Registering a child (form MN1)

What MN1 is, and what it is not

Form MN1 is on the GOV.UK MN1 form page, with the MN1 guidance beside it. Both are about one thing: registering a child who is still under 18 as a British citizen.

An adult does not use MN1. Someone who has lived in the UK on visas and holds settlement applies on form AN (naturalisation), and an adult with an entitlement to registration applies on the form for that route, at a fee of £1,540 rather than the £1,000 child fee. The MN1 guidance puts the cut-off plainly: a child must be under 18 on the date the Home Office receives the application, and once they reach 18 they apply as an adult. For a comparison of the two ideas, see our naturalisation vs registration guide.

Some registrations of children go on other forms, and MN1 will not do for them. A child born in the UK who has lived here for the first 10 years of their life applies under section 1(4) on form T. A child who would have been British automatically had their parents been married applies under section 4G on form UKF. Registration as a British overseas territories citizen uses form MN2.

The routes MN1 covers

Section 1(3): born in the UK, parent later became British or settled

A child born in the UK after 1 January 1983 is not automatically British unless a parent was British or settled at the time of birth. Where a parent later becomes British or is granted settlement, the child has an entitlement to be registered under section 1(3). This covers children of European Economic Area parents whose parent was later granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Evidence: the child's birth certificate showing the parents' names, the parent's naturalisation certificate or evidence of settlement, and evidence of the parent-child relationship.

Section 1(3A): born in the UK, parent joined the armed forces

A child born in the UK on or after 13 January 2010 whose parents were not British and not settled has an entitlement to register if either parent later becomes a member of the UK armed forces.

Sections 3(2) and 3(5): born abroad to a parent who is British by descent

“British by descent” means British because you were born outside the UK to a British parent. Someone who became British by being born in the UK, or by naturalising or registering, is British otherwise than by descent. Citizenship by descent passes down only one generation born abroad, so a child born abroad to a parent who is British by descent is not automatically British.

Section 3(2) is the route where the child's grandparent was British otherwise than by descent and the British parent lived in the UK for a continuous 3 years at some point before the birth, with absences of no more than 270 days in that period. A child registered this way is British by descent.

Section 3(5) is the route where the child and both parents have lived in the UK for the 3 years ending on the date the application is received, with absences of no more than 270 days, and were in the UK at the start of that period. The guidance says there is no discretion to overlook absences over 270 days on this route. A child registered under section 3(5) is British otherwise than by descent.

Section 4D: born abroad to a parent in the UK armed forces

A child born outside the UK on or after 13 January 2010 qualifies where a parent was a member of the UK armed forces serving abroad at the time of the birth, and both parents consent to the registration.

Section 4F: parents who were not married

A child who could have met the requirements of section 1(3), 3(2), 3(5) or 4D if their parents had been married can apply under section 4F, using MN1.

Section 3(1): registration at the Home Secretary's discretion

Section 3(1) is not an entitlement. The guidance sets out situations in which the Home Office says it will normally register a child, including a child applying alongside a parent who is British or becoming British, a child adopted abroad by a British parent, and a child who has been settled in the UK for at least 12 months after more than 5 years of lawful residence. Where none of the named situations fits, the guidance says the application is considered on its merits, weighing the child's connections with the UK, the length of residence, the parents' status and views, the child's good character and any compelling circumstances.

Completing the MN1 form

The child's details

The child's full name, date of birth, place of birth and current nationality. A parent or guardian completes and signs the form on the child's behalf.

The parents' details

Both parents' nationality, dates and places of birth, and immigration status. Most MN1 routes turn on the parents' nationality or status, so this is where the claim is made out. Where a route needs consent, both parents must give it; if one parent has died, the surviving parent's consent is enough.

The section you are applying under

The guidance asks you to say which section of the British Nationality Act 1981 you think applies, because the requirements differ by section. Nationality advice given in the course of business is regulated: the MN1 guidance names the Immigration Advice Authority as the regulator and links its list of regulated advisers.

Residence and absences

Sections 3(2) and 3(5) carry the residence and absence tests described above. The other MN1 routes do not have a residence requirement of their own, though residence is one of the things weighed on a discretionary section 3(1) application.

Good character

The British Nationality Act 1981 applies the good character requirement to children aged 10 or over. For a child under 10 it does not apply at all. Where it does apply, the guidance asks for all convictions in the UK and overseas, cautions, warnings, community sentences, civil orders and penalties, fixed penalty notices, and any unpaid NHS debt of £500 or more. Checks are made in every case. If you have a question about a specific case, the UK Visas and Immigration nationality enquiries line takes them.

Referees

Two referees must endorse the application, and each must have known the applicant for at least 3 years. At least one must be someone who has dealt with the child in a professional role, such as a teacher, doctor, health visitor or social worker. The other must hold a British citizen passport and be either a professional person or over 25. The guidance says that where a child cannot provide a professional referee and can show they tried, two referees meeting the adult criteria can be accepted.

Supporting documents

What the guidance asks for depends on the route, but the common list is:

• The child's full birth certificate, showing the parents' names
• The child's passport or travel document, if any
• Parents' birth certificates and passports
• Parents' marriage or civil partnership certificate
• The parent's naturalisation or registration certificate, or evidence of settlement
• For a claim through a grandparent, the grandparent's birth, registration or naturalisation certificate or passport
• Evidence of residence, for sections 3(2) and 3(5)
• Where one parent does not agree to the registration, a letter explaining why
• Where a guardian is applying, evidence of their right to do so, such as a deed, will or court order

There is nothing here about a Life in the UK test certificate or English language evidence. Those belong to adult naturalisation, not to registering a child.

The fee, and when it is not charged

The Home Office fee table from 8 April 2026 sets registration of a child as a British citizen at £1,000, down from £1,214. The fee is paid when the application is submitted.

A child who is being looked after by a local authority is not charged. GOV.UK says not to apply for a waiver in that case, but to provide evidence of it with the citizenship application: “The application will be free.”

Any other child under 18 can apply for a citizenship fee waiver where the child and the parent or guardian cannot afford the fee. The published grounds are having nowhere to live and not being able to afford it, not being able to afford essential living costs such as food and heating, not having enough money left after paying for accommodation, or paying the fee meaning a child's needs cannot be met. The waiver is decided before the citizenship application is made, so the request comes first.

GOV.UK does not publish what it costs the Home Office to process a registration, and the fee table gives no unit cost, so this guide gives no figure for it.

Submitting the application

Most MN1 applications are made online. The paper form is for applicants in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British Overseas Territory, and for anyone elsewhere who prefers to apply by post.

1. Complete the form and gather the supporting documents.
2. Where the fee is not being paid, request the fee waiver first, or gather the evidence that the child is looked after by a local authority.
3. Pay the fee of £1,000 if it applies. Our visa fees guide sets the citizenship fees beside the rest.
4. Submit the application.
5. Enrol the child's biometrics. Every applicant does this. A child under 5 gives a digital photograph but no fingerprints, and a child under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
6. Wait for a decision. UK Visas and Immigration aims to decide within 6 months; the priority service costs £500 and usually produces a decision within 30 working days.
7. A child who is still under 18 when the application is approved becomes a British citizen on the date of approval, with no citizenship ceremony required, though the family is invited to a celebration. A child who has turned 18 by the time the application is decided must attend a ceremony and take the oath and pledge before becoming British.

What the guidance asks you to get right

• Name the section of the British Nationality Act 1981 the application rests on. The requirements, the evidence and the kind of decision all follow from it.
• Check the date. MN1 closes on the child's 18th birthday, measured by the date the Home Office receives the application.
• Check the form. Section 1(4) uses form T, section 4G uses form UKF, and British overseas territories citizenship uses MN2.
• Where the case involves an overseas adoption or a historical provision, the register of regulated immigration advisers lists people who can give advice on it lawfully.
• Include the evidence the guidance lists for the route. The guidance notes that an incomplete application takes longer.
• Keep copies of everything submitted.

Questions and answers