British Naturalisation Application form 2020 [19 Things you NEED to know]

This article will tell you 19 things that you need to know about the British naturalisation application form in 2020.

#1 What is the British naturalisation application form in 2020?

The naturalisation application form in 2020 can be found on the official gov.uk website here.

#2 What is British Naturalisation?

Naturalisation as a British Citizen is made if you can demonstrate that you satisfy certain British citizenship requirements in 2020 order to obtain British citizenship in 2020.

Generally, naturalisation will occur after residing for a qualifying period of time in the UK and attaining ILR. The qualifying period will differ if you are applying on the basis of marriage or civil partnership with a British Citizen.

If you Naturalise, you are eligible to apply for a passport and will have have the same rights and obligations as every other British Citizen.

#3 Who can qualify for British naturalisation?

You may be eligible to apply for Naturalisation as a British Citizen after 5 years legal residence in the UK, or 3 years legal residence if you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen.

You will also need to meet the following requirements:

be aged 18 or over;
be of sound mind, so that you understand the step you are taking;
intend to continue to live in the UK;
meet the English language requirements;
have passed the British citizenship test in 2020;
be of good character;
meet the legal residence qualifying period.

#4 What if I hold another British Nationality?

If you are a British Overseas Citizen, a British National (Overseas), a British Subject, or a British Protected Person then you may be eligible to apply as a British Citizen through registration.

Further information and guidance can be found here

If you are eligible to apply for registration, you will need to complete a form and pay the corresponding fees:

For applications from the UK, you will need to fill in the form online.

For postal applications from the Channel Islands, or Isle of Man, or elsewhere overseas, you will find application information here.

For applications outside of the UK (excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man), you will need to will need to apply online here

#5 What is the residence qualifying period?

3 year route:

If you are married to or the civil partner of a British Citizen, you can apply under the 3 year route. You must :

Have been in the UK for 3 years and have ILR on the date of application
Have been living in the UK at the start of those 3 years
Not have been absent from the UK for more than 270 days in those 3 years
Not have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days in 12 months before application

5 year route:

If you are not married to or the civil partner of a British Citizen, you must apply under the 5 year route. You must:

Have been in the UK for 5 years and have had ILR for 12 months on date of application.
Not have been absent for more than 450 days in that 5 year period
Not have been absent for more than 90 days in the 12 months before application

In addition, you should not have been in breach of immigration law during the residential qualifying period and must have had the necessary permission under UK immigration laws to be in the UK.

For more information regarding this, check out our article “How long does it take to become a British citizen?“.

#6 What does “to be of good character” mean?

To be of good character means that you have shown respect for the rights and freedoms of the UK, have observed UK laws and fulfilled your duties and obligations as a resident.

You must declare any previous warnings, cautions, reprimands, custodial or non-custodial sentences and any past, current or future court appearances, in your application. You must also declare any involvement with War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, Genocide or Terrorism.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Further information regarding this policy is available on this website.

Note that full background checks will be conducted when you submit your application and any attempt to conceal any previous history in the UK, or outside of the UK, may result in your application being rejected or you being removed from the UK.

#7 How do I calculate absences from the UK?

When you complete your application form, you will be required to list all of your absences from the UK in the 3 or 5 years preceeding your application – depending on whether you are applying under the 3 or 5 year route.

You must detail:

the date that you left the UK
the date that you returned to the UK
where you went
your reason for going there
how many days you were absent

Calculating how many days you were absent from the UK can be confusing as the Home Office does not count travel days as absences from the UK. However, you are still required to note every time you travelled out with the UK.

So, for example, even if you went from London to Paris in the morning and returned the same day, you will need to record this absence and write 0 days absence.

A reminder of the residence requirements:

under the 3 year route:

you must not have spent more than 270 days outside the UK during those 3 years
you must not have spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months

under the 5 year route:

you must not have spent more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years

you must not have spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months

#8 What documents must I provide?

Along with your application for Naturalisation, you will need to provide the following:

biometric information – your fingerprints and photograph

proof of identity
proof that you meet the English language requirements
proof that you have passed the Life in the UK test
proof of legal residence in the UK for the required period of time
proof of UK indefinite leave to remain
proof of relationship status if applying as a partner/spouse of a British citizen

#9 How can I apply for Naturalisation?

There are two ways you can apply for Naturalisation. Either:

submit an online application form yourself
use an agent or representative

#10 Where do I find the Naturalisation application form?

Use this form and guidance if you wish to apply for British Naturalisation in the UK.

Use this form and guidance if you wish to apply for British Naturalisation and live overseas.

If the application is not processed in the promised timeframe, you can consider submitting a complaint to the Home Office: see this helpful Sample Complaint letter to Home Office in 2023 article.

#11 How much do all Naturalisation services cost?

In order to apply for British naturalisation, you must pay the British naturalisation fees and costs in 2020.

If you are over 18 years of age, to apply for Naturalisation from inside the UK, it costs £1,330 plus an additional £19.20 to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photographs) taken.

Current fee tables for all Naturalisation services are as follows:

Naturalisation	£1,330	£1,330	£0
Naturalisation British overseas territory citizens	£1,000	£1,000	£0
Nationality registration as a British citizen – adult	£1,206	£1,206	£0
Nationality registration as a British citizen – child	£1,012	£1,012	£0
The arrangement of a citizenship ceremony (including the administration of a citizenship oath and pledge at the ceremony).	£80	£80	£0
The administration of a citizenship oath, or oath and pledge where the oath, or oath and pledge, are not administered at a citizenship ceremony or by a justice of the peace.	£5	£5	£0
Nationality registration British overseas territory citizen, British overseas citizens, British Subjects, British protected persons – adult	£901	£901	£0
Nationality registration – British overseas territory citizen, British overseas citizens, British Subjects, British protected persons – child	£810

#12 Who can be referees on my application?

You will need two referees on your application who have known you for at least 2 years.

One must be a person of professional standing, of any nationality and the other must be a British Citizen, aged 25 or over or a professional person.

For child applications, one referee must be a person who has engaged with the child in a professional capacity such as a doctor or a teacher, and the other must be a British Citizen, aged 25 or over or a professional person.

#13 What is the Citizenship Ceremony?

If you are over the age of 18 and your application is successful, you will need to attend a Citizenship Ceremony. You will have 90 days to book this ceremony. If you do not attend the ceremony within 90 days without good reason, your application for citizenship will be refused and you will need to re-apply

If you are in the UK, bookings are made through your local council. The cost of the Citizenship Ceremony is £80. You are usually allowed to invite 2 guests.

If you are outside the UK, arrangements will be made for you to make the oath/affirmation and pledge at the British Embassy, High Commission, Consulate, Governor’s Office or Lieutenant Governor’s Office.

At the ceremony, you will be asked to affirm or swear an oath of allegiance and to pledge your loyalty to the UK and then be presented with your certificate of registration as a British citizen.

#14 What happens after I receive my Naturalisation certifficate?

You must send your biometric residence permit (BRP) back to the Home Office within 5 working days of getting your certificate of British citizenship along with a covering letter explaining that you have now become a British Citizen.

You must send your BRP and letter to:

Naturalisation Returns
PO Box 195
Bristol
BS20 1BT

Be aware that you will be fined £1000 for failure to return your BRP within 5 working days after receiving your Naturalisation certificate.

You can apply for a British passport. You can find more information here about applying for your first British passport.
If you do not want a British passport you can apply for a certificate of entitlement instead.

Please note that you cannot enter the UK using your certificate of British Citizenship.

#15 What is a Certificate of Entitlement?

This is a certificate that proves that you have Right of Abode in the UK and goes in your passport. If your passport expires, you will need to apply for a new Right of Abode certificate.

If applying from inside the UK, you must complete fill in the online application form and pay £372.

If applying from outside the UK, you must apply online and pay £388.

You cannot apply for a Right of Abode certificate if you already have a British passport or a valid certificate of entitlement in another foreign passport.

#16 Do Irish nationals need to meet the qualifying period?

If you are an Irish national, you do not need to apply for a permanent residence document before you apply for naturalisation. This is because Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area and Irish citizens are not normally subject to any form of immigration control on arrival in the United Kingdom

#17 Can I apply to naturalise my children (under 18 years of age)?

A separate application must be made for each individual – children cannot be included in an adult’s application.

You can apply to register your children for citizenship if they were born:

outside of the UK
inside the UK before you were granted indefinite leave to remain

Your child may automatically be a British citizen if they were born both:

in the UK
after you were granted indefinite leave to remain

For more information about children obtaining British citizenship, check out our MN1 form 2020 Guidance.

#18 What is the English language requirement to naturalise as a British Citizen?

In order to naturalise as a British Citizen, you are required to show that you meet minimum B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in speaking and listening.

You may meet the English requirement in several ways:

i) By passing the British Citizenship (Naturalisation) English Language Test in 2020.

The test provider must be approved by the Home Office and can be found in Appendix O of the Immigration Rules.

ii) By being a national of one of these majority English speaking countries:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
New Zealand
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago USA.

iii) By holding an academic qualification equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree or higher (not including professional and vocational qualifications) that have been taught in English

iv) By Holding an academic qualification equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree or higher (not including professional and vocational qualifications) from one of the following countries:

Antigua and Barbuda;
Australia;
The Bahamas;
Barbados;
Belize;
Dominica; Grenada;
Guyana;
Ireland;
Jamaica;
New Zealand;
St Kitts and Nevis;
St Lucia;
St Vincent and
The Grenadines;
Trinidad and Tobago;
the UK;
the USA

v) By Already having met the B1 English language requirement in a previous UK visa category that has provided you with continuous permission to reside in the UK

You are exempt from the language requirement, if you fall under any of these categories:

You are under the age of 18 (at the time you make the application); or
You are over 65 (at the time you make the application); or
You have a physical or mental condition that makes it unreasonable for you to fulfil the standard English language requirements

#19 Are there any other tests to naturalise as a British Citizen?

To naturalise as a British Citizen, you must also successfully pass the Knowledge of Life Test. This is a computer based test based on the contents of the handbook, Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents. There are 24 multiple choice questions and you will be given 45 minutes to complete the test. You will be told if you have passed the test the same day.

Frequently asked questions

Can I hold dual citizenship?

Dual Citizenship – or dual nationality – is allowed in the UK. This means you can have both British Citizenship and the Citizenship of another country. But be aware that some countries do not allow their nationals to hold dual Citizenship – you will have to check with your own country's authorities about their laws on dual nationality.

How long does the process take?

On average, decisions on your application for Naturalisation take 4-6 months. If successful, you will receive a letter from the Home Office inviting you to book a place for a Citizenship Ceremony.

Can my Naturalisation be revoked?

If it is found that you used deception in your application, or that you are a threat to national security, the Home Office reserves the right to revoke your Naturalisation.

What date can I submit my application?

It is extremely important that you submit your application a day when you were physically present in the UK at the beginning of the qualifying period. For instance - if you submit your application on 1st December 2019, then you must have been physically present in the UK on 1st December 2016, or 1st December 2014, depending on whether you are using the 3 year or 5 year qualifying period.