Citizenship Documents Checklist

Identity Documents

The foundation of your citizenship application is proving who you are. The Home Office needs to verify your identity beyond any doubt before granting British citizenship.

• Current valid passport: Your passport from your country of nationality. If you have held multiple passports during your time in the UK, include all of them. Expired passports showing previous UK visas and entry stamps are valuable supporting evidence.
• Biometric Residence Permit (BRP): Your current BRP card showing your immigration status. If your BRP has expired or been lost, you should apply for a replacement before submitting your citizenship application, or explain the situation in a covering letter. Note that BRPs are being phased out and replaced by eVisas in 2025-2026, so check GOV.UK for the latest position.
• Birth certificate: Your original birth certificate from your country of birth. If it is not in English, you must provide a certified translation by a professional translator. The translation must include the translator's credentials and a statement that it is a true and accurate translation.
• Two passport-size photographs: Recent photographs that meet UK passport photo requirements. One photo must be countersigned by your Referee 1 on the back.

Immigration Status Evidence

You must prove that you have held lawful immigration status throughout your residence in the UK. The Home Office will check that you had valid leave at all times and that you currently hold Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or another qualifying status.

• ILR confirmation: Your BRP showing ILR, or the original ILR grant letter. If you received ILR as part of the EU Settlement Scheme, you will need a share code from the View and Prove service on GOV.UK.
• Previous visa grants: Decision letters or BRPs from previous visa applications showing your immigration history in the UK. This helps demonstrate the timeline of your lawful residence.
• Travel history: If your passport does not contain entry and exit stamps (common with eGates), you may need to provide airline booking confirmations, boarding passes, or a travel history from the Home Office. See our guidance on absences below.

Continuous Residence Evidence

To qualify for citizenship, you must have lived in the UK for the required period, typically 5 years before the date of application (or 3 years if married to a British citizen). During this period, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 450 days in total, and not more than 90 days in the final 12 months before applying. See our ILR to citizenship timeline for full details on qualifying periods.

You should provide several types of evidence covering the entire qualifying period without gaps:

• Council tax bills or statements: Annual council tax bills or a council tax account summary showing your name and address for each year of the qualifying period. This is one of the strongest forms of residence evidence.
• HMRC correspondence: P60 end-of-year certificates, tax returns, or HMRC letters showing your UK tax activity. These demonstrate that you were economically active in the UK.
• Bank statements: UK bank statements showing regular transactions in the UK. These help fill gaps where other evidence is thin. You do not need to provide every statement, but enough to cover periods where other evidence is limited.
• Employer letters: Letters from current and previous UK employers confirming your dates of employment. These should be on company letterhead and signed by a senior person.
• Utility bills: Gas, electricity, water, or broadband bills in your name at UK addresses during the qualifying period.
• NHS registration or medical records: GP registration letters or hospital correspondence can serve as supporting residence evidence.

English Language Evidence

You must prove you have English language ability at CEFR B1 level or above in speaking and listening. For full details on accepted tests and exemptions, see our English language tests guide.

Accepted evidence includes:

• SELT test certificate: A Secure English Language Test from an approved provider (such as IELTS for UKVI or Trinity College London). The test must be a SELT specifically approved for immigration purposes, not a general academic IELTS.
• Degree taught in English: If you have a degree that was taught or researched in English, you can use this instead of a test. You need the degree certificate and, if the degree was awarded outside the UK, a confirmation from UK ENIC (formerly NARIC) that it is equivalent to a UK degree.
• National of a majority English-speaking country: If you are a national of a country where English is the majority language, you are exempt from the test requirement. The list of qualifying countries is set out in Appendix English Language of the Immigration Rules.
• Over 65 or under 18: If you are 65 or over on the date of application, you are exempt. Children under 18 applying for registration are also exempt.

Life in the UK Test

You must pass the Life in the UK test before applying for citizenship. Include the following in your application:

• Pass notification: The letter or digital notification confirming you passed the test. The Home Office can verify your pass electronically, but including the notification avoids any delay.
• Unique reference number: Your test booking reference number, which the Home Office uses to cross-check your result.

There is no expiry date on the Life in the UK test pass. If you passed it for a previous ILR application, you do not need to take it again for citizenship.