British citizenship: Procedure

This section explains the complete guidence to apply to become a British citizen or to register for another form of British nationality.
You should make sure you have read the relevant part of the eligibility section before you make your application. You will need to pay a fee when you make your application. If you make an application for registration and it is unsuccessful because you are not eligible, we will not refund your fee.

Applying:
Depending on your current citizenship or nationality you may be able to apply in several ways. You should read the requirements for each type of application that is relevant and decide which is best for you. for more information on Tpes of application, Forms and Eligibility check out the British citizenship section.

Cost of applying:
You must pay the full fee when you make your application. The fee you need to pay will depend on the type of application you are making. check fees leaflet (2.0M opens in a new window) contains information about the fees you will have to pay, and a payment slip that you should send with your application form and fee.

You may pay by cheque, credit card or debit card, or by using transcash. You should not send cash or postal orders.

If paying by transcash, you should complete a transcash form and take it with the correct form to the post office. You should send one counterfoil with your form and supporting documents, and retain the second counterfoil as proof of your payment.

You can obtain a transcash form from the post office. The credit account number to be used is 4601793.

Ways to apply for British citizenship or nationality:
There are three ways to apply if you are in the United Kingdom.

1. Applying through the Nationality Checking Service (NCS)
The nationality checking service is provided by local authorities (for example your county council or city council). A local authority can accept and forward your application to us. They will ensure that your form is correctly completed, and they will copy your documents and return them to you. They will ensure that your application is validly submitted and that the unwaivable requirements for citizenship are met.
There are a number of advantages:

• last year only 2% of applications made this way were unsuccessful. This compares with 10% refusals for other applications;
• you can keep hold of your documents (like your passport) - we can, however, request the originals if we need them.

2. Applying through an agents or representative:
A representative can act on your behalf. Many representatives will be able to give you nationality advice. You should ensure that any representative is registered with the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner. You should submit original documents. More complex cases tend to be submitted through agents or representatives.

3. Individual applications:
You may apply directly without using the nationality checking service or a representative. You must submit either original documents, or a fully certified photocopy of your documents.
The application form and guide gives guidance on what documents need to be submitted and your application may be delayed if you do not submit the necessary documentation.

Where to send your application form:

The address to send your application form, fee and supporting documents depends on whether you are currently in or outside the United Kingdom.

If you are currently in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Your application form, fee and supporting documents should be sent to:
UK Border AgencyDepartment 1, PO Box 306, Liverpool, L2 0QN

If you are currently in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
Your application form, fee and supporting documents should be sent to the Lieutenant Governor.

If you are currently in a British overseas territory
Your application form, fee and supporting documents should be sent to the Governor.

If you are elsewhere
Your application form, fee and supporting documents should be sent to the nearest British diplomatic post. You may have to pay an additional fee to cover the cost of the post forwarding copies of your documents. You should contact the post for details of this fee. A British diplomatic post is a United Kingdom embassy, high commission or consulate.

If you have sent applications or documents to us by recorded or special delivery, you can confirm receipt by visiting the Royal Mail website

Waiting times:

Applications made since January 2009 may take up to six months to complete. However, this is only an average waiting time - some applications may be dealt with more quickly and some may take longer, depending on the nature of the enquiries to be carried out.

Processing your application:

What you can expect:

• Acknowledge that they have received your application.
• will write to you and ask additional documents for them and they will give you three weeks to respond. If you do not respond, we will decide your application on the information they already have.
• May ask you to attend an interview, which could be conducted by the police or other representative. Depending on the circumstances, the interview may be held in your home, or you may be invited to attend an interview at our office in Liverpool. During the interview, you will be asked to give more details about your application. You will be expected to talk without an interpreter.
• If your application is unsuccessful they will write to tell you the reason. You can ask us to review our decision if you think decision was not soundly based on current nationality law or policy.
• If you ask to review our decision, they will write to you again after this has been done, giving details on how your application was decided.

What they expect:

• Expect you to respond to their enquiries or requests for documents within a reasonable time.
• While processing your application, you should tell them if any of the information you have sent to them changes. This would include changes of:
  1. marital or civil partnership status; or
  2. address; or
  3. people acting on your behalf.
• You also need to tell if you become involved in a police investigation or anything that may result in criminal charges.
• If your application is successful and you are living in the United Kingdom, you will be invited to attend a citizenship ceremony.
• You will receive a letter of invitation confirming the local authority you should contact to arrange your ceremony.
• You should arrange your ceremony within three months of receiving your invitation otherwise you will have to reapply for naturalisation and pay a further processing fee.