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Hello, new user to this forum with a few questions regarding my application for naturalisation.

1. I have lived in the UK for 7 years. I hold right to abode which I qualified for through my British born mother. I am also married to a British national. I can either apply based on my own 7 year residency or 3 years as I am married to a British citizen. Is there any value in applying through one route or the other? I'm leaning towards the 3 year married to British citizen, as I won't have to list my travel out of the UK (I've gone for lots of weekends away but not many longer trips)

2. I was originally going to apply for my citizenship in 2013 and sat the life in the UK test. I then got engaged and decided not to apply in order to put the money towards my wedding. Will my certificate from March 2013 still be valid or will I have to resit this test?

3. Since my wedding last year I have used my maiden name (Davis). I haven't changed my name on my Australian passport as a) I have to change my name by deed poll in Australia since I married in the UK and b) when I get a new passport with my new name I will have to apply and fork out £200 plus for a new right of abode certificate. I had to renew my passport in April last year, so I'm not keen to do this. My question is, I want to start adding my husbands surname (Stewart) to my name so I become a "Davis Stewart". I would like to start my name change with my naturalisation certificate. So I have put on the form Davis Stewart. I will keep my maiden name for professional purposes. Is this OK? According to Australia I can still use my Aussie passport in my maiden name, but will then acquire British citizenship and passport with Stewart added on. I hope this is OK?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

1. If you hold right of abode, can you tell us when you were born and if your mother was/is British born? If you were born to a British mother, it is not form AN that you complete. Depending on which year you were born, it could be UKM which is substantially cheaper than form AN.

There is no difference and the same requirements are needing whether you apply on 5 years or 3 years. You will need to list absences for whichever route you apply, it is a standard/mandatory requirement. If you do not declare your absence (even based on application of 3 years marriage to BC), you are not being truthful and risk facing refusal and HO have access to your travel history in and out of the UK

2. Life in the UK test certificate DOES NOT expire, so you can use it as it is still valid.

3. The name you apply with for British citizenship needs to match your official documents (foreign passport). Best would be to apply in your maiden name, once approved and you get your British passport, then apply for a deed poll in the UK sometime later and reapply for a new passport.

Phillis_d_sa wrote:Hello, new user to this forum with a few questions regarding my application for naturalisation.

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3. Since my wedding last year I have used my maiden name (Davis). I haven't changed my name on my Australian passport as a) I have to change my name by deed poll in Australia since I married in the UK and b) when I get a new passport with my new name I will have to apply and fork out £200 plus for a new right of abode certificate. I had to renew my passport in April last year, so I'm not keen to do this. My question is, I want to start adding my husbands surname (Stewart) to my name so I become a "Davis Stewart". I would like to start my name change with my naturalisation certificate. So I have put on the form Davis Stewart. I will keep my maiden name for professional purposes. Is this OK? According to Australia I can still use my Aussie passport in my maiden name, but will then acquire British citizenship and passport with Stewart added on. I hope this is OK?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Australia may be fairly relaxed about names & passports but UK (or at least parts of the administration including HMPO) is having a crackdown.
See this from UK gov:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crac ... -detection

Thanks for your replies.

Yes I will be listing my travel. It was just listing 3 vs 5 years of travel.

I think I can do the UKM route, as I was born in 1982 and my mother is British born.

However I was advised then I would be a citizen by decent, and if I was a naturalized citizen that would be better in the long term, eg: I could pass on citizenship to my kids (although a bit of a moot point now I'm married to a Brit born citizen)

I will apply in my maiden name. I'm a bit annoyed as I was looking forward finally getting around to changing it!

I could pass on citizenship to my kids

Children born in the UK will be British if born to a person who is British by descent. If the children are born outside the UK, then your statement is accurate.

Thank you for your replies.

I think I will go down the naturalisation route, as then I feel like I have earnt it and cost isn't too much more in the scheme of things.

I'll apply in my maiden name as you suggest. And figure out the passport bit further down the track with the names etc.

Thanks everyone.

Phillis_d_sa wrote:Thank you for your replies.

I think I will go down the naturalisation route, as then I feel like I have earnt it and cost isn't too much more in the scheme of things.

I'll apply in my maiden name as you suggest. And figure out the passport bit further down the track with the names etc.

Thanks everyone.

Edit: just realised UKM application fee is only £80. All this time I thought it was the registration fee plus the ceremony fee....that's why I got my right of abode certificate all those years ago as I thought it was cheaper!

OK maybe I go the UKM route! Thanks guys