Guidance

Nationality forms guide (accessible version)

Updated 31 July 2024

A guide to filling in the nationality application forms for customers living in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the British Overseas Territories, and for customers who live elsewhere and want to apply by post.

July 2024

Introduction to the guide

For your application to succeed you will need to show that you satisfy a number of requirements that are set out in British nationality law. This guide will help you to fill in the nationality forms. It tells you what information to put into sections of the application. Guidance on the legal requirements for applying for British nationality can be found in the various guides – you should make sure that you read the relevant guides before applying.

It is important that you take care in completing the form and in making sure that you satisfy the requirements for naturalisation or registration. You also need to make sure that you have paid the correct fee (see fees leaflet).

Before continuing with your application, you must understand that under the nationality laws of some countries a person will automatically lose their nationality if they become a citizen of another country. If you have any questions about this, you must ask the authorities of the country of which you are a citizen through their embassy or high commission before making your application. If the country of which you are currently a citizen continues to recognise you as one of its citizens, you may continue to be subject to the duties of citizens of that country when you are in its territory. This may include obligations to undergo military service.

You should also check with the authorities of your previous country that there are no actions that they would need you to take before you become British.

You should also note that if you are currently regarded as a refugee in the United Kingdom, you will lose that status if you naturalise as a British citizen.

OISC and immigration advice

You may, if you wish, use the services of an agent such as a solicitor or other competent adviser to help you with your application. Immigration or nationality advisers acting in the course of business (whether paid or unpaid) are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), an independent body. Nationality advice should only be provided by a person who works for an organisation registered with, or exempted by, the OISC or who is authorised to practise (like solicitors and barristers) by a designated professional body. Certain categories (for example public health bodies) are exempted from the regulatory scheme by Ministerial Order. It is a criminal offence to provide advice or services in contravention of the regulatory scheme. Further information about the regulatory scheme and a full list of OISC regulated advisers is available on its website at www.oisc.gov.uk.

How to fill in the application form

Depending on which application form you are completing, not all sections of this guide will be relevant.

Please write clearly in BLOCK LETTERS, using black ink.

Make sure that all the information is correct before you submit your application. It is a criminal offence to give false information knowingly or recklessly.

You may, if you wish, receive help completing your application form. You may use the services of an agent such as a solicitor or other competent adviser. For more information about competent advisers, see OISC and immigration advice.

Information you give will be treated in confidence, but may be disclosed to government departments, the Security Service and other agencies, local authorities and the police, where it is necessary for immigration or nationality purposes or to enable these bodies to carry out their own functions.

Personal Information

The personal details entered on the form should relate to the person whose application it is. Please note that the name, place and date of birth entered on the application form will appear on the certificate of naturalisation/registration and can only be changed in the most exceptional circumstances.

Reference numbers

• Give any reference numbers used in your immigration applications.

• Where the application is for a child, enter the father or mother’s reference for any previous immigration applications, if they have one, or the child’s reference if they have one. This usually consists of a letter followed by up to seven numbers for example, S1003752. It can be found on any previous correspondence you may have had about your immigration status.

Passport or travel document number

• Enter your current passport number or travel document number.

Titles

• Tick the box for your title or write in your title if it is different. Royal titles should not be used.

Names

• Enter your surname or family name as you want it to appear on your certificate.

• Enter your other names as you want them to appear on your certificate. For example, if your name is Taher Mohamed Hashim Al Hassan and you are known as Mr Al Hassan then put Al Hassan in the ‘Surname/family name’ box and Taher Mohamed Hashim in ‘Other names’ box.

• Your name at birth must be given on the application form, for identity purposes, but may be left off your certificate of British citizenship/nationality if you have a special reason for requesting this – for example because you were adopted or are no longer living in the gender you were considered to have at the time of your birth.

• The name that you state should be the same name that is on your current passport, travel document or Biometric Residence Permit. We will not normally issue a certificate of registration or naturalisation in the name that is different from a person’s official documents. Names that do not match your current passport or other identity documents may result in His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) refusing to issue you with a British passport if you hold another passport containing a different name.

• If you have married or entered a civil partnership and changed your name, and you wish to be registered in that name, you should change your name on your other passport, travel documents and national identity card, to reflect that name, before sending us your application. This is to avoid a person having official documents in more than one identity.

• If you are or have been known by any other names apart from the names you have stated on the form, say what the other names are/were, when you were known by or started to be known by these other names, and why in the box provided.

Present nationality

• Enter your present nationality. If you are recognised as stateless then insert “Stateless”.

• Read Guide S, if an application is being made on the basis that the child is stateless (they do not have the nationality of any country).

• Explanation of birth, ancestry, registration, naturalisation and adoption.

Broadly speaking, for the purposes of this guide, you will be:

• British by birth if you hold any form of British nationality because you were born on British territory

• British by ancestry if you were born on non-British territory and you hold any form of British nationality through a parent’s or grandparent’s birth, adoption, naturalisation or registration

• British by registration or naturalisation, this means that you were not British when you were born but acquired this status as a result of an application for a registration or naturalisation certificate

• British by adoption (only applicable if you are a British Overseas/Dependent Territories Citizen or a British National (Overseas)), this means that you automatically became British from the date of your adoption by a British parent.

National Insurance Number

• Enter your National Insurance number if you have one.

Date and Place of birth

• Enter your date of birth, the village or town or city where you were born, and the country where you were born.

• If the details you give are different from the details shown in your passport/birth certificate you should explain why on the ‘further information’ of the application form.

• Place and country of birth names shown on the certificate will be names in current acceptable use (and will be in English where an English version exists).

Sex

• Indicate your sex by ticking the appropriate box.

Parents

• You might already be a British citizen without realising it. To decide whether you already have British citizenship by descent we need details about your parents.

• If the application is for a child and the child’s mother was married at the time of the child’s birth, you must provide details of her husband. This is because, in British nationality law, the mother’s husband is usually treated as the child’s father.

Ancestry

• Where applicable, you should complete this fully as it affects your claim. If, for example, you are claiming through the paternal line, you should concentrate on your father’s or grandfather’s links to the United Kingdom and how this connects to you.

• Where your parents’ or grandparents’ marriage will affect your claim, you should describe it fully and say what evidence you have to back it up.

Marital Status

• Indicate your marital/civil partnership status by ticking the appropriate box. You are for our purposes married even if you are now legally separated.

• To help us determine your eligibility we need to know about your partner, if you have one. On this part of the form we use the term “partner” to mean your husband, wife or civil partner. If your partner is not a British citizen and would like to apply, they will need to make their own application on a separate form. We cannot treat your form as an application for your partner to be registered or naturalised as a British citizen.

• If you were previously married or in a civil partnership, you must complete your previous husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s details.

• If application is for a child and the child is married or in civil partnership, or lives with someone as if they were a husband, wife or civil partner, we need the details of that person to help us make some enquiries. If the child’s partner is not a British citizen and would like to apply, they will need to make their own application on a separate form.

Address

• Enter your present address and ensure that you give your postcode. We need this to arrange a citizenship ceremony. If you do not give your postcode your application will be delayed.

• Where required, state the date when you moved in to this address.

• Provide contact telephone details and an e-mail address so that we can contact you. We may use your e-mail address to communicate with you about the status of your application

• Where required, provide all your home addresses for the past 5 years.

• If someone is acting on your behalf, such as a solicitor, you should provide their details so that we can contact them. Unless you are being represented by a private individual, it is the agent’s business name and telephone number which should be put here. If you have provided details of your immigration adviser, state their Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) number.

Residence requirements

For adult applications

• Enter the day you first arrived with a view to staying in the UK on a long-term basis, and the airport or seaport through which you then entered.

• Fill in the table showing the periods you have been away from the UK during the residence period. Insert the number of days you were away from the UK in the last column ignoring the day you left and the day you arrived back in the UK. If there is not enough room for all your absences, then continue on the

‘further information’ page of the form. Add up the total and write it in the space indicated.

• Information about the residence requirements for the section you are applying under can be found in the relevant Guide. Failure to complete the residence sections of the application will result in delays to your application.

EEA or Swiss nationals with permanent residence

If you are a national of a member state of the EEA, Switzerland or the family member of an EEA or Swiss national, and do not have indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom you must complete these sections. Check the information in the Guide for your particular application type.

For MN1 (child) applications

• Provide details of the child’s residence in the UK or the British Overseas Territories.

• For an application for a child who was born abroad and who is now living in the UK or a British overseas territory, say when they first arrived. Provide all the child’s home addresses in the UK or the British overseas territory for the last 5 years. If the child has lived in the UK for less than 5 years, provide all addresses since entry. Fill in the application showing the periods the child has been abroad during the 3 years residence in the UK or British overseas territory if appropriate ignoring the day they left and arrived back in the United Kingdom/territory. If there is not enough room for all the absences, then continue on ‘further information’ page. Add up the total and write it in the space indicated.

• If the application is made under section 3(5), you must also check that the child was physically present in the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory 3 years before the date that the application will be received by the UK Visas and Immigration or other receiving authority. If this requirement is not met then an application under section 3(5) is unlikely to be successful.

• To satisfy the residence requirement under section 3(5) the child should not have been absent for more than 270 days in the 3-year period.

• State where the child will live if they are registered as a British citizen.

Parents’ residence in the United Kingdom or the British Overseas Territories

If the application is for a child born abroad, to parents who are British citizens by descent under section 3(2) or 3(5), you must need to:

• identify only one parent with British citizenship by descent on which to base an application under section 3(2) or 3(5). For a section 3(2) application this parent’s mother or father must have held British citizenship otherwise than by descent, or if they are dead would have held British citizenship otherwise than by descent but for their death.

• state the periods the parent was away from the United Kingdom or British overseas territory during the 3-year residence period ignoring the day they left and the day they arrived back in the United Kingdom/territory. If there is not enough room for all the absences then continue on the ‘further information’. Add up the total and write it in the space indicated.

• For applications under section 3(5), we also need information about the child’s other parent’s residence in the United Kingdom. However, we may not need that information if:

  • the child was born before 1 July 2006 to unmarried parents and the child’s mother is the British parent

  • one of the parents died before the child was born

  • the parents were divorced or legally separated before the child was born

• For a section 3(2) application we require information about the child’s grandparent who is a British citizen otherwise than by descent.

• If the child was born in the United Kingdom and one of the parents was an EEA national or Swiss national, this information is needed to establish whether the child may be a British citizen already or has a right to registration under section 1(3).

For Form T applications

• Fill in this table showing the periods you were away from the UK during the first 10 years of your life. Insert the number of days you were away from the UK in the last column, ignoring the day you left and the day you arrived back in the UK. If there is not enough room for all your absences, then continue on a separate sheet of A4 paper. Add up the total and write it in the space indicated.

• Enter all your addresses for the last 5 years.

Good Character

Before you complete this section, you are advised to refer to the good character policy guidance which caseworkers use to decide your application. This is available on the GOV.UK website.

Checks will be carried out to ensure that the information you provide is correct. This may include checks with other government departments such as HM Revenue and Customs. If you are not honest about the information you provide, and you are registered on the basis of incorrect or fraudulent information you will be liable to have your British citizenship taken away (deprivation) and you may be prosecuted. It is a criminal offence to make a false declaration knowing that it is untrue.

Criminality

You must give details of all criminal convictions in the UK and overseas. This includes if you went to prison, or you received a non-custodial sentence such as a suspended sentence. You should also include any out-of-court disposal such as a fine, a caution, a warning or reprimand, a community sentence, a civil order, a civil penalty, a civil judgment, a hospital order or a restriction order. All fiscal fines must also be disclosed. If you are not sure, you should declare all penalties or orders.

Fixed penalty notices such as those issued under the coronavirus Regulations, or for traffic offences such as speeding or parking tickets must also be disclosed, although will not normally be taken into account unless you have failed to pay and there were criminal proceedings as a result, or you have received multiple fixed penalty notices in a short space of time.

Where a fixed penalty notice or fiscal fine in Scotland has been referred to a court due to non-payment, or the notice has been unsuccessfully challenged by the person in court, we will consider it as a conviction and assess it in line with the new sentence imposed.

Drink driving must also be declared. If you have any endorsements on your driving licence you must access the DVLA website to download and print a summary of your record and send it with your application, or provide the paper counterpart.

Criminal record checks will be carried out in all cases. If you have been charged with a criminal offence and are awaiting trial or sentencing, you are advised not to make any application for registration until the outcome is known.

You must give details of all civil judgments which have resulted in a court order being made against you, as well as any civil penalties under the UK Immigration Acts. For applicants from Scotland any recent civil penalties must also be declared. If you have been declared bankrupt at any time you should give details of the bankruptcy proceedings. (Your application is unlikely to succeed if you are an undischarged bankrupt).

You do not need to give details of family law proceedings such as divorce decrees, dissolved civil partnerships, guardianship orders, and parental responsibility orders.

You must also tell us if you have any children who have been convicted of an offence or who have received a court order.

You must say if your details have been recorded by the police as a result of certain sexual offences, or if you are subject to one of the following orders: notification order, sexual offences prevention order, foreign travel order, risk of sexual harm order (or equivalent order made in a British overseas territory or any other country).

You must say if there is any offence for which you may go to court, or which is awaiting hearing in court. This includes having been arrested for an offence and waiting to hear if you will be formally charged. If you have been arrested and not told that charges have been dropped, or that you will not have to appear in court, you may wish to confirm the position with the police. You must tell us if you are arrested or charged with an offence after you make your application and while the application is under consideration. You risk prosecution under section 46 of the British Nationality Act 1981 if you do not do so.

Terrorism and International Crimes

You must say whether you have had any involvement in terrorism or whether you have been involved in any crimes in the course of armed conflict, including crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide, or if you are the subject of an international travel ban. If you are in any doubt as to whether something should be mentioned, you should mention it.

This guidance is not exhaustive. Before you answer these questions, you should consider the full definitions of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide which can be found in Schedule 8 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001.

Alternatively, copies can be purchased from: The Stationery Office (TSO).

It is your responsibility to satisfy yourself that you are familiar with the definitions and can answer the questions accurately.

Genocide - acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

Crimes against humanity - acts committed at any time (not just during armed conflict) as part of a widespread or systematic attack, directed against any civilian population with knowledge of the attack. This would include offences such as murder, torture, rape, severe deprivation of liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law and enforced disappearance of persons.

War Crimes - grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions committed during an armed conflict. This includes an internal armed conflict and an international armed conflict. The types of acts that may constitute a war crime include wilful killing, torture, extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity, unlawful deportation, the intentional targeting of civilians and the taking of hostages.

Travel bans - travel bans restrict the movement of individuals associated with regimes or groups whose behaviour is considered unacceptable by the international community.

Terrorist Activities - any act committed, or the threat of action, designed to influence a government or intimidate the public and made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause and which involves serious violence against a person or which may endanger another person’s life; creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public; involves serious damage to property; is designed to seriously disrupt or interfere with an electronic system.

Organisations concerned with terrorism - an organisation is concerned with terrorism if it:

• commits or participates in acts of terrorism,

• prepares for terrorism,

• promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism), or

• is otherwise concerned with terrorism.

Financial soundness

You must tell us if you have ever been declared bankrupt, found to have unreasonably failed to pay your council tax, engaged in fraud in relation to public funds (including claiming public funds to which you were not entitled or were prohibited from accessing, or failing to declare your full circumstances), or have an unpaid NHS debt of £500 or more.

Deception

You must tell us if you have practised deception in your dealings with the Home Office or other government departments (for example, by providing false information or fraudulent documents).

What if you haven’t been convicted but your character may be in doubt?

You must say if there is any offence for which you may go to court, or which is awaiting hearing in court. This includes having been arrested for an offence and waiting to hear if you will be formally charged. If you have been arrested and not told that charges have been dropped, or that you will not have to appear in court, you may wish to confirm the position with the police. You must tell us if you are arrested or charged with an offence after you make your application and while the application is under consideration. You risk prosecution under section 46 of the British Nationality Act 1981 if you do not do so.

You must say whether you have been involved in anything which might indicate that you are not of good character. You must give information about any of these activities no matter how long ago it was. Checks will be made in all cases and your application may fail and your fee will not be refunded if you make an untruthful declaration. If you are in any doubt about whether you have done something, or it has been alleged that you have done something, which might lead us to think that you are not of good character, you should say so.

What if you consider that you have mitigating factors?

You can also tell us about any genuine, meaningful attempts to change your behaviour and comply with the law. For example, any voluntary or charity work you participate in, or where you have engaged with programmes or activities aimed at addressing the cause of your offending such as treatments aimed at reduction of alcohol consumption, drug dependency or anger management courses.

Knowledge of Language/Life in the UK

You must indicate here how you intend to satisfy the requirement to have sufficient knowledge of language and of life in the UK. We will only accept English language qualifications from the Home Office approved list of acceptable qualifications.

You must give us information about the Home Office approved test you are using to show that you have an English language qualification at B1 level or above. It is important that you give us the correct reference number for your qualification, as this will allow us to check that you meet the English language requirement.

Crown service

You need to complete this section of the form only if you are applying on grounds of your own Crown service, or your husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s Crown service or specially designated service.

Naturalisation and Registration is not a reward for long service under the British Crown, and is rarely granted on this basis.

Referees and identity

• You must include a recent passport size photograph of yourself with your application. You must write your name and date of birth on the back of the photograph and this must then be glued into the space provided on the application form. The photograph must show the whole of the front of your face in reasonable light. It must not show your face wholly or partly concealed by your hair (beards, sideburns and moustaches are allowed) or by a scarf or traditional dress. It must not show you wearing dark glasses or a hat, hood, cap or scarf.

• Your application must be endorsed by 2 referees.

• One referee must be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant or a member of a professional body, for example, accountant or solicitor (but not representing you with this application). A list of acceptable professional persons can be found on our website. The other referee must be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

• If the application is for a child, one referee should be a professional who has engaged with the child in a professional capacity, such as a teacher, health visitor, social worker or minister of religion. The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

• Each referee must have known you for at least 3 years.

• Each referee must not be:

  • related to you or the child

  • related to the other referee

  • your solicitor or agent representing you with this application

  • employed by the Home Office

• We will not accept a referee who has been convicted of an imprisonable offence during the last 10 years.

• If you are or the child is living abroad and do not know a British citizen who is qualified to act as one of your referees, a Commonwealth citizen or citizen of the country in which you are residing may complete and sign the form, provided they have professional standing in that country, has known you for 3 years and the Consul considers their signature to be acceptable.

• Checks may be carried out to ensure that the referees do not have unspent convictions and are qualified to act for you and that their signatures are genuine. It is a criminal offence to provide false information knowingly or recklessly punishable with up to 3 months imprisonment or by a fine not exceeding £5,000 or both under section 46(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

Biometric enrolment

As part of your application, you are required to enrol your biometric details for the purpose of identity verification. You must complete the biometric enrolment section of the application form. You will then be issued with an enrolment letter, instructing you to make an appointment to have your biometric details recorded. Where you give your biometric information depends on how you’re making your visa or immigration application. You’ll be told where to go after you’ve applied.

Children under 18 applying for registration as a British citizen must enrol their biometric details. Children under the age of 5 do not need to provide fingerprints but must have a digital photograph taken of their face.

Do not send the biometric enrolment fee with your application fee.

If you have previously enrolled your biometric details and been issued with a biometric residence permit, you must include this with your application.

You will not be issued with a new biometric permit, but your current biometric permit will be returned to you, and your fingerprint details will be retained until we are notified that you have attended your citizenship ceremony.

Consent to the application

If the applicant is below 18 years old, consent must be provided. In the case of widowed, divorced or separated parents, this only applies to one parent. If the child’s parents were not married, only the mother needs to consent. Where one parent has died only the consent of the surviving parent is needed.

We require the consent of all those with parental responsibility for the child. If only one parent has consented explain why. If it is not convenient for one of the parents to sign the form, consent can be provided in a separate letter.

If the application is being made by a guardian, we will expect to see evidence that they have parental responsibility for the child, such as a deed, will or court order. If the child’s parents are living, we would normally expect them to be British citizens and settled in the UK.

MN1 applications

For section 3(5) it is a legal requirement that both parents consent to the application. In the case of widowed, divorced or separated parents, this only applies to one parent. If the child’s parents were not married, only the mother needs to consent – unless citizenship is being applied for on the basis of a British citizen father, when he will need to consent.

The consent of both parents to the application is also a legal requirement for section 4D. Where one parent has died only the consent of the surviving parent is needed. The Home Secretary may also waive this requirement in exceptional cases.

For other types of application, we require the consent of all those with parental responsibility for the child. If only one parent has consented explain why in the relevant section. If it is not convenient for one of the parents to sign the form, consent can be provided in a separate letter.

If the application is being made by a guardian fill in the relevant section. If the application is being made by a guardian, we will expect to see evidence that they have parental responsibility for the child, such as a deed, will or court order. If the child’s parents are living, we would normally expect them to be British citizens and settled in the United Kingdom.

If a child is making their own application, they must fill in the relevant section.

Declaration by applicant

Read this section carefully before inserting your name clearly in the box and ticking each box to confirm the points raised.

If you meet the requirements sign and date the form in the box. You are advised to read the guide that is relevant to your application type carefully to ensure that you do satisfy all the requirements. If the application is for a child, this should normally be the parent/guardian’s name, not the child’s name. (Although an older child, aged 16 or over, who is making their own application can complete the declaration.)

If you do not meet the requirements but think the Home Secretary should exercise discretion in your favour you should state the special circumstances in your case. If your special circumstances are not accepted your application will be refused and your fee will not be fully refunded.

If you are applying for naturalisation on the grounds of 5 years residence and have spent more than 450 days outside the UK in the 5-year period prior to your application being received or you have not had indefinite leave to remain in the UK for 12 months you should give the reasons in the relevant section of the application form as to why you feel discretion should be exercised in your favour to waive these requirements.

This does not guarantee a successful application. Your application will be refused if we do not accept that your reasons justify disregarding this requirement.

Likewise, if you are applying on the grounds of marriage or civil partnership to a British citizen and you spent more than 270 days outside the UK in the 3 years prior to your application being received, provide reasons at section on ‘special circumstances’.

You must sign the form yourself. If you cannot sign the form you must make a mark or a fingerprint and ask one of your referees to sign saying that it is your mark or fingerprint. If the applicant is not of sound mind and you are acting on his or her behalf, you should sign to indicate your responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. You must support this by explaining, in a covering letter, who you are and why the applicant cannot act on their own behalf.

Confirmation from the applicant’s medical practitioner or consultant must also be provided.

If the declaration of the form is not completed, the application will be invalid.

What will you need to send with the form?

Please read the relevant guide for your application type for information on what documents to send your application. We cannot consider your application unless we have supporting documents. If you do not submit your application with supporting documents and the correct fee, then the application will be returned to you unprocessed. You should indicate in the space provided on the back of the application form what documents you have supplied and why.

The fee must be sent with the application form. Details of the current fee are available on our website.

If you do not send the correct fee, the application will be invalid.

Where to send your application form

Send the form and payment slip (including the fee) and your documents to:

• the Lieutenant Governor if you are in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man

• the Governor of the territory if you are in a British Overseas Territory

• UK Visas and Immigration at the following postal address if you live elsewhere:

Department 1
UK Visas and Immigration The Capital Building
New Hall Place
Liverpool
L3 9PP

What happens next?

What you can expect from us

Once we have received your application form we will create a computer file to track and process your application. Your application will be acknowledged. During busy times this may take up to 2-4 weeks.

We will check your application against the documents you have sent in and make a number of enquiries. The documents may be checked to ensure their authenticity. If you provide forged or fraudulently obtained documents, you may be investigated under section 46 of the British Nationality Act 1981. We will press for prosecution which may include up to 3 months’ imprisonment or a fine not exceeding £5,000 or both.

If we need more documents, we will write and ask you for them. We will give you 2 weeks to respond. If you do not respond within the time we allow you, then we will decide your application on the information we already have, but there is a risk that your application will not succeed. We will try to complete our enquiries quickly, usually within 6 months, but sometimes it takes longer.

You will usually get a decision on your application within 6 months – but some applications may take longer. If we expect that it will take longer than 6 months to decide your application, we will contact you to advise of this.

We undertake to process your application quickly and in accordance with the law and agreed policy and procedures. We will deal with any enquiries courteously and promptly. You must keep us informed of any changing circumstances including change of address or agent.

You may be asked to attend an interview conducted on behalf of the Home Office by the police or other representative. If so, arrangements will be made with you about the interview, which may be at your home. You may be asked to give more details about your application. The person interviewing you will expect you to talk without an interpreter.

If your application is unsuccessful we will write and tell you why. Although there is no legal right of appeal or review we will consider representations if you consider that a decision to refuse your application was not soundly based on nationality law or prevailing policy and procedure as described in this guide or in any other communication you have received from us or on our website.

An application for us to reconsider a refused application should be made on Form NR.

On the form, you must explain why you think we have not correctly applied the law and policy in your case. We will respond either by confirming that law and policy had been correctly applied or by answering particular points you raise concerning the way that law and policy were applied.

Waiting times

While we try to deal with cases quickly this cannot be guaranteed and we cannot naturalise or register you until we are satisfied that all the requirements have been met.

Information on average waiting times can be found on our website.

The length of time you will have to wait for your application to be decided will not affect your existing rights in the UK.

What we expect from you

Applications are considered quickly – usually within 6 months of receipt. We expect you to make appropriate arrangements to ensure that you can respond to our enquiries or requests for documents within the period we allow.

While the application is under consideration we expect you to tell us about anything which alters the information you have given us. This will include changes of marital or civil partnership status or home address or agents acting on your behalf. It also includes police investigation or anything that may result in charges or indictment.

We also expect to be treated politely and with respect by you and any agent acting on your behalf.

If you are living abroad, your citizenship ceremony will take place at the embassy or consulate in the country you are living in.

Citizenship Ceremonies

If your application for British citizenship is approved, you will need to take part in a citizenship ceremony. The venue will normally be within a local authority area near where you live.

At the ceremony, you will be asked to affirm or swear an oath of allegiance to His Majesty the King and to pledge your loyalty to the UK. Following this you will be presented with your certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British citizen.

If you cannot speak enough English to understand what will be said to you at the ceremony because you have been exempted from the knowledge of English requirement, you must explain this when you contact the local authority to arrange your ceremony. Failure to do so may result in your ceremony being delayed. You will be expected to take someone with you to interpret. During the ceremony, you will be asked to repeat the words of the oath (or affirmation) and pledge in English. You are advised to practice saying these words before you attend.

If you met the knowledge of language and life in the UK requirement you will be expected to undergo the citizenship ceremony unsupported. You may, however, take guests with you by arrangement with the local authority.

The Registrar may report to the Home Office if there are doubts about how you satisfied the language requirement. These will be investigated and may lead to your citizenship being removed (deprivation) if it is evident that you have practised deception by getting someone else to impersonate you at a test centre or ceremony. You and the impostor will be liable for prosecution under section 46(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 leading to a fine of up to £5,000 or 3 months imprisonment or both. This may lead to deportation.

Ceremonies are arranged locally and reflect the particular community to which you now belong. You will meet a local dignitary or celebrity and be told something about the area and what can be expected of you as a British citizen.

After you become a British citizen

Returning your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

If you did not return your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) when you applied to become a British citizen, you must return it to the Home Office within 5 days from the date you attended your Citizenship ceremony, or the date you were issued with a certificate of naturalisation/registration, whichever is sooner.

Send to the following address, to be destroyed:

Naturalisation BRP Returns PO Box 195

Bristol BS20 1BT

Cut up your BRP and return your cancelled permit in a windowless plain envelope, with a covering note, which clearly explains the reason for return or an explanation for not returning the card.

Should you fail to return the BRP or notify the department of the reasons for not being able to do so, the Secretary of State may impose a fine of up to £1,000.

Travelling to and from the UK after being granted British citizenship

Once you become a British citizen, you will no longer be able to enter the UK using your BRP or digital status, or by presenting your citizenship certificate at the UK border.

For travel purposes, you can apply for a British passport or for a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode that can be placed in a valid foreign passport.

Please refer to GOV.UK for information on how long it may take to get a British passport or how long it may take to get a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode. You may wish to consider this before applying for citizenship (for example, if you have plans to travel outside of the UK).

Renunciation

You can renounce your British citizenship, British Overseas Territories citizenship, British Overseas citizenship, British subject or British National (Overseas) status by completing the declaration of renunciation on form RN. If you hold more than one of these citizenships or status, apart from British Overseas Territories citizenship, you can renounce them all on one form. If you wish to renounce British Overseas Territories citizenship and another citizenship or status, you will need to complete two forms. This is because the application to renounce British Overseas Territories citizenship needs to be made to the Governor, but all other renunciations are made to the Home Secretary.

If you wish to make a declaration of renunciation, fill in both the Official Copy and the Applicant’s Copy of the form RN. It is important that the details given on both copies are exactly the same. Sign and date the declaration on both copies – If you do not complete the declaration part of the form, the declaration of renunciation will be invalid.

You will need a countersignatory to complete Part 7 of the form to confirm that you are of full capacity. This part must be filled in by a person who is at least 18 years of age and knows you personally.

Please read the Guide RN for information about the documents you should provide with your form. The fee must be sent with the application form. Details of the current fee are available on our website.. If you do not send the correct fee, the application will be invalid.

If you are currently in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man you should send them to the Lieutenant Governor.

If you are currently in a British overseas territory you should send them to the Governor.

What happens afterwards?

After the declaration has been registered, the ‘Applicant’s Copy’ of the form, officially signed and stamped, will be returned to you, together with the documents that you sent. This copy will be formal evidence that your declaration of renunciation has become effective.

If your declaration was registered in the expectation of your acquiring another citizenship, but you do not do so within 6 months of the registration, you should send your ‘Applicant’s Copy’ of the form, together with a letter from the authorities of the other country concerned confirming that you have not acquired that country’s citizenship, to the Governor or Lieutenant Governor’s office. Your form will then be forwarded to the UK Visas and Immigration, or to the Governor of the relevant territory (if appropriate), and endorsed to show that your renunciation never took effect.