Services
British Citizenship and Nationality
Naturalisation and registration applications, and checking whether you are already British.
For settled adults considering naturalisation, for children who may be able to register, and for anyone unsure whether they are already British.
Services within British Citizenship and Nationality
British nationality law is different from ordinary visa law. Some people are already British. Others may apply to naturalise or to register.
The main application types
- Naturalisation — for adults with settlement or another qualifying status. The qualifying residence differs by application type, and is shorter for the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen.
- Registration — for children, and for some adults, where the British Nationality Act provides a route.
Citizenship and passports
Becoming a British citizen does not issue a passport. After the citizenship ceremony, a British passport is a separate application to HM Passport Office.
Dual nationality
The UK permits dual nationality, but another country's law may restrict or affect your ability to keep its nationality. Check the law of the other country before you apply.
An important caution
Not every child born in the UK is British. Birth date and the parents' status at the time are essential to the answer.
How WLIS can help
- 1 We check that the route suits your plans and that the matter is a straightforward one within our IAA Level 1 authorisation.
- 2 We review your eligibility and your documents, and explain plainly anything that needs attention.
- 3 We give you a document checklist written for your circumstances rather than a generic one.
- 4 We prepare the application form and supporting documents, and you check and approve the final information before anything is submitted.
- 5 We help with submission, biometrics or identity steps, and your eVisa and UKVI account after the decision.
What we can and cannot help with
We provide advice and application assistance for straightforward immigration matters within our IAA Level 1 Immigration authorisation. Where a matter falls outside that authorisation — for example because it involves adverse immigration history, a discretionary or human-rights claim, an administrative review, an appeal or tribunal work — we will tell you and signpost or refer you to an adviser authorised at the appropriate level.
If an application is refused, we will explain the decision and whether any further work remains within our Level 1 authorisation. Where an administrative review, an appeal or other higher-level casework is needed, we will signpost or refer you to an appropriately authorised adviser. We do not provide appeal or tribunal representation.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) makes the final decision on every application. No immigration adviser can guarantee that an application will be approved.
Questions clients often ask
Could I already be British without knowing it?
It happens more often than people expect, particularly where a parent or grandparent was born in the UK or in a former British territory, or where nationality law changed after your birth. Checking this first is worthwhile, because if you are already a citizen you need a passport application, not a naturalisation application.
Naturalisation or registration — which one applies to me?
Naturalisation is the route for adults who hold settlement or another qualifying status. Registration covers children and certain adults with a specific route under nationality law, often arising from birth in the UK or from a parent's status. The requirements and the fees differ, so the route needs to be identified before the form is chosen.
Will I have to give up my current nationality?
The UK permits dual nationality, so British law will not require you to give anything up. Another country's law may restrict or affect your ability to keep its nationality, and some countries withdraw their nationality automatically when a citizen naturalises elsewhere. Check the law of the other country before you apply.
Official sources we check
We check what we publish against the Home Office's own guidance. These are the GOV.UK pages behind the advice on this site — use them to confirm anything you read here, because the rules change and the official page is always the current one.
- UK visas and immigration (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Applying for a visa from outside the UK (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Extending or switching inside the UK (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Family visas and financial requirement (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Skilled Worker and sponsor rules (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Sponsor guidance collection (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Student visa (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Graduate visa (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Standard Visitor (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Returning resident visa (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Settlement (indefinite leave to remain) (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Long residence (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- British citizenship (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- EU Settlement Scheme (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- British National (Overseas) visa (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- HM Armed Forces settlement (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- eVisas and UKVI accounts (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- DNA evidence in immigration applications (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Home Office immigration and nationality fees (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
- Immigration Advice Authority (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
GOV.UK content is published by the UK government and is not part of this website.
Talk to us about british citizenship and nationality
Tell us what you want to apply for, the status you hold now and when your current permission ends. We will confirm whether the matter is within our Level 1 authorisation and offer a suitable appointment.
The enquiry form is on this site and reaches us directly. Please do not send identity documents until we ask for them.