British Citizenship – The European Route

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Further Information

Eligibility

You can apply for British citizenship by ‘naturalisation’ if you:

are 18 or over
are a national of a European Economic Area (EEA) country
have had permanent residence status for the last 12 months – you’ll need a permanent residence document to prove this

You must also:

prove you were in the UK exactly 5 years before the day the Home Office receives your application
prove your knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic
have passed the life in the UK test
intend to continue living in the UK
be of good character

Residency requirements

You should have lived in the UK for at least 5 years before the date of your application.

You cannot include any time spent in the UK when you’re exempt from immigration control (for example, as a diplomat or member of visiting armed forces).

You should also not have:

spent more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
broken any UK immigration laws (for example working illegally in the UK)

Apply for your children

You must apply separately for your children – you cannot include them in your own application.

You can apply to ‘register’ your child for citizenship if they were born either:

outside of the UK
in the UK before you got permanent residence status

When you do not need to apply for your child

Your child is automatically a British citizen if they were born both:

in the UK
after you got permanent residence status

You can apply for a child’s passport if your child is under 16.

Your child can apply for an adult passport if they’re over 16.

After you've applied

You’ll get a letter confirming your application. It can take up to 4 weeks.

When you'll get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 6 months – some applications can take longer.

You’ll get a letter if you need to give more information to help with your application.

Attending a citizenship ceremony

You’ll need to attend a citizenship ceremony if your application is successful.

Travelling to and from the UK

Once you have a British passport you must use this to enter the UK.

If you do not want a British passport you can apply for a certificate of entitlement instead.

You cannot enter the UK using your certificate of British citizenship.

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