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British National (Overseas) Visa

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British National (Overseas) Visa

The Hong Kong BN(O) route to live, work and study in the UK.

For British National (Overseas) status holders and their eligible family members, whether applying from Hong Kong or switching from inside the UK.

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The British National (Overseas) route lets BN(O) status holders and their family members come to the UK to live, work and study, and can lead to settlement and then citizenship.

The main questions

Do you hold BN(O) status, or are you the family member of someone who does?
Are you ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man?
Can you show you are able to accommodate and support yourself for the first six months?
Are you applying for five years at once, or two years and six months?
Does anyone in the household need to be included as a dependant?

Family members

A BN(O) status holder can usually bring a partner and children under 18, and in some circumstances an adult child born on or after 1 July 1997 together with that child's own partner and children.

Since the rules changed, an adult child of a BN(O) status holder may also apply independently while the status holder remains in Hong Kong. The relationships that qualify are narrower than people expect, so it is worth confirming the position before anyone books travel or resigns from a job.

What we check

That BN(O) status is held, rather than assumed from a former passport.
Which family members qualify, and whether they must apply at the same time or can follow later.
The accommodation and maintenance evidence, which is assessed on the household as a whole.
Tuberculosis testing where it is required.
Your immigration history, so we can confirm the matter is within our Level 1 authorisation.

Settlement and citizenship

Under the current rules, time on the route counts towards indefinite leave to remain after five years of continuous residence, and British citizenship is usually available twelve months after that. Settlement rules are under review, so check the current position before planning around a date. Absences from the UK and gaps in permission are the two things that most often disturb the qualifying period, so they are worth tracking from the first grant. Your permission is held as an eVisa in your UKVI account.

Before you apply
A BN(O) passport does not need to be current, but the status does need to be established. Do not assume an expired document is enough on its own.
Applications are usually made from Hong Kong or from inside the UK. Applying from a third country is possible in limited circumstances only.
The Immigration Health Surcharge is payable for the whole period of leave and is a substantial cost for a family. Budget for it before you choose the five-year option.

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.

Our IAA regulation How we work Fees

Questions clients often ask

Can I apply if my BN(O) passport has expired?

Yes. BN(O) status does not expire, even though the passport does. What matters is that the status can be established, which the Home Office can usually verify from its own records. An expired passport is still useful evidence and should be included.

Can my adult child apply if I stay in Hong Kong?

In some cases yes. An adult child born on or after 1 July 1997 to a BN(O) status holder may be able to apply independently, with their own partner and children. The eligibility conditions are specific, so this should be checked before anyone gives notice at work or school.

Should I apply for five years or for two years and six months?

Both lead to the same place. The shorter option spreads the Immigration Health Surcharge and application fees over two payments, but means a further application later. We discuss the cash-flow position and the possibility of a rule change before you choose.

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.

GOV.UK content is published by the UK government and is not part of this website.

Talk to us about british national (overseas) visa

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.

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The enquiry button opens the secure WLIS enquiry form on enquiry.wlisuk.com in a new tab. Please do not send identity documents until we ask for them.