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British citizenship cost: £1,709 plus £130 ceremony

Applying to naturalise as a British citizen costs £1,709, and a £130 citizenship ceremony fee is added, so £1,839 in total. Registering a child costs £1,000. The Life in the UK Test is £50 and the optional priority service is £500 more, according to GOV.UK and the Home Office fee table of 8 October 2026.

The headline cost of British citizenship by naturalisation is £1,839: a £1,709 application fee plus a £130 citizenship ceremony fee. That figure comes from GOV.UK's citizenship pages and the Home Office fee table dated 8 October 2026, which shows no change to any nationality fee from the previous table.

It is not the whole cost, and it is not the same for everyone. Children register on a different fee. Irish citizens have their own registration fees. The Life in the UK Test and an English language test are paid for separately. An optional priority service adds £500. This guide lists each fee that appears in the official tables, works through a few totals, explains what is and is not refunded, and points out costs that sit outside the Home Office fee. Fees are uprated from time to time, so check the current fee table before you pay. This is information, not advice about whether anyone can apply.

The Home Office fees for nationality

The fee table dated 8 October 2026 sets out these nationality fees. The "current fee" and the "fee from 8 October 2026" are the same for each, with a change of £0.

  • Naturalisation (British citizenship): £1,709. The table's footnote says the citizenship ceremony fee of £130 will be added to the application fee. GOV.UK states the result as "£1,839 (£1,709 to apply and a £130 citizenship ceremony fee)", on both its page for people with indefinite leave to remain and its page for spouses of British citizens.
  • Naturalisation, British overseas territories citizens: £1,140.
  • Nationality registration as a British citizen, adult: £1,540, with the £130 ceremony fee added.
  • Nationality registration as a British citizen, child: £1,000. A further £130 per applicant is required to cover the ceremony fee if the child turns 18 during the application process, requested at the point of decision.
  • Registration as a British citizen under the provisions for Irish citizens: £723 for an adult (with the £130 ceremony fee added) and £607 for a child.
  • Citizenship oath, or oath and pledge, not administered at a ceremony or by a justice of the peace: £5.
  • Nationality review: £513.
  • Certificate corrections and reissues: £456 for a nationality correction to a certificate, a certified copy or a reissued certificate.
  • Status letter or non-acquisition letter: £489 each.

Which of these applies depends on how the person qualifies, which this article does not decide. Our articles on when to apply after ILR, on the spouse route and on a child born in the UK explain the routes themselves.

Biometrics are part of the process. GOV.UK says fingerprints and a photograph are taken after you apply and that there is no fee for this.

Other costs that come with an application

The Life in the UK Test. GOV.UK says the test costs £50, must be booked online at least three days ahead, has 24 questions in 45 minutes, and needs 75% to pass. You may rebook as many times as needed but pay each time. The Form AN guidance says a test cancelled at least 3 days (72 hours) before it is due is refunded to the card used to book it, and one cancelled or rearranged within 3 days is not. A person who has already passed it for settlement does not have to take it again.

English language. The Form AN guidance says the knowledge of language requirement can be met with a Home Office approved qualification in English at B1 CEFR or higher, a UK degree certificate, or a degree taught or researched in a majority English speaking country with confirmation from Ecctis, among other routes. A test result is valid for two years from the date of the test. English tests are priced by the test providers, so check the provider's own site. A person who got ILR on the strength of a B1 qualification meets the English language requirement for naturalisation according to the same guidance.

The priority service. GOV.UK says that for online citizenship applications you can pay an extra £500 for the priority service, which usually means a decision in 30 working days instead of the usual six months. The super priority service (£1,000) cannot be used for citizenship applications. The £500 priority line appears in the fee table as "Expedited processing - Priority service".

Referees and documents. The Form AN guidance requires two referees. The guidance asks for details of absences abroad and says the Home Office checks its own records.

The certificate, the passport and the BRP. After a successful application there is a ceremony. A British passport is a separate application with its own fee, set outside the nationality fee table, so check the current fee on GOV.UK. Anyone holding a biometric residence permit is told on the citizenship page to send it back within 5 working days of receiving the certificate, with a fine of up to £1,000 for not doing so.

Worked totals from the published fees

These are sums using only the fees above, not forecasts for any person. They assume the person is eligible and the fees in the 8 October 2026 table apply.

  • One adult naturalising: £1,709 + £130 = £1,839.
  • Adding the Life in the UK Test taken once: £1,839 + £50 = £1,889.
  • Adding the optional priority service: £1,889 + £500 = £2,389, before any English language test fee.
  • Two adults naturalising on the same fees: 2 × £1,839 = £3,678. Each person applies separately, and each pays.
  • One adult and two children registering: £1,839 + 2 × £1,000 = £3,839, with a further £130 per child who turns 18 before the decision.

Settlement costs come before this for most people. GOV.UK gives the ILR fee as £3,226 per person (see our article on the ILR fee). Together with citizenship, a person going from a five-year visa through settlement to naturalisation will have met both sets of fees, plus any visa and healthcare surcharge payments earlier on.

When money is not returned

The Home Office fee for a nationality application is for considering it. The Form AN guidance says that a number of things can mean the fee is not returned or not fully returned.

  • On residence, it says that if absences are more than the discretionary limits (900 days on the five-year route, 540 on the three-year route), "your application is likely to fail and your fee will not be fully refunded."
  • On good character, it says checks are made in all cases and "your application may fail and your fee will not be refunded if you make an untruthful declaration."
  • On language and life in the UK, it says that if you apply without having met the requirements and you are not exempt, "your application may be refused, and you may lose your fee."
  • On timing, if you applied before meeting the first-day-of-the-period requirement, the Home Office may look for a later date to use, and the guidance says you must pay the full fee that is in force on any date it uses.

On the first-day requirement the guidance says you are strongly recommended to make sure you meet it before applying. Our article on a citizenship refusal for good character explains what a refusal can involve, including the £513 reconsideration fee.

Fees for children can sometimes be reduced. GOV.UK says that if your child is under 18 and you cannot afford the application fee, you may be able to apply for a fee waiver. It does not set out the test, so read the current form guidance.

Costs outside the Home Office fee

An application can be made without paying anyone to help. GOV.UK says there are two ways to apply: make an application yourself, or use an agent or representative, which it describes as a private company or individual that can help with the application and give advice. If you use a representative, check that they are registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), or are a solicitor or barrister registered with one of the listed bodies. Their fees are separate from the Home Office fee and vary. Our article on immigration solicitor costs sets out what published price lists look like.

A person who needs help only with the online form, and not with advice, can use the assisted digital service GOV.UK describes for people who do not feel confident using a computer or mobile device or do not have internet access. GOV.UK says it cannot give immigration advice.

Do not forget what is not on the fee table. Travel to a UKVCAS service point for the biometric appointment, and travel to the ceremony, are real costs even though they are not Home Office fees. The Form AN guidance says that if your application is successful and you are 18 or over you need to arrange and attend a citizenship ceremony within 90 days.

Finding a regulated adviser

Whether a particular person can apply, on which route, and what the correct fee is for their situation are questions of immigration and nationality advice. Only a person the law qualifies, such as a solicitor, a barrister or an adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC), may give it. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

How much does British citizenship cost in the UK?

£1,839 for an adult naturalisation: £1,709 to apply plus a £130 citizenship ceremony fee, per GOV.UK and the Home Office fee table of 8 October 2026. Registering a child is £1,000. The Life in the UK Test is £50 and the optional priority service is £500.

Is the citizenship ceremony fee included in the £1,709?

No. The fee table says the £130 ceremony fee is added to the application fee, so the total is £1,839. A child registering pays £1,000 and a further £130 if they turn 18 during the application.

How much does the Life in the UK Test cost?

£50 for each sitting. It must be booked at least three days ahead, has 24 questions in 45 minutes, and needs 75% to pass. A test cancelled at least 3 days (72 hours) before is refunded; one cancelled within 3 days is not.

Can I pay for a faster citizenship decision?

GOV.UK offers a priority service for an extra £500 on online citizenship applications, with a decision usually in 30 working days. The £1,000 super priority service cannot be used for citizenship.

Do I get a refund if my citizenship application is refused?

The Form AN guidance says an application that is likely to fail on absences will not have its fee fully refunded, and that an untruthful declaration or applying without meeting the language and life requirements can mean losing the fee. Read the guidance before applying.

How much does it cost to register a child as British?

£1,000 per child on the fee table of 8 October 2026, plus £130 for the ceremony if the child turns 18 during the application. Under-18s whose parents cannot afford the fee may be able to apply for a waiver, according to GOV.UK.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • When you can apply for citizenship after ILR — Under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981, most people must have held indefinite leave to remain for 12 months and have lived in the UK for 5 years, been in the UK on the exact day five years before the Home Office receives the application, and not been outside it for more than 450 days in the 5 years or 90 days in the last 12 months. People married to a British citizen use a different route.
  • Citizenship as a British citizen's spouse: 3 years — A person who is married to, or the civil partner of, a British citizen can naturalise under section 6(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 after 3 years in the UK, once they have indefinite leave to remain and without the 12-month wait that applies on the five-year route. The fee is £1,839 and the other requirements, such as good character and the Life in the UK Test, still apply.
  • Form AN: applying for British naturalisation step by step — Form AN is the paper form for naturalisation as a British citizen; most people apply online. GOV.UK gives the cost as £1,839 (£1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee), with a decision usually within 6 months and an optional £500 priority service.
  • Is my UK-born child British? Form MN1 explained — A child born in the UK is automatically British if, at the birth, a parent is a British citizen or settled in the UK. Otherwise the child may be entitled to register on Form MN1 for £1,000 once a parent becomes settled or British.
  • ILR fee in 2026: £3,226 per person and extras — Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) costs £3,226 for each person applying, and the Home Office fee table of 8 October 2026 shows no change from the current fee. Most applicants aged 18 to 64 also pay £50 for the Life in the UK Test, and can pay £500 or £1,000 more per person for a faster decision where the application type allows it. There is no health surcharge for ILR.
  • British citizenship refused on good character grounds — Good character is a legal requirement for naturalisation. The Home Office guidance (version 7.0, 30 April 2026) lists what normally leads to refusal: a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, deception, illegal entry and some recent immigration breaches. There is no right of appeal; you can ask for reconsideration (form NR, £513) or make a new application with a new fee.
  • How much does an immigration solicitor cost in the UK? — On the price pages of four SRA-regulated firms read on 9 October 2026, legal fees for a spouse or partner visa application started between £2,000 and £8,000 plus VAT, and hourly rates ran from £175 to £800 plus VAT. Home Office fees and the healthcare surcharge are paid on top.