You can usually apply for British citizenship once you've lived in the UK for 5 years and held indefinite leave to remain or settled status for 12 months. GOV.UK puts the adult fee at 1,839 pounds, as of Nov 2026, which covers 1,709 pounds to apply and a 130 pounds citizenship ceremony fee.
Naturalisation is the last step for most people who've settled here, and it's less forgiving than it looks. The dates are counted to the day, the absence limits are tight, and there's still paperwork to finish after the certificate arrives. Here's the route as GOV.UK lays it out, mainly for adults applying from indefinite leave to remain or settled status.
Routes into naturalisation
GOV.UK's Check if you can become a British citizen page lists several ways in, and if you're eligible in more than one, you can choose. Being born in the UK doesn't automatically make you British: it depends on when you were born and your parents' circumstances, so check that first.
| Your situation | Time in the UK GOV.UK asks for |
|---|---|
| Indefinite leave to remain | 5 years, with ILR held for 12 months |
| Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme | 5 years, with settled status held for 12 months |
| Married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, with ILR or settled status | The last 3 years, then you can apply straight away |
| Irish citizen | 5 years |
| Pre-settled status, from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and resident here by the end of 2020 | 5 years in a row working, studying, self-sufficient or looking for work for up to 3 months, then another year unless your spouse or partner is British |
GOV.UK also lists routes if you have a British parent, another type of British nationality or a parent with British overseas territories citizenship, if you're stateless, if you gave up your citizenship before, or if you're a Chagossian descendant. Commonwealth citizens may qualify under the Windrush Scheme if they or a parent arrived before 1973 and they haven't been away for more than 2 years.
Whichever route you use, you need permission to stay until your citizenship ceremony. Indefinite leave to remain, settled status and pre-settled status all count as that permission.
The checklist for applicants with settled status
GOV.UK's Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or 'settled' status guide says you must:
- be over 18
- have been in the UK exactly 5 years before the day the Home Office receives your application
- show your knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic
- have passed the Life in the UK Test
- intend to keep making the UK your home
- be of good character, which the naturalisation guidance explains
You also shouldn't have broken UK immigration laws. If you hold indefinite leave, GOV.UK says the Home Office won't usually check whether you broke any before you got it. Time spent here while exempt from immigration control, as a diplomat, a member of a diplomat's staff or household, or a member of visiting armed forces, can't be counted.
Why one trip can push your date back
This is the detail that catches people. You must have been physically in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application, to the day. GOV.UK's worked example: if the Home Office receives your form on 20 June, but you were abroad from 10 June to 25 June five years earlier, you don't qualify, and you'd have to wait until 24 June.
An online application counts as received the same day, while a postal one takes longer, so applying online gives you more control over the date. The Home Office will consider special circumstances, for example if health reasons or travel restrictions stopped you being here at the start of the 5 years, or if you were told to leave and that decision was later overturned.
Limits on time spent abroad
| Period | Most time outside the UK GOV.UK allows |
|---|---|
| The 5 years before you apply | 450 days |
| The last 12 months | 90 days |
When you apply, you'll list your time abroad. Use your own records, such as emails or boarding passes, and the Home Office will check its records and fill any gaps. Long absences can also cost you the status you're applying from: more than 2 years away since you got indefinite leave, more than 5 years with settled status, or more than 4 years for Swiss citizens and their family members with settled status.
Fees for adults and children
| Application | Fee, as of Nov 2026 |
|---|---|
| Adult naturalisation | 1,839 pounds (1,709 pounds to apply plus 130 pounds for the ceremony) |
| Registering a child | 1,000 pounds per child |
| Turning 18 during the application | An extra 130 pounds for the ceremony |
| Fingerprints and photo | No charge |
You apply separately for children. You can register a child born outside the UK, or born in the UK before you got indefinite leave. A child born in the UK after you got indefinite leave may already be British automatically, so check before you pay anything. If a child under 18 can't afford the fee, you may be able to apply for a fee waiver. A child under 16 can then get a child's passport, and a child over 16 an adult one.
How the application works
- Read the guidance to check you can apply and which documents you need.
- Fill in the form online, or apply by post. Online applications count as received the same day.
- Book a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) appointment to give your fingerprints and photo.
- Upload copies of your documents, or have them scanned at the appointment. You don't need to post them anywhere.
- Wait for a decision, usually within 6 months. If yours will take longer, you'll be told before the 6 months are up.
- Attend your citizenship ceremony if your application is successful.
If you'd rather have help, you can use an agent or representative registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), or a solicitor or barrister registered with a body such as the Law Society of England and Wales or the Law Society of Scotland. GOV.UK also offers help with the online form if you're not confident with a computer or don't have internet access, though that service can't give immigration advice. People in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory apply by post or in person instead.
While you wait, tell UK Visas and Immigration if your situation changes, for example if you move house, get married or are arrested. You might be asked to an interview, where you'll need to speak without an interpreter.
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After the certificate arrives
Send your biometric residence permit back to the Home Office within 5 working days of getting your certificate, even though it's expired. Cut it into 4 pieces, put it in a windowless envelope with a note giving your name, date of birth and the card's document number, and post it to Naturalisation BRP Returns, PO Box 195, Bristol BS20 1BT. GOV.UK says you can be fined up to 1,000 pounds if you don't.
You can't enter the UK on your certificate or your BRP. You'll need a British passport, or a certificate of entitlement if you don't want one. Dual citizens may be able to travel on an expired UK passport, a passport of their other nationality or a national identity card.
Thinking about a second passport through family roots? Here's how Italian citizenship works. And if you run a company here, my guide to employment law for UK small business owners is a useful next read.
My advice on timing your citizenship application
Work backwards from the day you'll submit. Check the exact-day rule against your travel history, add up your days abroad for both periods, and only then pay. GOV.UK's Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or 'settled' status guide holds the fee and the checklist, and Check if you can become a British citizen shows whether another route suits you better, such as the 3 year route for spouses.
Frequently asked questions
How long after ILR can I apply for British citizenship?
Usually after holding it for 12 months, with 5 years in the UK in total. Spouses and civil partners of British citizens don't need to wait the 12 months.
How much does British citizenship cost?
1,839 pounds for an adult, as of Nov 2026: 1,709 pounds to apply and a 130 pounds ceremony fee. Registering a child costs 1,000 pounds.
How many days can I spend outside the UK before applying?
No more than 450 days in the 5 years before you apply and no more than 90 days in the last 12 months.
How long does a citizenship decision take?
Usually within 6 months. GOV.UK says you'll be told before then if yours will take longer.
Is the citizenship ceremony compulsory?
Yes. If your application is successful, you'll need to attend one.
What happens to my BRP after I become a citizen?
Return it to the Home Office within 5 working days of getting your certificate, cut into 4 pieces, or you could be fined up to 1,000 pounds.
