British citizenship will give you the right to live, work and study in the UK on a permanent basis and without any restrictions. If you hold British citizenship, you will also be able to apply for a British passport and spend time out of the country if you wish without losing your status.
Some individuals may automatically be British citizens because of their background or parentage, meaning they can make an application to have their citizenship registered.
For overseas citizens who meet certain eligibility criteria, including holding indefinite leave to remain or settled status, UK or British citizenship can be acquired by way of naturalisation.
At Halliday Reeves, we are immigration experts. If you are considering applying for British citizenship, we can check that you are eligible and advise you of the process to be followed. We will also make sure that your application includes all of the necessary paperwork in support. This can be substantial and if some documents are missing, your application is likely to be rejected.
To speak to one of our expert immigration solicitors, ring us on 0330 133 7777, email us at enquiries@hallidayreeves.com or fill in our Contact Form.
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Eligibility For UK Naturalisation
If you are aged 18 or more and you have lived in the UK with Indefinite Leave to Remain or EU Settled Status for twelve months or more after attaining this status, you may be able to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen.
Unless you are married to a British citizen, the criteria you must meet to be eligible include the following:
- You are of sound mind and understand the implications of becoming a naturalised British citizen
- You have lived in the UK for at least five years before the date of your application
- You were physically present in the UK on the day five years before your application is received by the Home Office
- You have not breached immigration laws or been convicted of a crime in the UK
- You are not and have not been for the previous twelve months subject to any immigration time restrictions
- You have spent no more than 450 days outside of the UK in the previous five years, unless it was because of certain exceptional circumstances
- You have spent no more than 90 days outside of the UK in the year leading up to your application
- You intend to continue living in the UK
- You have passed the Life in the UK test
- You have the required level of English
- You are of good character
If you are married to a British citizen, you may be eligible to apply on this basis if the following apply:
- You have lived in the UK for at least three years before the date of your application
- You were physically present in the UK on the day three years before your application is received by the Home Office
- You are not subject to immigration time restrictions
- You have not breached immigration laws or been convicted of a crime in the UK
- You have not been outside of the UK for more than 270 days in the three years prior to your application
- You have passed the Life in the UK test
- Your English language skills are at the required level
- You are of good character
Applying For UK Citizenship As An EU Or EEA National
If you are an EU or EEA national and you hold settled status or have indefinite leave to remain, you are entitled to apply for UK or British citizenship.
Submitting an application to become a British citizen
You or your representative will need to fill in form AN to apply to become a British citizen. This can be done online from most areas of the UK or by post.
Your application to become a British citizen will need to be accompanied by paperwork proving that you meet the eligibility criteria. You will also need someone with professional standing to provide a reference on your behalf as well as another reference from a second person.
At the time you submit your application form, you will need to pay the application fee of £1,330. This will usually include the cost of the ceremony at which you will swear an oath of allegiance to the UK if your application is successful. This will often be a group ceremony and if you would prefer a private ceremony, you may need to pay an additional fee.
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Contact Our UK Citizenship Solicitors
If you would like advice on your eligibility for British citizenship or you would like help with your application, to include putting together documents in support, we will be happy to hear from you.
We have offices in Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Wakefield and Nottingham. To speak to one of our expert UK citizenship lawyers, ring us on 0330 133 7777, email us at enquiries@hallidayreeves.com or fill in our Contact Form.
