How many years do I need to live in the UK before I can apply for British citizenship?

Checked on 2026-10-25

You can usually apply for British citizenship after living in the UK for 5 years, once you have held indefinite leave to remain or EU settled status for 12 months. The law requires that you were in the UK exactly 5 years before the application. If you are married to a British citizen, the period is 3 years.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Residence period (standard route)	You were in the UK at the beginning of the 5 years ending with the date of application	British Nationality Act 1981, Sch. 1 para 1(2)(a)
No time limit on your stay	At no time in the 12 months before the application were you subject to a restriction on how long you may stay in the UK	BNA 1981, Sch. 1 para 1(2)(c)
In practice	5 years in the UK, and indefinite leave to remain (ILR), settled status or indefinite leave to enter held for 12 months	GOV.UK, “Apply for citizenship if you have ILR”, Eligibility
Married to or civil partner of a British citizen	3 years, and no time limit on your stay on the date of application	BNA 1981, s. 6(2); Sch. 1 para 3
Lawful stay	You were not in the UK in breach of immigration laws during the 5 years	BNA 1981, Sch. 1 para 1(2)(d)
Other conditions	Good character; English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic; knowledge of life in the UK; UK as your (principal) home	BNA 1981, Sch. 1 para 1(1)

The 5-year route

The British Nationality Act 1981 lets the Home Office grant naturalisation to an adult who meets the requirements of Schedule 1. The residence part has two conditions:

5 years. You were in the UK at the start of the 5-year period that ends on the date of your application.
12 months without a time limit. For the last 12 months, your permission to stay was not limited in time.

The Home Office guidance turns this into a simple rule: you can apply once you have lived in the UK for 5 years and have held indefinite leave to remain, EU settled status or indefinite leave to enter for 12 months. GOV.UK also says you can usually apply for ILR itself after you have lived in the UK for 5 years.

“Exactly 5 years” means the day the Home Office receives it

GOV.UK says you must have been physically present in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application, and the application may be rejected if you were not. An online application counts as received on the same day; a postal one takes longer. The law lets the Home Office treat you as meeting this condition in special circumstances (Sch. 1 para 2(1)(za)); GOV.UK gives health reasons or travel restrictions as examples.

If you are married to a British citizen

Section 6(2) is a separate route for spouses and civil partners of British citizens. The period is 3 years, and you need ILR or settled status on the date you apply, with no extra 12-month wait.

How many days you may spend abroad: 450 days in the 5 years and 90 days in the last 12 months (BNA 1981, Sch. 1 para 1(2)(a)–(b)).
Pre-settled status: GOV.UK says some EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with pre-settled status may apply if they meet extra conditions, and then usually need to live in the UK for another year.

Sources

British Nationality Act 1981, Schedule 1, paras 1–4 (revised text, legislation.gov.uk) checked 2026-10-25
British Nationality Act 1981, section 6 (revised text, legislation.gov.uk) checked 2026-10-25
GOV.UK: Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or 'settled status', section "Eligibility and fees" (Home Office) checked 2026-10-25
GOV.UK: Check if you can become a British citizen (Home Office) checked 2026-10-25

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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