Naturalisation as a British Citizen

For adults with settlement or another qualifying permanent status.

For settled adults, including people married to British citizens, who want to apply for citizenship.

What we will check

The qualifying residence period that applies to your application type, and your absences from the UK.
That you were in the UK lawfully throughout the qualifying period.
How long you have held settlement, where that matters for your route.
Good character, including immigration, criminal and financial history.
English language and Life in the UK requirements.

Common problems
Absences above the limits for the qualifying period.
Applying before the required time with settlement has passed.
Unpaid tax, penalties or driving offences within the good-character period.
Not disclosing something the Home Office already knows about.

If your history includes illegal entry, overstaying, illegal working, deception or criminality, the application is not a straightforward Level 1 matter. We will explain this and signpost you to an appropriately authorised adviser.

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

How long must I hold settlement before applying?

Most applicants apply twelve months after receiving indefinite leave to remain or settled status. Those applying as the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen can generally apply once they hold settlement, provided the residence requirements are met. Both routes also look back over a qualifying period of residence, and the length differs between them.

Do absences from the UK affect my application?

Yes. There are limits on total absences across the qualifying period and on absences in the final twelve months. Because the calculation is unforgiving, we rebuild the travel history from passports and travel records before advising you to apply.

Will a criminal record or unpaid tax stop me?

The good character requirement covers far more than serious convictions: fixed penalties, driving offences, unpaid tax, immigration breaches and deception in earlier applications are all considered. Where your history includes matters like these, the application is not a straightforward Level 1 matter, and we will signpost you to an appropriately authorised adviser.

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 naturalisation as a british citizen

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.

Start an enquiry See how we work

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.