Citizenship Application Procedure after ILR SET(M) - Reference Doc

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 22th August 2022

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee.
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it. Register and book Biometric Appointment – availability approx 21days as of April 2022.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years).
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 26th August 2022

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee.
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years).
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.








.

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 26th August 2022

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years).
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.










.

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 14th Sep 2022

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years).
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.










.

Copied from another thread as pertinent

I'm a newly-minted UK citizen / UK Yankee and am happy to answer your questions. I filed the application on 24 February and received notice of approval on 22 April. Processing time for citizenship applications aeems to have been relatively short recently - people who applied around the same time as I have been reporting similar processing time of two to three months. Hope it has stayed that way.

In my case, most effort went into finding suitable referees and, like Larrabee, getting details of past traffic offences etc. These need not be disclosed for visa applications but they do for citizenship. I went on a search through driving and court records that were available online for speeding tickets I incurred in my "reckless days of youth". 

In the end I couldn't find much - the records have been expunged - and I had to resort to best guesses. There is a 500-letter comment section in the application form that I could use to explain what I did.
......

Perhaps the trickiest thing you should be aware of is not the application itself, but what come afterwards and how they would impact your future travel plans. Once your application is approved, you are required to attend a citizenship ceremony within three months. You become a UK citizen formally at the ceremony, and you'll be required to cut up your BRP and send it to Home Office.

Until the citizenship ceremony you can still travel as a permanent resident with a foreign passport and BRP. After the ceremony, you are supposed to carry a UK passport to travel in and out of the country (although people have been reporting success reentering UK with a foreign passport and the naturalisation certificate).

When you apply for the first UK passport though, you'll have to send in the naturalisation certificate and your current passport(s) to the Passport Office. This means there will be a period in which you don't have a valid travel document at hand. I'm in that limbo right now waiting for my first UK passport.

Finally (phew!): typically the UK Passport Office sends you the new passport before returning your supporting documents. From what I have been reading online, the time gap between the two could be substantial (several weeks). If you are a UK Yankee like myself, if you want to travel back to the US you MUST carry your American passport as an American citizen (the US is very strict on this). This could further delay travel plans to the US.

So - as I'm experiencing right now - your travel abroad will be "significantly impacted" for several months after the citizenship application. Be aware of that, and time your application / plan your travel accordingly.

Another Timeline here from Beatlemania

Hi everyone. It's been awhile since I've posted but wanted to share my timeline for British Citizenship this year. I am pleased to say that everything went much quicker than expected, though YMMV.

My citizenship application timeline:
Online application submitted: 19 March 2022
Biometrics: 5 April 2022 (done via the app, which was good because I was really struggling to find an appointment that didn't involve a fair bit of travel)
Approval e-mail: 13 June 2022
Citizenship ceremony: 6 September 2022 (originally scheduled for 5 July but I caught Covid and then was away for the August ceremony in my county)

Passport application timeline:
Online application submitted: 6 September 2022 (I was very eager to get it in due to the 10 weeks projection for applications- I want to go home for Christmas!)
Identity confirmed: 6 September 2022
Documents sent: 8 September 2022 (just had to send my Certificate of Naturalisation and my US passport. Sent via courier due to Royal Mail strikes.)
Arrived at passport office: 9 September 2022
Documents received e-mail: 12 September 2022
Interview request received: 20 September 2022 (even though newly naturalised applicants aren't supposed to require an interview, the query line said I should book it if requested).
Interview: 1 October 2022 (done via TEAMS, 20 minutes, very quick and easy, just questions about myself (and the gentleman was so nice.))
Approval e-mail: 1 October 2022 (literally 10 minutes after my interview)
Passport printed e-mail: 4 October 2022 (at 1am)
Passport delivered: 4 October 2022 (the same day I received the e-mail!)

So just about two months processing for citizenship and then a very speedy month for my passport, a vast improvement to the six months for citizenship and ten weeks for the passport. And everything was much simpler than the other applications! Now I am breathing a big sigh of relief. I would definitely recommend paying the £5 extra to have your documents returned by courier because they arrived in the same delivery as my passport.

I just want to say a big thank you to this forum for their help over these last 8(!) years. Your collective assistance has been invaluable.

Cheers!

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated  21st Nov 2022 - Our Citizenship Approval came through today - 12 weeks after application.

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years).
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.
*Average Citizenship Application processing times 8-12 weeks (Nov 2022)* 










.

What counts as "Proof of living in the UK for Ms Jordan Alyn Mitchell for 5 years if applying in your own right or 3 years if
applying as the spouse of a British Citizen"?

I've got all my postal evidence for ILR still all together, do I re-submit that? Or maybe just the letter from my employer since I've been there for over three years?

What counts as "Proof of living in the UK for Ms Jordan Alyn Mitchell for 5 years if applying in your own right or 3 years if
applying as the spouse of a British Citizen"?

I've got all my postal evidence for ILR still all together, do I re-submit that? Or maybe just the letter from my employer since I've been there for over three years?

All you should need to include as proof of residence is your passport(s).

It actually says this on Form AN (the paper application form for UK citizenship):

3: Evidence you were physically present in the UK:
• 3 years ago (if the applicant is married or in civil partnership with a British citizen), or
• 5 years ago (for all other applications)
For most applications this will be your passports but if your passports do not confirm this, letters from employers, educational establishments or other Government Departments indicating presence in UK.

All you should need to include as proof of residence is your passport(s).

It actually says this on Form AN (the paper application form for UK citizenship):

Thank you!

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated  2nd Dec 2022 - Our Citizenship Approval came through today - 12 weeks after application.

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years) .
- Proof of Living in the UK for 3 years if applying as the spouse of a British Citizen (or 5 years if applying in your own right). (For most applications this will be your passports but if your passports do not confirm this, letters from employers, educational establishments or other Government Departments indicating presence in UK.)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.
*Average Citizenship Application processing times 8-12 weeks (Nov 2022)* 










.

Hello, I've got another procedure question which is mostly vanity related.

The signed passport photo that you have to send in, is that kept and stored anywhere?

Essentially I want to know how much effort I should put into looking pulled together, would hate to send a busted looking photo for what will be used in my passport later, but also don't want to waste the effort on something that gets tossed haha

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 27th Jan 2023

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years) .
- Proof of Living in the UK for 3 years if applying as the spouse of a British Citizen (or 5 years if applying in your own right). (For most applications this will be your passports but if your passports do not confirm this, letters from employers, educational establishments or other Government Departments indicating presence in UK.)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.
*Average Citizenship Application processing times 8-12 weeks (Nov 2022)* 










.

Thank you so much for putting all of this helpful information in one place! @mbmoffat - we started our journey in April 2017 too! & I've just finally sent in my citizenship application this month.

Do you - or does anyone know - if we need actual printed passport photos for the biometrics appointment? I don't see anything about it in the Guide AN file. I used digital photos for the referee forms and was hoping to get away with a paperless application!

- Jess

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 27th Jan 2023

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years) .
- Proof of Living in the UK for 3 years if applying as the spouse of a British Citizen (or 5 years if applying in your own right). (For most applications this will be your passports but if your passports do not confirm this, letters from employers, educational establishments or other Government Departments indicating presence in UK.)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.
*Average Citizenship Application processing times 8-12 weeks (Nov 2022)* 










.

Has anyone recently got their approval? My biometrics appointment was on 22 Dec and haven't heard anything since.