Becoming a British Citizen

This guide is for internationals who have recently moved to the United Kingdom and want to understand how British citizenship works. After reading it, you will know the main routes to citizenship, the settlement rules that usually come first, what an application costs and what must stay in place until the citizenship ceremony.

• The main routes to citizenship
• Settlement comes first
• Requirements for naturalisation
• Spouses, Irish citizens and other routes
• Costs, decision times and the ceremony
• FAQ

The main routes to citizenship

Applying for British citizenship is called naturalisation, and GOV.UK explains that there are different ways to apply based on your circumstances. Anyone eligible in more than one way can choose which route to use. The main routes are:

• holding indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• being married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen
• being an Irish citizen who has lived in the UK for 5 years
• holding pre-settled status, in limited cases
• other routes, such as having a British parent, being stateless or qualifying under the Windrush Scheme

Being born in the UK does not automatically make someone British. It depends on when they were born and on their parents’ circumstances.

Settlement comes first

For most newcomers, citizenship is a second step after settlement. A person can usually apply for ILR after living in the UK for 5 years, and must then usually live in the UK for 12 months after getting it before applying for citizenship. The same 12 month rule usually applies to settled status.

The deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for most people was 30 June 2021. People who missed it can still apply if they have “reasonable grounds” for not applying in time, and settled status gained this way can then support a citizenship application.

Pre-settled status can lead to citizenship only if the applicant shows three things. They must hold pre-settled status. They must be from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020, or be a family member of such a person. And they must have lived in the UK for 5 years in a row while working, looking for work for up to 3 months, studying or being self-sufficient. They then need to live in the UK for another year before applying, unless their spouse or partner is a British citizen.

Requirements for naturalisation

The GOV.UK page on applying with indefinite leave to remain or settled status sets out the core conditions. Applicants must have lived in the UK for 5 years and held ILR, settled status or indefinite leave to enter for 12 months. They must also:

• be over 18
• prove they were in the UK exactly 5 years before the day the Home Office receives the application
• prove their knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic
• have passed the Life in the UK test
• intend to continue living in the UK
• be of good character, as set out in the Home Office naturalisation guidance

Time abroad. Applicants should not have spent more than 450 days outside the UK in the 5 years before applying, or more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months. They also should not have broken UK immigration laws. The application asks for details of absences, and the Home Office checks its own records to fill gaps or correct them.

The start date. GOV.UK gives this example. If the Home Office receives an application on 20 June 2022, but the applicant was abroad from 10 June 2017 to 25 June 2017, they do not qualify and would need to wait until 24 June 2022. Online applications count as received the same day. Postal ones take longer to arrive. The Home Office will consider special circumstances, such as health reasons or travel restrictions.

Time that does not count. Time spent in the UK while exempt from immigration control is excluded. This covers diplomats, members of a diplomat’s staff or household, and members of visiting armed forces. Long absences can also end settlement itself. ILR may be lost after more than 2 years away. Settled status may be lost after more than 5 years away, or more than 4 years for Swiss citizens and their family members.

Spouses, Irish citizens and other routes

Spouses and civil partners of British citizens must have lived in the UK for the last 3 years and hold either ILR or settled status. Those who meet these conditions can apply immediately, without the 12 month wait.

Irish citizens must have lived in the UK for 5 years.

Commonwealth citizens may be eligible under the Windrush Scheme if two conditions are met. They or one of their parents must have arrived in the UK before 1973, and they must have lived in the UK without being away for more than 2 years. If it was the parent who arrived before 1973, the applicant must have been born in the UK or have arrived before turning 18.

GOV.UK also lists routes for people with another type of British nationality, people with a parent who has British overseas territories citizenship, people who gave up (renounced) their citizenship, Chagossian descendants and people in other special circumstances. The official pages used here do not set out the detailed conditions for these routes.

Costs, decision times and the ceremony

An application with ILR or settled status costs £1,839. That is £1,709 to apply and a £130 citizenship ceremony fee. Applicants also give biometric information (fingerprints and a photo), and there is no fee for this.

A decision usually arrives within 6 months. Some take longer, and applicants are told before 6 months have passed if theirs will. It may be possible to pay for a faster decision, but the pages above do not state the price.

Applicants need permission to stay in the UK until they are granted citizenship, and that permission must last until their citizenship ceremony. ILR, settled status and pre-settled status all count as permission to stay. The official pages do not describe where ceremonies take place, how they are booked or what happens on the day.

For questions about a specific situation, a regulated immigration adviser registered with the OISC or a solicitor regulated by the SRA can give individual advice.

FAQ

Does being born in the UK make someone a British citizen?

Not automatically. It depends on when the person was born and on their parents’ circumstances. Someone born in the UK who is not automatically British may be eligible to apply.

How soon after getting ILR can someone apply for citizenship?

Usually after holding ILR for 12 months, with 5 years of living in the UK. Spouses and civil partners of British citizens who have ILR or settled status and have lived in the UK for 3 years can apply immediately.

How much does a citizenship application cost?

For applicants with ILR or settled status, the total is £1,839: £1,709 for the application and £130 for the ceremony. Biometrics are free.

How long does a decision take?

Usually within 6 months, though some applications take longer. Applicants are told before 6 months have passed if theirs will.

Official sources: gov.uk · gov.uk

Last verified: 3 November 2026 against the official pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the official page always wins.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by advisers regulated by the OISC or by solicitors regulated by the SRA.