British citizenship
From the Life in the UK Test to the citizenship ceremony
Independent site, not a government service. Booking and applications are only on gov.uk.
Enter the day you book the test. The timeline lays out every stage with its official length and gives the window in which the certificate could reach you.
Change the date: every stage moves with it.
Estimated endbetween 10 Sept 2027 and 28 Apr 2028
1. Done · 3 days
Pass the Life in the UK Test
30 Jul 2026
Booked at least 3 days ahead; a pass gives the unique reference number.
gov.uk: book the test2. Done · milestone
Settlement granted
30 Jul 2026
Indefinite leave to remain or settled status: the day the waiting year starts.
gov.uk: indefinite leave to remain3. In progress · 12 months
Hold it for 12 months
30 Jul 2027
Required on the five-year route; a spouse or civil partner of a British citizen skips this wait.
Guide AN4. Coming · up to 6 weeks
Apply and give biometrics
30 Jul 2027 – 13 Sept 2027
Form AN online, then fingerprints and photo within 45 days.
Guide AN5. Coming · 6 weeks – 5 months
Home Office decision
10 Sept 2027 – 29 Jan 2028
Usually within 6 months of receipt; 30 working days with the priority service.
gov.uk: priority service6. Coming · up to 3 months
Citizenship ceremony
10 Sept 2027 – 28 Apr 2028
Booked with your council and attended within 90 days of the invitation.
gov.uk: citizenship ceremonies
Becoming British by naturalisation on the usual five-year route takes six stages in a fixed order. First you pass the Life in the UK Test, booked at least 3 days ahead for £50, and keep the reference number. Second, you are granted indefinite leave to remain or EU settled status, an application that already asks for the test and for English at B1. Third, under section 6(1) you hold that status for 12 months, a wait the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen does not have. Fourth, you apply online and pay £1,839, then give fingerprints and a photo within 45 days. Fifth, the Home Office usually decides within 6 months of receipt, or within 30 working days if you add the £500 priority service. Sixth, you book and attend a ceremony within 90 days of the invitation, where the certificate is presented. The timeline above adds these lengths to your own start date.
When can I apply after getting ILR?
Settlement wait ends
2 March 2027
| Wait after ILR | 12 months |
| Also needed | 5 years, at most 450 days away |
| ILR fee (if not yet paid) | £3,226 |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Six stages, one order
Each stage depends on the one before it. The Home Office will not consider citizenship until settlement has been held long enough, and the ceremony invitation only follows an approved application. The table gives the official length of each step and the page where we look at it in depth.
| Stage | Official length | Cost | In depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Life in the UK Test | book at least 3 days ahead | £50 | booking the test |
| 2. Settlement (ILR) | its own application | £3,226 | indefinite leave to remain |
| 3. Hold settlement | 12 months (section 6(1) only) | none | date calculator |
| 4. Apply and biometrics | biometrics within 45 days | £1,839 | how to apply |
| 5. Decision | usually within 6 months; 30 working days on priority | £500 if priority | decision time |
| 6. Ceremony | within 90 days of the invitation | included in the fee | the ceremony |
The timeline at the top of the page uses exactly these figures. Where an official page gives a maximum, such as the 45 days for biometrics or the 90 days for the ceremony, the stage runs from zero to that maximum. Where it gives a target, such as the decision, the earliest end uses the priority target and the latest the standard one. Stages without an official length, such as the day settlement is granted, are drawn as milestones.
Where the waiting year sits
The step people most often misjudge is the third one. On the five-year route the 12 months of settled status must be complete on the day the Home Office receives your form, and the same day ends the 5-year residence period, with its limits of 450 days abroad in total and 90 in the final year. The diagram shows how the two periods overlap.
Settlement is often granted later than the fifth anniversary of arrival, because the settlement route itself has its own qualifying years. That is why the waiting year usually ends after the residence period is already long enough, and why the date calculator tests every day rather than adding five years to an arrival date.
What to prepare at each stage
- Before the test: study the five chapters of the handbook and sit timed mock tests until 18 out of 24 is routine; bring the same identity document you booked with.
- Before settlement: have the test reference number and proof of English at B1, unless you are exempt.
- During the waiting year: keep a dated list of trips; a long journey in the final 90-day window is the commonest reason to move the date.
- At the application: line up 2 referees, settlement evidence, the English evidence and the absences list, then book biometrics without delay.
- While waiting for the decision: keep your settled status valid and avoid long absences; the good character requirement applies until the decision.
- After the invitation: contact the council named in it, book a date inside the 90-day window and bring the invitation and identity documents.
After the ceremony the certificate is the proof of citizenship. A first adult British passport costs £102 online, applied for separately.
What this timeline does not include
It does not count the years that lead to settlement, which depend on your visa route, nor any time spent preparing documents. It also assumes nothing goes wrong: a refusal, a request for more information or a missed ceremony window all add time. Applicants on the spouse route can remove the third stage entirely. The figures are those of 8 October 2026 for fees and of Guide AN and gov.uk for the lengths, and changes announced for later years are tracked on our rule changes page.
We are an independent publisher: we book no test, file no application and take no payment. Sources: Life in the UK Test (gov.uk), Guide AN, priority service (gov.uk), citizenship ceremonies (gov.uk) and Home Office fees table.