British citizenship: five years, 450 days and £1,839

Naturalisation is not another visa or an extension of your status. It is a one-off application that turns a foreign national with permission to live here into a British citizen with a passport. It costs £1,839, and the money is gone whether the Home Office says yes or no. That makes the conditions worth reading before you pay, not after.

How long do you need to have lived in the UK?

Five years — plus twelve months holding settlement on top. GOV.UK asks for five years of residence in the UK and at least 12 months holding indefinite leave to remain, settled status or indefinite leave to enter. If you are married to a British citizen, the 12-month wait does not apply: you can apply as soon as you have settlement.

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There is also a start date people forget. You must have been physically present in the UK exactly five years before the day the Home Office receives your application. Not roughly that week — that day.

ILR, settled status, indefinite leave to enter — what is the difference?

All three are the same thing in substance: permanent permission to live in the UK. What differs is the route by which you got it, and any of the three qualifies you for naturalisation.

Indefinite leave to remain is what GOV.UK also calls settlement: the way you settle in the UK, giving you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like and to apply for benefits if you are eligible. It is granted while you are already in the country, usually after five years on a work or family visa.

Settled status is the same permission granted through the EU Settlement Scheme to citizens of the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and their family members. GOV.UK describes it in those words — "indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme". It usually follows five years of continuous residence, and you had to be living in the UK by 31 December 2020.

Indefinite leave to enter is, in GOV.UK's own gloss, permission to move to the UK permanently from abroad: you arrive already settled rather than becoming settled here.

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Pre-settled status has a route too, with more conditions: you must be from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein or be their family member, have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020, and have lived here five years in a row while working, looking for work for up to three months, studying or being self-sufficient.

How many days abroad are allowed?

No more than 450 days across the five years, and no more than 90 days in the last twelve months. These are two separate ceilings and you have to clear both. Someone who travelled steadily and stayed under 450 days will still be refused if they spent 100 days abroad in the final year.

Long absences are counted separately again, because they can cost you the settlement itself. Indefinite leave to remain lapses after more than two years away in one stretch — you would then need a Returning Resident visa. Settled status has a different threshold: five years away, or four years for Swiss citizens and their family members with settled status.

What is the Life in the UK test and what does it cost?

It is 24 questions on British traditions and customs with 45 minutes to answer them. You book online at least 3 days in advance and it costs £50. You do not take it if you are under 18 or 65 or over.

What English do you need, and who is exempt?

An English qualification at B1, B2, C1 or C2 level from the GOV.UK approved list, or a degree that was taught or researched in English. Welsh and Scottish Gaelic count in place of English.

You are exempt if you are 65 or over, or if a long-term physical or mental condition prevents you — which needs an exemption form completed by a doctor plus original copies of current relevant medical reports. Nationals of a set list of countries are exempt too: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland (citizenship only), Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. Everyone else proves their English even if English is an official language where they come from.

One detail catches people who were exempted on medical grounds at the settlement stage: the exemption does not carry over. The form has to be submitted again for citizenship.

What makes up the £1,839?

£1,709 is the application itself and £130 is the citizenship ceremony. Two further requirements sit outside the money and are judged by the Home Office on its own guidance: good character, and not having broken UK immigration laws during those five years.

How is the application made?

Online. After applying you book an appointment at a UKVCAS service point to give your biometric information — fingerprints and a photo. Nothing is posted anywhere: you either upload copies of your documents into the online service or have them scanned at that appointment. Applying from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory, you are told where to give biometrics after you apply.