British Citizenship
Helping you achieve British Citizenship
If you’ve already received indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settled status via the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be looking to become a British citizen.
Perhaps you were born in the UK, have British parents or you’re a Commonwealth citizen. Many people seek this status under UK law for a number of reasons.
People often want British Citizenship because it gives them additional rights.
British Citizenship gives you:
- The right to apply for a British passport
- The ability to vote in the UK
- The ability to run for office in the UK
Key information
You must be eligible to become a British citizen before applying, so check the requirements in the next section.
If you are eligible, you must fill in a form either online or by post. You can do this as an individual or use a legal representative, like us. You must answer all the questions – there are generally several stages to the application:
- Proving you have indefinite leave to remain or EU Settled Status
- Passing the Life in the UK test
- Proving you understand English
- Passing a “good character” test
- Providing two names as referees to check your identity
There are a number of ways to qualify for British citizenship. Some of the common requirements are listed below:
- You were born in the UK (although this is not an automatic right)
- You are married or in a civil partnership with a British citizen (you must also personally hold ILR or settled status)
- You hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status
- You have a British parent
- You are a Commonwealth citizen
- You are stateless, have given up citizenship or have another qualifying nationality
There are some other special circumstances which can give you a right to apply for British citizenship so if you think you may qualify, please do give us a call for advice.
Adult applications cost £1330 and an application for a child costs £1012. If you are applying for a child and can’t afford it, you can apply for a fee waiver.
There are a couple of other costs for adults:
- £50 for the Life in the UK test
- £150 if you need to take an English language test
It’s really important to know that you may lose your application fee if you fail to be eligible for British citizenship or if you send the wrong documents. Using expert Immigration Advisers like SL&V reduces that risk.
Once the paperwork has been completed and sent off, it can take up to 6 months to get a decision. Sometimes you will be contacted to provide further information.
If your application is successful, you’ll need to attend a citizenship ceremony within 6 months but the cost of this is included in your application.