Home Office within five working days of receiving your certificate.

The form that UK citizenship applicants will have to fill in is known as Form AN.

You will have to ensure that you are filling in the correct form when applying, as not doing so will cause your application to be null and void.

Form AN is available either online via the Home Office website where it can be filled in using the interactive form tool, or as a PDF where it can be printed out and filled in physically.

As per the British Nationality Act, applicants over  18 that have a successful British citizenship application are required to take part in a Citizenship ceremony, to fully welcome them to the British community.

Ceremonies have to be booked within 3 months of the date you received an invitation from the Home Office. You are permitted to bring one guest to your service. However, these ceremonies are not open to the public.

You must bring with you your Home Office letter of invitation and written confirmation from the Register Office.

During the citizenship ceremony,  you will be asked to take an Oath of Allegiance and pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom government. After this rite, you will receive your British nationality certificate and an information pack to learn more about your new rights and responsibilities as a UK citizen.

Once you have satisfied all the requirements for British Citizenship and gotten your certificate of Naturalization or British citizenship registration status at your citizenship ceremony, you can apply for a British passport.

It usually takes around six weeks, and the UKVI may invite you to a separate interview for this.

It costs £1,605 to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation. If applying for your child, the fee is slightly reduced at £1,214.

If applying to naturalise as a British overseas territory citizen, the fee is £1,070.

You may also have to pay an additional £130 to attend a citizenship ceremony, though this is normally included within the application fee.

Applications for UK citizenship typically take up to around 6 months to be processed.

Your application may take longer if it is complex or if the Home Office needs to reach out to you for further information. You will normally be informed before the 6 month period is up if your application will take longer.

Note that you must also attend a citizenship ceremony within 3 months of your application being approved and you being sent an application from the Home Office.

If your application for citizenship is refused, you will unfortunately have no right of appeal.

However, you may have the option to request a reconsideration. Reconsiderations should only be requested if you genuinely believe that there has been an error in the processing of your application or your case has been judged unfairly due to certain circumstances.

Circumstances where this may apply include if you believe not all supporting evidence was taken into account when processing your application, if the application was not judged on the correct criteria, or if you were accused of not responding to enquiries when you actually did provide a response.

If you do not wish to request a consideration, you will have the option to submit a new application for citizenship. However, you must ensure that you have fully addressed the original reasons for your application being refused. You will also have to pay the application fee again.

After you have attended your citizenship ceremony and received your certificate of naturalisation, you can submit an application for a British passport immediately afterwards.

Applications for passports can be made online or on paper. You will need the information on your certificate of naturalisation in order to apply.

It costs £94.50 to apply for an adult passport online, or £107 to apply for an adult passport by post.

Applicants must be 18 years old before they are eligible to apply for naturalization, but you can register your children for citizenship at any age. If your family has IRL status, you can include them in your application.

Children 13 or older,  qualify for Naturalization if they have been living in the UK for at least two years prior to their application for naturalisation.

Children born in the UK before you obtained ILR or EU Settled Status, for example may acquire an entitlement to be registered for citizenship as soon as you obtain your settlement status.

Any child born in the UK from non-British parents who are already settled in the former mother’ country automatically acquires citizenship at birth.

When done alone, obtaining British citizenship can be a difficult procedure. The Total Law team can assist you in making it simpler and greatly lower the likelihood of disappointment or delay.

Our skilled and qualified immigration lawyers are committed to assisting people through the challenging and frequently stressful immigration process.

You can speak to our team via a phone call on 0333 305 9375 or contact us online seven days a week via our live chat.