English requirement
Who is exempt from the English requirement
Three groups skip the English test. Only two of them also skip the Life in the UK Test, and the difference matters when you plan.
How do I meet the English requirement?
Your way to meet it
By nationality: passport
| Level | B1 |
| Skills tested | speaking and listening |
| Life in the UK Test | still needed (separate) |
You do not have to prove English for British citizenship in three cases set out by gov.uk and Home Office Guide AN. You are aged 65 or over. You have a long-term physical or mental condition that permanently prevents you from meeting the requirement, shown on a waiver form completed by a registered medical practitioner who has assessed you. Or you are a national of one of the 19 countries and territories the Home Office treats as majority English-speaking: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, with Ireland counted for citizenship only. The first two exemptions cover the Life in the UK Test as well; the nationality exemption does not, so a Canadian or an Australian still books and passes that test. Long residence, illiteracy and short-term illness are not grounds for exemption, and an exemption granted for your settlement does not carry over unless it was based on age or a lasting condition.
Do I have to sit the Life in the UK Test?
Test needed?
Yes, you need a pass
| Ages exempt | under 18, or 65 and over |
| Fee if you sit it | £50 |
| Book at least | 3 days ahead |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The three exemptions, side by side
| Ground | Evidence | Life in the UK Test too? |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or over | nothing extra: your age shows on the application | Yes, exempt from both |
| Long-term physical or mental condition | waiver form completed by a registered medical practitioner, with current medical reports | Yes, if the form covers it |
| National of a listed country | your passport from that country | No, the test is still needed |
The check at the top of the page starts with your nationality set to "yes", since that is the case most visitors to this page are testing. Change it, or enter your age, to see how the answer moves. The second tool below checks the Life in the UK Test exemption, which follows slightly different rules (it also lets off anyone under 18 and anyone who passed it before).
The country list
The Home Office list is short and fixed. It contains 19 entries, mixing independent states and a single line for all the British overseas territories:
Antigua and Barbuda · Australia · The Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · British overseas territories · Canada · Dominica · Grenada · Guyana · Ireland · Jamaica · Malta · New Zealand · St Kitts and Nevis · St Lucia · St Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · USA
Two details are easy to miss. Ireland appears on the list "for citizenship only": an Irish national does not prove English for naturalisation, but the entry does not extend to every settlement route. Malta is the only EU member state on the list besides Ireland, so a Maltese national with EU settled status naturalises without an English test while a Dutch or Swedish national does not, however fluent. Guyana and Belize are on it; South Africa, India and Nigeria are not.
Medical exemptions: what the Home Office looks for
An illness does not exempt you automatically. Guide AN expects people whose condition responds to treatment to prepare and meet the requirement; only a condition that prevents you permanently is considered. The request is made on the application, with the waiver form published on gov.uk, filled in by a registered medical practitioner who has met you as part of the assessment, and the gov.uk page asks for original copies of current medical reports with it.
Think about the scope of the form. You can ask to be exempt from either part or both. A person with a hearing impairment, say, might seek exemption from the English speaking and listening test but still sit the Life in the UK Test with adjustments; Guide AN lists, for Life in the UK Test centres, extra time, a reader, a scribe and a BSL interpreter among the support they offer.
What does not exempt you
- Long residence. Guide AN says it is not a reason for exemption, even after decades in the UK.
- Illiteracy. The requirement is about speaking and listening, and Guide AN says you will not be exempted on that ground.
- An earlier exemption granted for settlement on any basis other than age or a lasting condition.
- EU settled status, which was granted without any English check; Guide AN states that settled status holders must meet the requirement before applying.
If none of the exemptions fits, look next at a degree taught in English, then at the approved B1 tests. The Life in the UK Test exemptions page covers the knowledge test in more depth.