Becoming a British citizen
Check if you can apply for British citizenship - find out what you need to be eligible, and how long you have to live in the UK before applying.
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Citizens Advice
To apply for British citizenship you usually need one of the following:

indefinite leave to remain (or ‘indefinite leave to enter’)

settled status - from the EU Settlement Scheme

pre-settled status and an EU right of permanent residence

If you have an EU right of permanent residence, you'll need to prove this when you apply for British citizenship - it can be difficult to prove. Talk to an adviser before you apply.

Once you’ve got one of these things, you can apply straight away - as long as you meet the other requirements.

If you don’t have indefinite leave to remain or settled status, check if you’re eligible for either:

settled status if you or a family member is an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen - you might still be able to apply if you had a good reason for missing the scheme’s deadline of 30 June 2021

indefinite leave to remain on GOV.UK

Check what other requirements you need to meet before you apply

You also need to have:

lived lawfully in the UK over the past 3 years

passed the Life in the UK Test

a qualification that shows you speak and understand English - unless you’re exempt

‘good character’ - for example, you've had no recent or serious criminal convictions, or problems with debts, unpaid taxes or immigration

Find out how to prepare for the Life in the UK Test, prove you know English and meet the good character requirement.

Proving you’ve lived in the UK for 3 years

You need to do this even if you’ve already proved how long you’ve lived in the UK - for example, to get indefinite leave to remain.

You need to prove you were:

living in the UK for the 3 years before you apply

outside the UK for no more than 270 days in those 3 years

outside the UK for no more than 90 days in the past 12 months

You also need to make sure you were in the UK on the same day 3 years ago as the day you’re applying. If you weren’t in the UK exactly 3 years ago, it’s usually best to wait until it’s been 3 years since the date you returned to the UK and then apply. If you were out of the UK for a long time, talk to an adviser.

If you’ve been outside the UK for more than 270 days

You might still be eligible if the Home Office decide to make an exception (‘use discretion’). For example, they can ignore time you spent outside the UK for:

up to 300 days in 3 years

even longer in some cases - for example, if you travel frequently for work

Before you apply, you should check the naturalisation guide on GOV.UK to find out if the Home Office can make an exception for your absences from the UK.

If the Home Office decide you’re not eligible for citizenship because of the time you’ve spent outside the UK, you won’t get your application fee back.

If you think you might not be eligible, you should talk to an adviser before you apply.

Find out more about eligibility

You can find out more about eligibility if you have a British partner on GOV.UK.

If your husband, wife or civil partner is a British citizen, you'll need to meet the requirements for people who have a British husband, wife or civil partner instead.

You can usually apply for British citizenship 12 months after getting one of the following:

settled status - from the EU Settlement Scheme

indefinite leave to remain

an EU right of permanent residence - you must also have pre-settled status

If you have an EU right of permanent residence, you'll need to prove this when you apply for British citizenship - it can be difficult to prove. Talk to an adviser before you apply.

If you don’t have settled status or indefinite leave, you might still be able to apply, even though the deadline has passed. You will need to show you had a good reason for missing the deadline.

Check if you can make a late application for settled status.

Check what other requirements you need to meet before you apply

You also need to have:

lived in the UK over the past 5 years

passed the Life in the UK Test

a qualification that shows you speak and understand English - unless you’re exempt

‘good character’ - for example, you've had no recent or serious criminal convictions, or problems with debts, unpaid taxes or immigration

Find out how to prepare for the Life in the UK Test, prove you know English and meet the good character requirement.

Proving you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years

You need to do this even if you’ve already proved how long you’ve lived in the UK - for example, to get settled status.

You need to prove you were:

living in the UK for the 5 years before you apply

outside the UK for no more than 450 days in those 5 years

outside the UK for no more than 90 days in the past 12 months

You also need to make sure you were in the UK on the same day 5 years ago as the day you’re applying. If you weren’t in the UK exactly 5 years ago, it’s usually best to wait until it’s been 5 years since the date you returned to the UK and then apply. If you were out of the UK for a long time, talk to an adviser.

If you’ve been outside the UK for more than 450 days

You might still be eligible if the Home Office decide to 'use discretion' (make an exception). For example, they can ignore time you spent outside the UK for:

up to 480 days in 5 years

even longer in some cases - for example, if you travel frequently for work

The Home Office will ignore absences for a compassionate or exceptional reason - for example, coronavirus travel restrictions delayed their return to the UK.

Before you apply, you should check the naturalisation guide on GOV.UK to find out if the Home Office can make an exception for your absences from the UK.

If the Home Office decides you’re not eligible for citizenship because of the time you’ve spent outside the UK, you won’t get your application fee back.

If you think you might not be eligible, you should talk to an adviser before you apply.

Find out more about eligibility

You can find out more on about eligibility for citizenship on GOV.UK.

You can usually apply for citizenship 12 months after you get indefinite leave to remain (or ‘indefinite leave to enter’) unless you’re married to a British citizen.

If you don’t have either of those, you can check if you’re eligible for indefinite leave to remain on GOV.UK.

Check what other requirements you need to meet before you apply

You also need to have:

lived in the UK for the past 5 years (or 3 years if you have a British husband, wife or civil partner)

passed the Life in the UK Test

a qualification that shows you speak and understand English - unless you’re exempt

‘good character’ - for example, you’ve had no recent or serious criminal convictions, or problems with debts, unpaid taxes or immigration

Find out how to prepare for the Life in the UK Test, prove you know English and meet the good character requirement.

Proving you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years

You need to do this even if you’ve already proved how long you’ve lived in the UK - for example, to get indefinite leave to remain.

You need to prove you were:

living in the UK for the 5 years before you apply

outside the UK for no more than 450 days in those 5 years

outside the UK for no more than 90 days in the past 12 months

You also need to make sure you were in the UK on the same day 5 years ago as the day you’re applying. If you weren’t in the UK exactly 5 years ago, it’s usually best to wait until it’s been 5 years since the date you returned to the UK and then apply. If you were out of the UK for a long time, talk to an adviser.

If you’ve been outside the UK for more than 450 days

You might still be eligible if the Home Office decide to make an exception (‘use discretion’). For example, they can ignore time you spent outside the UK for:

up to 480 days in 5 years

even longer in some cases - for example, if you travel frequently for work

The Home Office will ignore absences for a compassionate or exceptional reason - for example, coronavirus travel restrictions delayed your return to the UK.

Before you apply, you should check the naturalisation guide on GOV.UK to find out if the Home Office can make an exception for your absences from the UK.

If the Home Office decide you’re not eligible for citizenship because of the time you’ve spent outside the UK, you won’t get your application fee back.

If you think you might not be eligible, you should talk to an adviser before you apply.

Find out more about eligibility

You can find out more about eligibility if you have indefinite leave to remain on GOV.UK.