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Applying for British Citizenship as a Family

Coordinating citizenship applications for an entire family requires planning. Different family members may become eligible at different times, and children follow a different process from adults. This guide helps you plan and manage the whole family's applications.

Checked 2 September 20269 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
British Citizenship
Reading time
9 min
Last checked
2 September 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

  • Each family member submits their own application.
  • Adults naturalise; children under 18 are registered.
  • Children do not need the Life in the UK test or English language test.
  • Family members may become eligible at different times.

Family citizenship applications require separate submissions for each person. Adults naturalise; children are registered. Timing varies based on each person's immigration history. The total cost for a family can be significant but fee waivers may help.

Adults: Naturalisation

Each adult family member applies for citizenship by naturalisation individually. Each must meet all the requirements in their own right:

If one adult is married to a British citizen, they may have a shorter qualifying period (3 years instead of 5). See citizenship for spouses.

Children: Registration

Children under 18 become British through registration, not naturalisation. The process is simpler:

  • No Life in the UK test
  • No English language requirement
  • Less stringent good character assessment
  • The Home Secretary has discretion to register children

For full details, see our citizenship for children guide. If a child was born in the UK and one parent is now British, they may already be eligible for registration under Section 1(3) of the British Nationality Act.

Timing Your Applications

Different family members may become eligible at different times:

  • The primary visa holder often gets ILR first, then their spouse
  • Children added as dependants may have different ILR dates
  • A child born in the UK after a parent becomes British is automatically British

You can submit applications at different times as each person becomes eligible. There is no requirement to apply together. However, some families prefer to coordinate so they can attend citizenship ceremonies around the same time.

Costs for a Family

The cost of citizenship for a family adds up quickly:

  • Adults: £1,839 per person (£1,709 to apply plus a £130 ceremony fee)
  • Children: £1,000 to register each child. Children under 18 do not attend a ceremony, so there is no ceremony fee. Check current rates on GOV.UK)
  • Life in the UK test: £50 per adult
  • English test: £150 per adult (if needed)
  • British passport: £102 per adult and £66.50 per child, applying online

Fee waivers are available for both adult and child applications if the family faces financial hardship. Apply for the fee waiver before submitting the main application.

Practical Tips

  • Start preparing early — gather documents, book tests, and identify referees for each adult
  • Create a timeline showing when each family member becomes eligible
  • Budget for the total cost across all applications
  • If one family member has a complex case, consider getting professional advice for that application rather than all of them
  • Children's applications can often be done without a solicitor as they are more straightforward

Related guides:

Questions and answers

Can my family apply for citizenship at the same time?

Each family member submits a separate application, but you can submit them at the same time. Adults apply for naturalisation, while children under 18 are registered. Different family members may become eligible at different times depending on their individual immigration history.

Do children need to meet the same requirements as adults?

No. Children under 18 are registered rather than naturalised. They do not need to pass the Life in the UK test or meet the English language requirement. The good character requirement is less stringent for children, and the Home Secretary has broad discretion.

How much does it cost for a family of four?

For two adults and two children, the Home Office fees come to £5,678: £1,839 for each adult (£1,709 to apply plus a £130 ceremony fee) and £1,000 to register each child. Add Life in the UK tests, English tests and passports, and the total for the whole family is roughly £6,000 to £6,500.

What if one family member is not yet eligible?

You do not need to apply together. Each person applies when they are individually eligible. It is common for the primary visa holder to become eligible before their spouse or children, depending on when each person received ILR.

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.

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