Obtain UK
Nationality & become British Citizen
Becoming a citizen of the UK:
Becoming a citizen of the country in which you live not only allows you to show
your commitment to Britain, but also only permits you to take a full part in the
life of the community. Britain permits you to hold more than one nationality; so
opting for citizenship does not mean you need to give up your original passport
- unless of course your own country requires you to.
Obtaining citizenship is not difficult, and for many people the time you need to
live here before you can qualify is not long. There are two main ways to
qualify, and to apply for 'naturalisation' as a British citizen. In both cases
you must first be granted indefinite leave to remain (settlement) in the UK. One
route depends on being married to someone who is already British, and the other,
which has a longer qualifying period, depends simply on the length of your
residence here. There are detailed rules about the length of time you have lived
here, how long you can be away and still qualify, and where you intend to live
in future.
In both cases you will need to pass a test, designed to show that you speak
enough English, and that you know something about life in this country. Your
record will also be checked to see whether you are considered to be 'of good
character'.
There are special rules about citizenship applications for children.