British Citizenship

British citizenship by ‘Registration’
In certain circumstances, you may be able to apply to become a British citizen by ‘Registration’. This process is often easier than naturalisation but you must fit the eligibility criteria to do so.

You may be eligible if:

• You have another form of British nationality
• You were born before 1 January 1983 to a British mother
• You were born to a British father, even if he was not married to your mother
• You were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983
• You are under 18 and do not fit into the other categories
• You have a connection with Gibraltar or Hong Kong
• You are stateless

The most common way of becoming a British citizen is by ‘naturalisation’.

You can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation if:

• You are 18 or over
• You are of good character, for example you do not have a serious or recent criminal record, and you have not tried to deceive the Home Office or been involved in immigration offences in the last 10 years
• You will continue to live in the UK
• You have met the knowledge of English and life in the UK requirements
• You meet the residency requirement
• You were in the UK exactly 5 years before the day the Home Office receives your application

And you must usually have:

• Lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your application
• Spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
• Had settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’) in the UK for the last 12 months if you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
• Had permanent residence status for the last 12 months if you’re a citizen of an EEA country – you need to provide a permanent residence document
• Not broken any immigration laws while in the UK

The above requirements remain the same, other than time lived in the UK whereby you will need to have lived for a minimum of 3 years and during that time not spent any more than 270 days outside of the country in order to apply for citizenship.

For further expert and professional advice and assistance in relation to your citizenship application, including with regards to fees and charges, application methods and processing times and the necessary requirements and eligibility criteria please do not hesitate to contact our immigration team who are ready and able to help you.

Please be advised that Immigration Rules are always changing. Contact us for the latest help, advice and information with regards to your query.