British citizenship
How long a citizenship decision takes
Enter the date the Home Office received your application: the timeline places biometrics, the decision and the ceremony, from the priority target to the standard one.
Change the date: every stage moves with it.
Estimated endbetween 7 Sept 2026 and 26 Apr 2027
1. Done · milestone
Application received
27 Jul 2026
The online form is received the day you send it and pay.
Guide AN2. Done · up to 6 weeks
Biometrics appointment
27 Jul 2026 – 10 Sept 2026
Fingerprints and photo within 45 days.
Guide AN3. In progress · 6 weeks – 5 months
Decision letter
7 Sept 2026 – 26 Jan 2027
Standard target: 6 months from receipt. Priority: 30 working days.
gov.uk: priority service4. Coming · up to 3 months
Ceremony
7 Sept 2026 – 26 Apr 2027
Within 90 days of the invitation.
gov.uk: citizenship ceremonies
The Home Office aims to decide naturalisation applications within 6 months of receiving them, and Guide AN says most applicants will usually get a decision within that time, while some take longer. If yours is expected to run over, the Home Office says it will contact you before the 6 months are up, and it asks applicants not to chase for updates within that period. With the priority service, for £500 extra, the usual time is 30 working days from your identity appointment, though checks with other government departments or a complex case can push it back. The clock depends on you as well: biometrics must be given within 45 days or the application becomes invalid, and a request for more information pauses progress until you answer. Throughout the wait you need valid permission to stay in the UK, because a citizenship application gives you no status. After a grant comes the ceremony, within 90 days of the invitation.
Standard or priority: when could the decision come?
Priority target
from 21 December 2026
| Priority extra fee | £500 |
| Standard: usually within | 6 months, by 9 May 2027 |
| Priority: usually within | 30 working days |
Working days counted Monday to Friday; bank holidays push the date later. Targets, not guarantees.
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The phases of the wait
| Phase | Time | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Submission | day 0 (online: same day) | you |
| Biometrics appointment | within 45 days | you, at a service point |
| Checks and decision, standard | usually within 6 months of receipt | Home Office |
| Checks and decision, priority | usually 30 working days from the appointment | Home Office |
| Ceremony invitation to ceremony | within 90 days | you and your local authority |
The two tools give the dates for your case. The timeline at the top runs from the day the Home Office receives your form, through biometrics and the decision, to the end of the ceremony window; the checker below compares the standard and priority targets from your biometrics appointment. Both use targets published by the Home Office, not guarantees.
Keeping your status valid while you wait
Guide AN is explicit that a nationality application does not give you any immigration status. For most applicants this is no worry: indefinite leave to remain and EU settled status do not expire, and gov.uk counts pre-settled status as permission too. Two situations need attention:
- Long absences. Indefinite leave lapses after 2 years in a row outside the UK. Nobody waits that long for a decision, but someone who leaves soon after applying and stays away should do the sum, and remember the future intention requirement on the standard route.
- Documents. Your BRP may have expired; the status it showed has not. Guide AN accepts an expired BRP as evidence up to 24 months after its expiry date, and not after 31 December 2026. An eVisa is the lasting proof.
Why a case stalls
Some causes of delay sit in the file itself, and you can head them off before submitting:
- Missing or wrong reference numbers for the Life in the UK Test or the English test, which the caseworker must then chase.
- Absences that do not match the Home Office's own records of entry and exit.
- A first day of the qualifying period spent abroad. The Home Office may move your application date to a later day when you qualify, if that works in your favour, but this "may result in delays", and if the fee changed in between you pay the new one. The nationality guidance also lets a caseworker put an application on hold when you will meet the requirement shortly.
- Good character points needing enquiries with the police, HMRC or other departments.
A caseworker who needs more will write to you. Answer quickly and completely: the case cannot move on while the request is open.
Travel is allowed while you wait. Guide AN says you need not tell the Home Office about trips, but you must enrol biometrics in time, be reachable quickly by email, and be able to return for a ceremony once invited. Because the application gives no immigration permission, you show your own status at the border when you come back.
When the letter comes
A grant arrives as an invitation to a citizenship ceremony, often by email, naming the local authority to contact. You then have 90 days to arrange and attend; the ceremony page has the details. A refusal letter gives the reasons, and the refusal page explains the review and reapplication options. If time matters from the start, compare the options on the priority service page before you apply, since it can only be chosen when you submit.