Benefits and Entitlements After British Citizenship
Becoming a British citizen brings rights that indefinite leave to remain does not. From voting to a passport to access to public funds, this guide sets out what changes when you become British and what stays the same.
- Section
- British Citizenship
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 4 February 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- The right to vote in and stand at UK parliamentary elections.
- A British passport, applied for and paid for separately after the ceremony.
- No deportation, and no time limit on being outside the UK.
- No 'no recourse to public funds' condition, though each benefit still has its own rules.
British citizenship brings rights that indefinite leave to remain does not: a British passport, the vote at UK parliamentary elections, freedom from deportation, and the ability to pass citizenship to children. It also ends any remaining immigration conditions, including 'no recourse to public funds'.
Political Rights
One of the most significant changes with citizenship is political participation:
- Voting: British citizens can register to vote in every UK election and referendum, including general elections. The franchise is set by nationality rather than by immigration status, so this is not new for everyone. In England and Northern Ireland, Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth citizens with permission to enter or stay can already register, as can citizens of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain, and EU citizens whose permission has run without a break since 31 December 2020. In Scotland and Wales, anyone with permission to enter or stay can register for devolved and local elections.
- Standing for office: British citizens can stand as a candidate for Parliament, a local council, or another elected position. Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens can also stand.
- Jury service: Jurors are picked from the electoral register, so registering to vote is what brings the possibility of being called.
The British Passport
After your citizenship ceremony, you can apply for a British passport. The British passport provides:
- Entry to many countries without arranging a visa first, though each country sets its own rules: check the entry requirements in GOV.UK foreign travel advice before you book
- Consular help from British embassies, except while you are in another country where you also hold citizenship
- Use of eGates at UK and many international airports
Apply through HM Passport Office on GOV.UK. An adult passport costs £102 applying online, or £115.50 on a paper form. A 54-page passport costs £116 online. HM Passport Office asks applicants to allow up to 10 weeks for the standard service.
Public Funds and Benefits
A British citizen has no immigration condition blocking access to public funds. Each benefit still has its own rules about age, income, contributions and residence, so being a citizen opens the door rather than granting the payment:
- Universal Credit: Subject to the usual income and circumstances rules, and to being habitually resident in the UK
- Child Benefit: £27.05 a week for the eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child, subject to the usual rules
- Housing Benefit and social housing: Under the rules of your local council and the relevant scheme
- State Pension: Based on your National Insurance contributions, not on your nationality
- Disability benefits: Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance and similar benefits, each with its own presence and residence conditions
The "no recourse to public funds" condition that may have applied during your visa is permanently removed. Note that Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit ended on 5 April 2025 and no longer exist; Universal Credit or Pension Credit replaced them.
Habitual residence is the point that catches people out. A British citizen who has been living abroad and returns can still be assessed against the habitual residence test when claiming Universal Credit, because that test looks at where you are settled, not at what passport you hold.
Security of Status
Citizenship is not an immigration status: it ends the immigration question altogether.
- No deportation: A British citizen cannot be deported, even after a serious criminal offence. Indefinite leave to remain can be revoked and followed by deportation in serious cases.
- No absence limits: You can leave the UK for any length of time without losing your citizenship. Indefinite leave to remain lapses after 2 years of continuous absence, and settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme after 5 years (4 for Swiss citizens and their family members).
- No conditions: There are no conditions on your right to live, work, or study in the UK.
Citizenship can only be removed in very rare circumstances (deprivation of citizenship), typically involving fraud in obtaining it or actions seriously prejudicial to the UK. See our guide on citizenship deprivation.
Passing Citizenship to Children
As a British citizen, you can pass citizenship to your children:
- Children born in the UK: Automatically British if you are a British citizen, or settled in the UK, at the time of their birth
- Children born abroad: British by descent (first generation only)
- Existing children under 18: Can be registered as British. Registration of a child is a decision for the Home Office, not automatic, and the fee is £1,000
Automatic transmission of citizenship at birth is something indefinite leave to remain does not provide in the same way: a child born in the UK to a settled parent is British at birth, but a child born abroad to a settled parent is not.
Property and Money
- Mortgages: Lenders set their own rules, and many ask about visa expiry dates and time left in the UK. Those questions fall away for a British citizen, but the lending decision is still the lender's
- Stamp duty: The 2 percentage point surcharge for non-UK residents is decided by where you have been, not by your nationality. HMRC states that nationality and citizenship are not relevant: what counts is whether you were in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before the purchase. Becoming a British citizen does not by itself change this
- Banking: Banks and credit providers set their own conditions. A British passport is a widely accepted proof of identity, but there is no legal rule tying any account or credit product to citizenship
What Does Not Change
Some things remain the same after citizenship:
- Your tax obligations (based on residence, not citizenship)
- Your employment rights (already the same for someone with indefinite leave to remain)
- Your NHS access (already available to someone who paid the immigration health surcharge, or who holds indefinite leave to remain)
- Your National Insurance number (stays the same)
Related guides:
Questions and answers
What extra rights do I get with British citizenship that I did not have with indefinite leave to remain?
British citizenship brings a British passport, the right to vote in and stand at UK parliamentary elections, eligibility for some government and security jobs that are closed to others, the ability to pass citizenship to children, and freedom from deportation. Citizenship is also not lost by long absence from the UK, whereas indefinite leave to remain lapses after 2 years outside the UK. Some of these rights are already held by Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens living in the UK, so what changes depends on your existing nationality.
Can I claim benefits after becoming a British citizen?
The 'no recourse to public funds' condition no longer applies, so public funds are open to you. That is not the same as automatic entitlement: each benefit still has its own rules, and for Universal Credit and several others you must also be habitually resident in the UK. Someone returning to the UK after a long period abroad can be assessed against the habitual residence test even as a British citizen.
Do I get a British passport automatically?
No. British citizenship and a British passport are separate. After your citizenship ceremony you apply to HM Passport Office for a passport, and you pay the passport fee on top of the citizenship fee. HM Passport Office asks applicants to allow up to 10 weeks for the standard service.
Can I be deported after becoming a British citizen?
No. A British citizen cannot be deported from the UK, and that is one of the main differences from indefinite leave to remain, which can be revoked and followed by deportation in serious cases. There is a narrow exception: citizenship itself can be taken away by a deprivation order, for example where it was obtained by fraud, and deportation can follow that.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.