Citizenship Guides
Complete guide to British citizenship: settlement (ILR), naturalisation requirements, the Life in the UK test, English language rules, fees and timeline.
Becoming a British citizen follows a two-stage process for most people: first achieving settled status in the UK (called Indefinite Leave to Remain, or ILR), then applying for naturalisation. Getting clear on this two-stage structure from the start prevents a common mistake, applying for naturalisation before you hold settlement, which is an eligibility requirement.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is permission to live and work in the UK permanently without any time limit. It is not citizenship, but it is a prerequisite for most naturalisation routes.
The path to ILR depends on what visa you hold. The most common routes are:
Skilled Worker visa holders can apply for ILR after 5 years of continuous residence in the UK under that visa (previously called Tier 2). The 5 years must be spent on a qualifying visa, time on visitor or student visas generally does not count.
Spouses and partners of British citizens can apply after 5 years if they entered on a spouse visa, or after an aggregate of 5 years on family visas.
EU citizens and their family members who were living in the UK before 31 December 2020 could obtain EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) settled status after 5 continuous years of residence, or pre-settled status before that. Settled status under EUSS is equivalent to ILR for naturalisation purposes.
Indefinite Leave to Enter is issued at the border and is equivalent to ILR.
The ILR application (Form SET(O) or online equivalent) requires evidence of your continuous residence, your qualifying visa history, and passing the Life in the UK test and English language requirement, the same requirements that naturalisation needs. Many applicants satisfy these at the ILR stage.
Once you hold ILR (or settled status), you can apply for naturalisation after one additional year of continuous lawful residence in the UK. The total is therefore typically 6 years: 5 years to ILR plus 1 year after ILR before naturalisation.
Exception: if you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, the residence requirement for naturalisation is 3 years total (not 5 + 1), and you must currently hold ILR or settled status.
The naturalisation application is Form AN. The fee listed on GOV.UK is £1,839 (£1,709 to apply plus a £130 citizenship ceremony fee). Check GOV.UK for the current figure before you apply. There is no fee exemption for most applicants, though children and some special cases have separate fees.
For the standard route, during the 5 years before applying for naturalisation, you must not have spent more than 450 days outside the UK in total, and must not have spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the 12 months immediately before the application date. On the spouse or civil partner route, the limit is 270 days in the 3 years before applying, with the same 90-day limit for the last 12 months.
Absences for work purposes (particularly if your employer sent you abroad) can be counted differently, but you must document the reason for absence clearly. Absences due to serious illness, study, or charity work may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Life in the UK test is a requirement for both ILR and naturalisation. When you pass, you get a unique reference number (URN), which you enter in your application: pass certificates and letters have not been issued since 17 December 2019. You only need to pass once, so if you passed it for ILR, you do not need to take it again for naturalisation. You do not need to take the test if you are under 18, aged 65 or over, or have a long-term physical or mental condition.
The test consists of 24 multiple-choice questions taken at an approved test centre. You have 45 minutes. The pass mark is 75%, 18 correct answers out of 24. The fee per attempt is £50.
All questions are drawn from the official handbook "Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents" (3rd edition). The handbook covers British history, government, law, society, and everyday life. It is structured in five chapters; Chapter 3 (history) generates the most test questions and the most failures.
The categories most often causing failures: specific historical dates (1066, 1215, 1707, 1948), patron saints and their feast days, the structure of devolved government (Scottish Parliament vs Senedd vs Northern Ireland Assembly), and specific facts about British culture and arts that feel like trivia but are explicitly in the handbook.
You must demonstrate English speaking and listening at B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) or above. Accepted evidence includes:
Other qualifications, such as GCSEs, A levels or NVQs, cannot be used. Exemptions exist for applicants under 18, aged 65 or over, and for those with a long-term physical or mental condition that prevents them from meeting the requirement.
The Home Office assesses whether you are of "good character." This is not defined in statute but is evaluated against your criminal record, compliance with immigration rules, financial conduct (including tax), and conduct towards public officials. A serious criminal conviction can result in refusal, and in some cases there is a mandatory waiting period before you can apply again.
Processing times for naturalisation applications vary. As of 2026, the Home Office target is to process most applications within 6 months, though some cases take longer. During processing, you can continue living and working in the UK normally on your existing ILR or settled status.
If approved, you receive a decision letter and are invited to a citizenship ceremony. Ceremonies are organised by your local council. At the ceremony, you take the Oath of Allegiance and Pledge (or Affirmation if you prefer), receive your Certificate of Naturalisation, and become a British citizen. You can apply for a British passport immediately after the ceremony.
The UK generally permits dual citizenship. However, your country of origin may not. Some countries, including India, China, and several others, require you to renounce your original citizenship upon naturalising elsewhere. Check your country of origin's laws before applying, as naturalisation as a British citizen may automatically trigger loss of your other citizenship.
A child born in the UK is not automatically British. British citizenship by birth applies only if at least one parent is a British citizen or is settled (ILR or settled status) at the time of the child's birth. Children born before the parent achieves settlement are not automatically British, but can be registered as British citizens separately.
For someone arriving on a Skilled Worker visa and following the standard route: approximately 6 to 7 years from first entry to British citizenship. 5 years to ILR, 1 year after ILR to become eligible for naturalisation, then 6 months or more for the application to be processed. Those marrying a British citizen and following the spousal route can qualify in approximately 3 to 4 years from entry.
Ready to test your knowledge? Browse 30 real Life in the UK practice questions with answers and handbook references, or start the full CivicPass UK practice series.