Hi,

Hope somebody can shed some light on the UK naturalisation and British passport process.

Entered UK 18/03/12 on Fiancee visa

Married 18/06/12

2 year FLR from 28/06/12

ILR start from 11/06/14

Planning to apply for UK naturalisation on 19/03/15.

I have spent a lot of time outside of the UK due to my job (and I enjoy travelling) but have not exceeded the limits.

20/03/12 to 19/03/14 - approx 150 days

20/03/14 to 19/03/14 - will be 90 days exactly

The above does not include the day of departure or the day of arrival as per the guidance on the UKBA website which I hope I read correctly.

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The questions are...!

1. How long does the naturilsation process take?

2. How long does the British passport process take on top of the naturilsation process?

3. Does the UKBA keep my passport and ILR residence card for the duration of this process?

4. Are the days outside the UK measured back 3 years from the application date / receipt date / approval date or ceremony date?

5. Can I keep travelling for business / leisure after submitting the application? or are there limits on days out of the UK all the way until a UK passport is received?

Basically my husband and I really enjoy travelling, so any help will be really appreciated.

Thank you

You need to employ the services of the Nationality Checking Service to retain your passport.

Thank you for the reply. I have had a look at the Nationality Checking Service websites and that answers the question of whether I can keep the passport or not. Which I can. I also now understand you must remain in the UK for 5 business days after submitting the application.

I guess really the only other major question that is left, is that, is there a particular limit to the number of days you can spend outside the UK once my application has been received by them.

Thank you

As you are the spouse of a British citizen the residency requirement is three years; counted back from the date UKVI receive your application.

There is some flexibility on the time spent out of the UK; but you must have been in the UK on the exact date three years before the day your application is received.

This can be a lengthy process. The naturalisation application may take at least 3 months to be decided, possibly 6 or even longer. Once naturalised you may have to wait up to three months for a citizenship ceremony, though usually less, and then up to 6 weeks for a passport interview (first time adult applicants for a British passport are usually required to attend an interview to confirm their identity, whether they are naturalised or born British).

You may also have read or heard about delays in processing British passport applications in the press; and UKVI staff have been drafted in to help clear the backlog these delays have caused. This may delay your naturalisation application. When this backlog will be cleared I cannot say.

You may find British citizenship basics and the links from there helpful.