When applying for naturalisation, you will need to provide the following:
Passport (including expired passport) or travel document. Only original passports or travel documents will be accepted for checking, and they must cover the five or three year qualifying period.
Please do not bring your own copies as the checking service team take copies of your original documents. If you do not have a passport or travel document you will need to supply alternative evidence of residency and identification:
These must cover the five or three year residency requirement. You should produce original copies of these documents (if applicable). Please do not bring your own copies of documents as the checking service team must see your original documents and will then take copies.
This will be the passport, or letter from the Home Office, which gave you
indefinite leave to remain in the UK or the right of abode here.
If
you are applying for citizenship based on the five years residence
requirement, you must have been settled for at least one year immediately
prior to your application.
Most people will need to pass a short test on knowledge of life in the UK at a
Life in the UK Test Centre. This test is set in English and passing the test
will indicate both knowledge of English and Life in the UK. You can find out
more about the test at Life in the UK Test, under useful websites.
Alternatively, if you need to improve your English, you can complete a course
of study in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) with
Citizenship. You will need to provide a certificate showing the level you have
attained together with a letter from the college certifying that the course
had the requisite citizenship content.
If you are aged 65 or
over or have a mental or physical disability that prevents you from learning
English or about life in the UK you may apply for an exemption.
Please
contact the Home Office for further information.
The Home Office will accept payment by cheque or credit card only.
The above list is not exhaustive. You should carefully read the Notes of
Guidance supplied with your application form to ensure that you enclose the
appropriate documents and correct fee with your application.
You
should also check with the Home Office that you are using the correct
form. All nationality application forms and guidance notes are available to
download from the Home Office website or telephone the Home Office help line
on 0845 010 5200
The British Nationality Checking Service is not there to give you advice on
immigration or nationality matters. If you have any queries regarding your
eligibility to apply for British Citizenship, you should consult with your
legal advisors or the Home Office.
For more information visit
the Home Office website under useful websites or telephone the Home Office
help line on 0845 010 5200
The Nationality Checking Service (NCS) at Islington Register Office is
registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, an
independent body established by Parliament to regulate organisations offering
services of the kind on offer.
Any complaints relating to the
local authority service must be directed to the Office of the Immigration
Service Commissioner (OISC).
Using the NCS does not mean that your application will receive preferential treatment at the Home Office. However, if your application is complete in every detail, it is more likely to be completed quickly.
The fees charged by the local authorities for administering the NCS are a matter for them rather than the Home Office. Any complaint or comments about the service or the fees should be directed to your local authority in the first instance.
Use of the NCS does not guarantee that an application will be successful. Nor does it guarantee that further enquiries will not have to be made. The Home Office reserves the right to make any enquiries it sees fit in considering a nationality application.
Page Last Updated: 31 October 2008