How do you apply for British citizenship by naturalisation in 2026?

On the standard section 6(1) route you must be 18 or over, free from immigration time restrictions, and usually hold indefinite leave or EUSS settled status for 12 months before applying. You must also intend to continue living in the UK and meet the good-character requirement in Home Office nationality guidance.

You must prove you were physically in the UK on the day exactly five years before the Home Office receives the application. An online Form AN application is treated as received the same day. Post is slower, so the presence day can shift. Absences across the five-year window are judged against Guide AN limits (commonly discussed as no more than 450 days total and 90 days in the final year, subject to discretion).

If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, the three-year spouse route can allow you to apply as soon as you hold indefinite leave, with presence measured three years back instead of five. Irish citizens are treated as free from time restrictions for naturalisation purposes from arrival, without needing ILR first.

Pass the Life in the UK Test at an approved centre unless an exemption applies. Prove knowledge of English, Welsh, or Scottish Gaelic with an accepted qualification or exemption. Prepare identity and settlement evidence: passport, your eVisa share code or unique application number showing indefinite leave, and older Home Office letters if needed. Foreign civil documents may need legalisation before you upload them: apostille documents for the UK.

Apply online on Form AN, pay the citizenship fee and ceremony fee shown on GOV.UK at the time you apply, then book biometrics at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services point. Upload scans or have documents scanned at the appointment. Keep your eVisa details accurate while the case is pending.

After approval you attend a citizenship ceremony. Only then are you British. Afterwards you can apply for a British passport and, where eligible, register to vote.