Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or 'settled status'
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Apply for British citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR) - form AN, who's eligible, fees and how to apply.
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You can apply for citizenship if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and have had one of the following for 12 months:

indefinite leave to remain in the UK

‘settled status’ (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’)

indefinite leave to enter the UK (permission to move to the UK permanently from abroad)

You do not need to wait 12 months to apply if you’re married to a British citizen.

You must also:

be over 18

prove you were in the UK exactly 5 years before the day the Home Office receives your application

prove your 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 - read the naturalisation guidance

Residency requirements

You must have lived in the UK for at least 5 years before the date of your application. You also should not have broken any UK immigration laws.

If you have indefinite leave to enter or remain, the Home Office will not usually check if you broke any immigration laws before then.

You cannot include any time spent in the UK when you’re exempt from immigration control as a:

diplomat

member of a diplomat’s staff or household

member of visiting armed forces

Time you’ve spent outside the UK

You should not have:

spent more than 450 days outside the UK during the 5 years before your application

spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months

broken any UK immigration laws (for example living illegally in the UK)

You may have lost your indefinite leave to remain or enter if you’ve been away from the UK for:

more than 2 years at any time since you got it (you’ll need to apply for a Returning Resident visa)

more than 5 years if you have settled status

more than 4 years if you are a Swiss citizen, or the family member of a Swiss citizen, and you have settled status

This is one way to apply for British citizenship. Check if you’re eligible another way.

When to apply

You must have been physically present in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application.

Your application may be rejected if you were not in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office received it. This depends on the reason why you were not in the UK. The Home Office will consider if there are special circumstances, for example:

you were not able to live in the UK at the start of the 5 year period because of health reasons or travel restrictions

you were told to leave the UK during the 5 years but this decision was later overturned

Example

If the Home Office receives your application on 20 June 2022, but you left the UK on 10 June 2017 and returned to the UK on 25 June 2017, you will not qualify. You’ll need to wait until 24 June 2022 to apply.

The date the Home Office receives your application depends on how you apply. If you apply online, your application will be received on the same day. It will take longer if you apply by post.

How much it costs

It costs £1,630 to apply.

You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken - there’s no fee for this. You’ll be told how to do this after you’ve applied.