Applying for citizenship
Once you have passed the Life in the UK test, you can start the process of filing your application for citizenship.

Completing your Citizenship Application Form
There are many different Citizenship Application forms available, however most applications are for naturalisation, and so use the AN Form. You can download a copy of the British Citizenship Application form here. If your application is non-standard then click here for a list of all the available forms

Be careful that you correctly submit your application. It is not possible to get a refund for incorrect applications. Thousands of citizenship applications are rejected each year for reasons that could have easily been avoided. Download this free Home Office guide to ensure you fill your application form correctly.

Submitting you Citizenship Application Form
There are two ways that you can submit your application. The traditional method has been to post your application to the Home Office for processing. This requires you to send valuable documents with your application.

An alternative way of sending your application is to use the Nationality Checking Service (NCS). The service has two benefits:

1. Your application is checked to make sure it has been completed correctly and that all required supporting documentation is attached.
2. Valuable documents (such as passports) are photocopied and returned.

This service is offered by many local councils and is very popular. It should cost about £40 to submit your application using the service.
Click here to check if the NCS is available in your area.

Waiting Times
Note that these are not official statistics or agreed response times, and must be used as guidance only.

The Home Office advises that you should not to make any non-urgent travel arrangements until your passport(s) or travel document(s) have been returned.

The waiting times for citizenship applications varies according to individual circumstances and other factors, including the number of applications under consideration at a particular time.

At the moment it takes the Home Office an average of 2.63 months to reach a decision for citizenship applications.