What Are the Requirements to Apply for British Citizenship?

British citizenship opens doors: the vote, a British passport, and the settled certainty of belonging. It is also an application that rewards care, because the Home Office requires a great deal of information, together with a pass in the Life in the UK test and an approved English language test. This short guide sets out the principal routes.

If you are married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen

You may apply if you are aged eighteen or over, married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, and have lived in the UK for at least three years before the application. Even where all three are satisfied, you must also hold either indefinite leave to remain or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme before you can apply.

If you have indefinite leave to remain

Indefinite leave to remain usually becomes available after five years of living in the UK. To apply for citizenship on this footing, you must ordinarily have lived in the UK for a further year after obtaining it.

If you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

The position mirrors indefinite leave: usually twelve months of residence after obtaining settled status. There is a useful wrinkle for those who previously held permanent residence status. Although an application can no longer be made on the basis of permanent residence itself, the time you held it counts towards the twelve months, so a person who held permanent residence for two years before being granted settled status may be able to apply straight away.

Other routes

Some Commonwealth citizens have the right of abode in the UK, allowing them to live and work here free of immigration restriction; eligibility can be checked on gov.uk. You may also be eligible if you have a British parent, hold another type of British nationality, are stateless, previously renounced your citizenship, or meet the criteria of the Windrush Scheme.

About the author: Dr Aamir Nawaz, LLB (Hons), LLM, PhD, Solicitor, Barrister (np) and Notary Public.