Application to Become a British Citizen

Applications for British citizenship must be completed according to Home Office's instructions.

Applications for British citizenship are processed by the UK Border Agency, also known as UKBA. This is the division of Home Office which handles immigration and naturalization for the United Kingdom. Once a person becomes eligible to naturalize as a British citizen, they may fill out an application and submit it to UKBA for processing.

Personal Information

The first section of Form AN, the application for naturalization as a British citizen, focuses on the applicant's personal information. This includes name data, address information, data about the applicant's present nationality and a brief personal history. This section provides a general overview of the applicant which can be used to verify or confirm data in the required evidence.

Partner's Details

This section covers information about the applicant's partner or spouse. This section must be completed even if the applicant is not nationalizing based on marriage to a British citizen. In this section, questions include the date of marriage, place of marriage and data on the partner such as their birth date, nationality, country of residence and previous marriages.

Residency Requirements

All applicants must meet a minimum residency in the UK in order to apply for naturalization as a British citizen. For most UK visa holders, this means that the person must reside in the UK for five years before applying. Those who are naturalizing based on marriage to a UK citizen may apply after just three years of continuous residency. The residency section asks questions about all trips outside of the UK in the past five years and their duration.

Good Character Requirement

The good character requirement is a section which examines the character of the applicant. Any criminal history must be disclosed in this section. It also asks for the applicant's place of employment and a tax office reference so that UKBA may examine the applicant's employment history in the UK.

Crown Service

This section of the application is where the applicant may outline any crown military service served. It also asks about the applicant's spouse or partner's service, if applicable. In this section, describe any service including the dates, locations and ID numbers for any positions which have been held.

References

The last section of the application is the section for references. Each applicant must provide two character references. At least one reference must be a UK citizen and have professional standing or be over the age of 25. The other reference may be of any nationality but must hold professional standing, such as a doctor, minister, business owner or as a member of a professional body.

References

• UKBA: How do I apply for naturalisation as a British citizen?
• UKBA: Form AN