Hi!

In January next year, my wife is intending to apply for citizenship on the third anniversary of her arrival to the UK on a fiance visa. Once she has received her naturalization certificate she is intending to make a UK passport application. However, her current foreign passport expires in February 2010. Although she is not planning to travel until she has received her UK passport, during this period would she be required to have a valid passport in her possession (i.e. she would be required to renew her foreign passport in advance of Feb)?

Many thanks

Mermot

Yes, she needs her passport renewed.

The passport will not be in her possession; it will be with the UKBA while her application is being processed.

There is nothing I can find to say that a foreign passport should be valid when applying for naturalisation, her ILR will still be valid even if her passport has expired.

However, if she is using the passport as evidence of her identity it may be better if the passport were a valid one. So I would advise renewing it before she submits the application.

See pages 26 to 28 of this guide for a list of what supporting documents are required.

I would also recommend using the nationality checking service when applying. See Ways to apply for British citizenship or nationality