Form T Guidance in 2019 [What you NEED to know]

What is Form T and who should use it?

Form T is used to register applicants as British citizens if they were born within the United Kingdom on or after 1st January 1983, and had lived in the UK up to the age of 10, but now live elsewhere.

What are the Form T Requirements in 2019?

For a successful application, you will need to show you meet a few requirements under British nationality law.

You must meet the following requirements:

You were born in the UK on or after 1st January 1983,
You must be 10 years of age or over,
You must have spent no greater than 90 days out with the United Kingdom in each of the first 10 years of your life,
You must be of good character

There are a few important notes to consider in relation to the above requirements.

i. Your application may be successful even if you have been absent for more than 90 days in any of the first 10 years

In exceptional situations, the Home Office may make an exception to the requirements that you should not have spent any more than 90 days out with the UK in each of the first 10 years of your life.

If you did exceed that amount in any of those years, but you think the circumstances in your case were remarkable enough to warrant an allowance, then you should explain what those circumstances were separately to your application.

ii. Your application may also be successful even if you do not meet some of (or all of) the requirements

You may still have a right to be registered as a British citizen on the strength of your parents’ citizenship or immigration status, if you are a child who is unable to meet some or all of the requirements above.

The Home Office may also decide to register a child because of his or her exceptional circumstances. There is more information available on this on the government website.

iii. If the relevant person is under 18, the form should be completed by their parent or legal guardian

iv. ‘UK’ here means England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

a) Form T Residence Requirements

The residence requirements are that the child must not have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days in each of the first 10 years of his life.

The Home Office do have a discretion to allow excesses over the limit. They will usually allow an excess of absences:

If the absence in each year does not exceed 180 days, and the total absence over the 10 years does not exceed 990 days.
If there is an absence of over 180 days in any one year or 990 days over the 10 years, you can show the excess absence was the result of a situation not within your control (such as for serious medical reasons).

The absences would not be waived if:

The parents were unaware of the requirements, or
The parents absences with the applicant were voluntary.

b) Form T ‘Good Character’ Requirement

Checks will be made to confirm that any information you give is the truth in relation to any past misdemeanours.

To meet the good character requirement you must prove that you have shown respect for the rights and freedoms of the UK, have complied with its laws and fulfilled your responsibilities as a resident of the UK.

If you are dishonest in your application, and you are registered because you provided false information and used deception, you will be stripped of your British citizenship and may be prosecuted. It is a crime to make a deceptive declaration, knowingly.

There are a few important points to make a note of when it comes to the ‘good character’ requirement:

i. The applicants payment of income tax and National Insurance is relevant

One of your responsibilities as a good citizen is your obligation to pay income tax and National Insurance contributions. The Home Office will make checks with HM Revenue & Customs for confirmation that your tax and National Insurance affairs are up to date.

If you are self-employed, you must ensure you have met your obligations by submitting your Self-Assessment Statement of Account.

ii. You must be honest about all your criminal convictions inside or outside the United Kingdom, including any Road Traffic offences.

If you do have a criminal conviction, you should check the table below to see what the likely result would be for your application.

Sentence	Likely Outcome of Application
4 years or more in prison	Will usually be refused, despite when the sentence ended
Between 12 months and 4 years in prison	Will usually be refused, unless it has been at least 15 years since the end of the sentence
Up to 12 months in prison	Will usually be refused, unless it has been atleast 10 years since the end of the sentence
Non-custodial offence or out of court disposal (must be recorded on criminal record)	Will usually be refused if the conviction occurred in the last 3 years.

iii. If you have previously deceived the Home Office, this is relevant

If you have previously deceived the Home Office or other government departments, this will be taken in to consideration when assessing if you meet the good character requirement.

Your application will be rejected if you have tried to use deception with the Home Office in the last 10 years.

c) Form T Reference/Referee Requirement

Like many other immigration forms, there is a requirement for 2 referees to fill in part of the application.

The requirements for the first referee are that:

They can be a person of any nationality,
Who is a professional person (such as a minister of religion, civil servant, member of a professional body like an accountant or solicitor).
In the case of a child, the professional must have engaged with the child professionally (for instance, as a teacher, social worker, health visitor or minister of religion).

The requirements for the second referee are that:

They hold a British passport, and
They are a professional person, OR
They are over the age of 25 years.

Both referees must make a declaration that:

They are not related, a solicitor or agent of the person applying.
They are not a relative of the other referee.
They do not work for the Home Office.
They have not been convicted of an imprisonable offence in the last 10 years (unless the conviction is spent).
They have known the person applying for 3 years or more.
They will give information to the best of their knowledge regarding the person applying.
They will inform the Home Office of any reason why the applicant should not be registered.

What Documents Required for Form T in 2019?

The documents which require to be sent are:

Full UK birth certificate of you or your child – it must show the parents details.
Evidence of living in the UK for the first 10 years of your or your child’s life. The Home Office may require your most recent HM Revenue & Customs Self-Assessment statement of account.
Your or your child’s passport can also be submitted as evidence of residence over the 10 years. However, it may not be enough so you should also send as much of the following as possible:

Letters from schools etc to confirm you or your child attended there during the 10 year period.
Medical records, especially if they help in proving residence prior to school starting.
Any other evidence proving that you or your child lived in the United Kingdom during the 10 years.

What are Common Form T Refusal Reasons?

Applications can fail for a number of reasons, including:

You fail to provide the details requested.
Your special circumstances are not believed.
You failed to advise the Home Office of offences and convictions.
You did not meet the residence requirements.

If your application is refused, your fee will not be refunded.

Where can I find the Form T Application Form (Paper and Online)?

You can find the paper application form here if you are now living in the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or a British Overseas Territory.

If you reside anywhere else, you should make the application online over here.

Where can I find the official Form T Guidance in 2019?

The guidance for Form T can be found here.

What is the Form T Fee in 2019?

The processing fee when you submit a Form T application is currently £1,012. A list of British citizenship application fees can be found here.

How do I Submit Payment for Form T?

If you are submitting a paper application, you must also submit a payment slip which can be found here.

The payment slip (as well as the application) should be submitted to:

The Lieutenant Governor if you reside in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man,
The Governor of the territory if you reside in a British Overseas Territory, or
UK Visas and Immigration at the following address if you live anywhere else:

Department 1
UK Visas and Immigration
The Capital Building
New Hall Place
Liverpool
L3 9PP

If you use the online method of submission, payment will be made online.

Biometric Enrolment for Form T

As a part of the application process, applicants must submit their biometric details to verify their identity.

This includes children under the age of 18 years. Children under the age of 6 do not need to have their fingerprints recorded, but they must have a digital photograph taken of their face.

There is no upper age limit to providing your biometric information, and even the very elderly will require to provide this information.

Children who are under 16 years old, must attend with a parent or guardian at their biometric enrolment appointment.

Once you have completed the biometric enrolment part of the application, you will be issued with an enrolment letter advising you to make an appointment at a Post Office which offers this service near you.

A handling fee is required for this service which you will need to pay by cash or debit card on the day of your appointment. This fee is additional to your application fee.

If you reside in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you or your child would attend your appointment at the Lieutenant Governor’s office.

If you reside in a British overseas territory you or your child would attend your appointment at the Governor’s Office.

Failure to provide your biometrics may result in an invalid application which means it would be rejected.

If you would like further information about enrolling your biometrics and what the current fee is, please have a look at the government website here.

Form T and Dual Nationality

Laws in the UK, allow the holder of British nationality to also hold nationality of another country. However, it is important to know that not all countries allow their citizens to become dual nationals.

If you would like to make sure the other country allows dual nationality, then you should make enquiries through their embassy or high commission prior to making your application.

If you are a national of another country, you may be obliged to perform military services for that country.

What is the Form T Processing Time (waiting time) in 2019?

The Home Office states that they work towards resolving 100% of applications within 6 months of receipt. If you applied more than 6 months ago, you can call our Contact Centre on 0300 123 2253 or email us on FurtherNationalityEnquries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk to check the status of your application.

What should the Form T Cover Letter include?

All immigration applications should be accompanied by a covering letter. The covering letter should:

provide an overview of how the requirements are met
explain any special circumstances (if any), and
why the Home Office should grant the application

Where do I send Form T?

You should send Form T, the payment slip and your supporting evidence to:

the Lieutenant Governor if you reside in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
the Governor of the territory if you are in a British Overseas Territory
UK Visas and Immigration at the address below if you live anywhere else: