Immigrationboards.com

Hi there,

I am soon to apply for citizenship with Form AN. I will be applying through having 5 years of Tier 1, plus 1 year of ILR.

I have seen the various timeline threads to track the application process from acknowledgement through to approval.

My question is about how quickly do they return your original documents, most importantly my current passport and residency card, assuming I don't use the Nationality Checker Services.

I'm concerned about applying for citizenship and sending off my passport, and them holding it for several months while considering my application. Is this what typically happens, or do they return the original documents more quickly?

Am I correct in assuming if I use the checking services, I wouldn't have to part with my passport and residency card at all?

Thanks,
Duane

If you don't use NCS, you will get your passport and documents back around the same time as the naturalisation certificate, which could take a few months or a few weeks.

Personally, I would advise using NCS, the small fee is absolutely worth it as you keep hold of all your original documents.