How long will the process take? Applying for permanent residence and then citizenship in the UK is a long process; the application for your first adult British passport is no different. Generally, you should allow up to 10 weeks for your passport application to process, according to the gov.uk website.
You can usually apply for ILR after you've lived in the UK for 5 years. To apply for citizenship with ILR you must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting it.
3 Year Route To Naturalisation
Although there are many visa applications in this route it is the fastest way of becoming naturalised as a British Citizen within the UK visa system.
Processing times in the UK
Allow up to 10 weeks to receive your passport. There are different turnaround times if you're applying from another country.
Can I leave the UK while waiting for my UK Citizenship application to be processed? Yes, once you have applied for British Citizenship, you can travel outside the UK while your application is being considered.
Becoming British is one of the most arduous and expensive citizenship processes in the world. Many of the tens of thousands of people who are accepted as UK citizens each year will have faced years of preparation and bills of between £5,000 and £10,000.
Dual citizenship (also known as dual nationality) is allowed in the UK. This means you can be a British citizen and also a citizen of other countries. You do not need to apply for dual citizenship.
You'll usually get a decision within 6 months - some applications can take longer. It may take longer than the usual 6 months to get a decision because of coronavirus (COVID-19). This will not affect the decision. You'll be told if you need to provide more information to help with your application.
British citizen
British citizenship allows you to live and work in the United Kingdom free from UK immigration controls. As a British citizen, you are also entitled to a UK passport that you can use to travel freely in and out of the country.
If your passport doesn't arrive in time
Speak to your travel provider(s) to see if there's anything they can do. They might not be able to provide a refund, but you might be able to change the dates of your trip or offer credit vouchers to rebook.
The print queue is also separate thus ensuring faster print of Tatkaal passports i.e. a Tatkaal passport would be dispatched within 1-3 days of applicant visiting PSK as against a Normal application which would take longer.
Expedite a Renewal
Fill out your DS-82 application and collect your documents. Be sure to include the $60 expedite fee in addition to the normal application fee. See Passport Fees for more information. Clearly mark "EXPEDITE" on the outside of the envelope.
Normal adult passport renewals average better - at just 27 days. If time is of the essence, applicants can use the Fast track or Premium services, but they come at an extra cost. There are two different prices though. For a standard adult passport with 34-pages, it costs £75.50 if you apply online.
You can either apply using the online premium service or the one week fast track service. The online option, which can only be used to renew an adult passport issued after 31 December 2001, costs £177 (or £187 for a 50-page frequent traveller passport).
You can pay to get your passport sooner if you've not already applied and you think the non-urgent service will take too long. You need to book a passport office appointment and pay online. You can book an appointment up to 3 weeks in advance.
Call the passport advice line on 0300 222 0000.
The Passport Office has said it will prioritise applications if you've been waiting more than ten weeks and you're due to travel in the next two weeks or need to travel due to "compassionate or compelling circumstances".
You're usually automatically a British citizen if you were both: born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983. born when one of your parents was a British citizen or 'settled' in the UK.
Voting and citizenship
Your UK citizenship will not be affected if you move or retire abroad.
You are allowed to spend time outside of the UK so long as these periods of absence do not exceed 6 months at any one time. It does not matter how much time you spend outside of the UK in total during the required 5-year continuous residence period provided you return each time after a maximum of 6 months.
In 2022, it costs £1,330 to make an application to naturalise as a British citizen. This includes the fee for the citizenship ceremony. In recent years the UK government has not increased the mandatory fee of £1,330 but this is subject to a review.
You may travel to another country, including your home country, provided no other legal impediment precludes you from doing so. However, if a trip lasts longer than 180 days, USCIS may determine that you have not continuously resided in the United States and therefore are ineligible for naturalization.