British Citizenship Requirements

There are a number of routes to becoming a British citizen including:

• By naturalisation, for adult applicants who were not born in the UK
• By registration, a route available only for specific applicants who hold different forms of British nationality, or have connections to the UK
• By birth in the UK (Iex soli), when at least one parent is a British national or a settled person at the time of the applicant’s birth
• By birth abroad (Iex sanguinis), if a child was born outside the UK to British parents, they will not be automatically classed as a British citizen. The child’s parents must complete the MN1 application form before the child is 18 in order for the child to become a British citizen
• By adoption, if the adoption order is made before the child is 18 and by a court in the UK

To become a UK national, you need to prove your knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic through passing a listening and speaking test at B1 level.

Only English test qualifications from approved test centres will be recognised and accepted by the UKVI. To sit your exam, you can only use the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) qualifications or the one held by the London Trinity Knowledge.

You can also prove your English fluency by presenting evidence of a degree taught or researched in English. Bear in mind that nationals of specific countries are exempt from this requirement.

If you pass the Life in the UK Test, you will have demonstrated your commitment to British customs. This is a computer-based exam consisting of 24 questions covering several topics. This includes British history, traditions, values and everyday life.

Sitting the test costs £50, and you can do it as many times as you need in order to pass the test.

If you have already passed this test as a part of your ILR application, or if you are under 18 or over 65, you will be exempt from this requirement.

You can prepare for the test by studying the official handbook provided by the Home Office, or through downloading the official app on your mobile device.

Regardless of your immigration route, you must have been lawfully present in the UK for at least five years before you can become a British national. Foreign spouses of citizens may be able to apply after three years of lawful residence in the country.

Most importantly, since your first day in the UK, you must not have spent more than 450 days abroad in 5 years (or 270 days, if you are following the UK citizenship by marriage route). Also, you must not have been absent from the country for more than 90 days in your last 12-month eligible period.

If you need to spend some time abroad, your case may be evaluated based on specific compelling grounds. Since the Home Office has access to different immigration records to investigate the amount of time you have spent in the UK, it is recommended to keep hold of any evidence or documents which show the reasons for each of your absences.

All applicants who wish to become British citizen must prove that they are of good character. In other words, they must demonstrate that they have always shown respect for the UK by observing its laws and fulfilling their obligations as residents.

To review your eligibility, the Home Office will scrutiny different areas of your background, including your immigration history, financial “soundness” and criminality. Following the UKVI’s guidance, applicants who hold a custodial sentence of more than four years will not be considered as good characters, and their application will thus be rejected.

Failure to disclose your full criminal history and relevant records with UK authorities will translate into your naturalisation or registration being refused.

According to the UKVI’s guidelines, convictions abroad will be considered only if in line with an equivalent sentence in the UK.

In other words, if your conviction is for an offence that is not recognised by UK law because there is no comparable offence, your case may fall under the exceptional grant. As a consequence, your application will not be refused unless you have other convictions that can jeopardise your good character.

Failure to disclose any conviction abroad will result in your application being rejected, unless you can demonstrate that you did not know about it. If you are concerned about any issue that may negatively impact on your eligibility to become a British citizen, our immigration lawyers are happy to help.

British Citizenship Requirements Advice

Submitting your British Citizenship application to the Home Office can be costly and time-consuming. For this reason, you must first ensure that you meet all the mandatory conditions and that you hold adequate documentation to prove your eligibility. Get in touch with IAS’ immigration lawyers to have an expert reviewing your case.

Call us on 0333 363 8577 or make an enquiry online to find out if you qualify to become a British national.

British Citizenship Application

With decades of experience in the UK’s immigration system, our lawyers are well equipped to help you with your British Citizenship application. We understand that this is a serious commitment and will guide you through every step of the process. As a part of our service, we can also complete and submit your forms on your behalf.

Call us on 0333 363 8577 or make an enquiry online to receive professional guidance from one of our lawyers.

One of the mandatory requirements for British citizenship is to be free from immigration restrictions or time limits.

To meet this condition, you must already hold settled status in the UK in the last 12-month period before you submit your application. Depending on your nationality this can either be Indefinite Leave to Remain, a UK permanent residence card or EU settled status.

Along with your supporting documentation, the Home Office will require evidence of your current immigration status, as well as any UK visas that you have ever held.

Since the British registration route is reserved to applicants who already have strong ties with the UK, the KoLL (Knowledge of English and Life in the UK) requirements do not apply.

UK citizenship by registration is usually open for British overseas citizens, protected people or subjects (such as children born from qualified UK nationals). Applicants are required to provide:

• Evidence of their close ties to the UK and their entitlement for registration
• Proof of at least five years of lawful residence in the country with no more than 450 days of absence
• Complete declaration of their criminal record, to show their good character

To qualify to make a British citizenship application, you must ensure that you meet the criteria for continuous residence in the UK and have not lived overseas for a significant period in the time prior to making your application.

You must ensure you have not spent more than 450 days outside the UK during the five years before your citizenship application. In addition, you must not have spent more than 90 days away in the last 12 months.

It is also important that you have not broken any UK immigration rules during your qualifying period – such as living in the UK without a visa or settled status.

Those married to a British citizen can apply to become a British national after three years of living continuously in the UK as a settled person.

To qualify to become a British citizen, the spouse must meet the following criteria:

• Have held ILR, have an EEA permanent residence card or EU Settled Status for at least a three-year period before applying
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a good character and must not have any serious criminal convictions either abroad or in the UK.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of written and spoken English. They must either pass an ESOL exam or be able to show they are a national of an English-speaking country.
• Have taken and passed the Life in the UK Test

Children born in the UK do not always automatically acquire citizenship status. For instance, children born in the UK to non-British nationals need to wait until one of the parents get UK citizenship or ILR before they can be registered.

Whether your children are acquiring British citizenship at birth or you are going to apply for this status before they turn 18, they must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• At least one of the parents must be a UK national or settled person (for children born in the UK), or must have acquired citizenship other than descent (for children born abroad)
• For children born before 2006, if only the father holds UK citizenship or ILR, the parents must be married
• Children must be of good character (if they are over the age of 10)
• In the case of a child adopted by a UK citizen, nationality acquisition is possible only if the adoption order is made by a court in the UK or another British Overseas Territory

As stated by the British Nationality Act 1981, the following are the mandatory requirements for UK naturalisation:

• Be aged 18 or over
• Be of sound mind, that is of full mental capacity
• Lived in the UK for at least five years (or three, if married to a British citizen or settled person)
• Held Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for at least 12 months before the naturalisation application
• Not spent more than 450 days outside the UK during the five years of lawful residence, and 90 days in the last 12-month period
• Be of good character, and not have breached any UK immigration rule
• Meet the KoLL requirements through being able to communicate adequately in English and through sufficient knowledge of life in the UK
• Have serious intentions of living permanently in the UK (or work overseas for the UK government or a British corporation)

We have offices located across the UK, including in London, Manchester, or Birmingham. You can also use the office finder to find the closest branch to you.

To apply for British citizenship, you must complete the Form AN – Application for Naturalisation as a British citizen – if you are an adult applying. Children should use form MN1.

The majority of applicants can complete and submit the form online, although this may depend on where you are living at the time of application.

As part of the application process, you will be required to submit information about why you are applying to become a British national and your eligibility. You will need to provide supporting documents including evidence of good character, employment status, prove of identity etc.

If you are applying for British citizen due to marriage, then you will need to provide evidence of your relationship and show it is genuine.

You are also required to provide two referees as part of the application who can confirm they have known you for at least three years.

It is possible to renounce British citizenship if you wish. The main reason for doing this is if you wish to become a citizen of another country that does not allow dual nationality. The UK does allow its citizens to hold dual nationality – so you may not automatically need to renounce your British nationality and may wish to seek legal advice before doing so.

Once you have applied to renounce your British nationality you will receive a “declaration of renunciation”. This can be used to demonstrate that you are no longer British. This change in status will not impact on other family members and they will remain a British national.

You must be at least 18 years of age to apply to remove your British citizenship status. It is also possible to reclaim your status at a future date as long as you still meet the criteria for British nationality.