Eligibility
This page provides details of the requirements you need to meet for us to naturalise you as a British citizen.
There are seven requirements you need to meet before you apply:
- you are aged 18 or over; and
- you are of sound mind; and
- you intend to continue to live in the United Kingdom, or to continue in crown service, the service of an international organisation of which the United Kingdom is a member, or the service of a company or association established in the United Kingdom; and
- you can communicate in English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic to an acceptable degree; and
- you have sufficient knowledge of life in the United Kingdom; and
- you are of good character; and
- you meet the residential requirements (these are detailed in full below)
Residential requirements
To demonstrate the residential requirements for naturalisation you need to:
- have been resident in the United Kingdom for at least five years (this is known as the residential qualifying period); and
- have been present in the United Kingdom five years before the date of your application; and
- have not spent more than 450 days outside the United Kingdom during the five year period; and
- have not spend more than 90 days outside the United Kingdom in the last 12 months of the five-year period; and
- have not been in breach of the immigration rules at any stage during the five-year period.
