British citizenship · Fees
How much does British citizenship cost?
Short answer
Applying for British citizenship by naturalisation costs £1,839: a £1,709 application fee and a £130 citizenship ceremony fee, paid together. Registering a child as a British citizen costs £1,000. You also need to have passed the Life in the UK Test, which costs £50 if you haven’t taken it already.
British citizenship cost breakdown
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Naturalisation application | £1,709 |
| Citizenship ceremony, added to the application fee | £130 |
| Total for an adult | £1,839 |
| Fingerprints and photo | no fee |
| Life in the UK Test, if you haven’t passed it | £50 |
| Priority service, applying online | £500 extra |
From 8 April 2026 the naturalisation fee rose from £1,605 to £1,709. The ceremony fee stayed at £130.
Registering a child under 18
Registering a child as a British citizen costs £1,000 — it fell from £1,214 on 8 April 2026. If the child turns 18 while the application is being decided, the Home Office asks for £130 more for the ceremony.
British citizenship after ILR: the whole cost
| Step | Cost |
|---|---|
| Indefinite leave to remain | £3,226 |
| Life in the UK Test — passed once, for both | £50 |
| British citizenship, with the ceremony | £1,839 |
| In all, for one adult | £5,115 |
You can usually apply for citizenship once you’ve had ILR for 12 months — straight away if you’re married to a British citizen. If you passed the Life in the UK Test for your settlement application, you don’t take it again. The first step in detail: the ILR fee.
How long it takes
You’ll usually get a decision within 6 months; some applications take longer. The priority service, for £500 more, is open to online applications, and GOV.UK says citizenship applications on it usually take 30 working days. There’s no super priority service for citizenship.
Before you pay
On the usual route you can’t have been outside the UK for more than 450 days in the 5 years before you apply, or more than 90 days in the last 12 months. Check both with the British citizenship absences calculator — the fee is the same either way.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or settled status
- GOV.UK — Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026
- GOV.UK — Get a faster decision on your visa, settlement or citizenship application
- GOV.UK — Get a faster decision: eligible types of citizenship applications
- GOV.UK — Life in the UK Test
FlySee counts days; it doesn’t give immigration advice. Whether you qualify is for you and your adviser.