British citizenship
Registering your children as British citizens
Independent site, not a government service. Booking and applications are only on gov.uk.
Enter how many children you plan to register and how many will be 18 by the decision. The tool adds the registration and ceremony fees.
Registering children: the fees
Fees to pay
£2,000
| Per child | £1,000 |
| Ceremony for those 18 or over | £130 each |
| Child of an Irish route | £607 |
Only adults naturalise; a child under 18 becomes British by registration, a separate application usually made on form MN1. gov.uk says you apply separately for each child, and Guide AN says it can be done at the same time as a parent applies to naturalise. Registration is needed for a child born outside the UK, or born in the UK before you were granted indefinite leave to remain. A child born in the UK after a parent got indefinite leave, or born in the UK to a British parent, is usually British automatically and needs no application, only a passport. The fee is £1,000 per child under the Home Office table in force since 8 October 2026, with a fee waiver possible for children whose families cannot afford it. A child who turns 18 during the process also pays the £130 ceremony fee and attends a ceremony. Every child gives biometrics, though under-fives give only a photograph.
First British passports for the family
Online, standard passports
£270.50
| Adult, online | £102 |
| Adult, paper form | £115.50 |
| Child, online | £66.50 |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Does your child need registering at all?
| Child | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Born in the UK after a parent got ILR or settled status | usually British automatically | apply for a passport |
| Born in the UK to a British parent | usually British automatically | apply for a passport |
| Born in the UK before a parent got ILR | not British yet | register (form MN1), £1,000 |
| Born outside the UK | not British yet (unless through a British parent) | register (form MN1), £1,000 |
| Turns 18 before you apply | adult | naturalise in their own right |
The table simplifies real law: birth dates before 1983, parents who were British by descent, and children born abroad to British parents each have their own rules. gov.uk has an official checker for whether someone is already British; use it before paying £1,000 for a child who may not need it.
Fees for a family
Registration costs £1,000 for each child. A ceremony fee of £130 is added only for a child who turns 18 during the process, because only adults attend a ceremony. The tool at the top multiplies these out. A worked example: parents naturalising with three children aged 6, 12 and 17, where the eldest will be 18 by the time of the decision, pay £3,130 for the children (£3,000 in registrations plus one ceremony) on top of the adults' £3,678.
gov.uk says that if your child is under 18 and you cannot afford the fee, you may be able to apply for a fee waiver. The priority service, at £500 more per application, is available for children's registrations made online. A lower fee of £607 applies to registration under the provisions for Irish citizens, a different legal basis.
Timing the children's applications
You can apply for children together with your own naturalisation or later. Applying together keeps the process in step: the biometrics appointments can be booked as a family, and the decisions tend to follow similar timescales, usually within 6 months. Applying later can make sense where a child's case depends on a parent already being British, or where the family budget cannot absorb every fee in the same month. Either way, have each child's documents ready: gov.uk says copies can be uploaded to the online service or scanned at the biometrics appointment. Watch birthdays. A child of 17 at application who turns 18 before the decision must attend a ceremony within 90 days of the invitation, as adults do, and pays the ceremony fee.
After the decision
A registered child receives a certificate of registration. Children under 18 do not have to attend a ceremony. If they want to watch a parent's, note that gov.uk says you are usually allowed to take 2 guests, so a larger family should ask the council in advance. The certificate cannot be used to travel, so the next step is a passport: for a child under 16, £66.50 online; from 16, the adult passport at £102 online. The passport calculator below totals the family. Keep the registration certificate safe with the child's other documents: it is the proof of citizenship that later passport applications rely on. The after citizenship page covers applying with a certificate, and the cost page puts the whole household in one figure.