Iran religious visit and British citizenship application

[Fattima1]

Good afternoon dear members,


I am planning to apply for British citizenship soon and need some clarification regarding the application process. My husband and I currently hold Pakistani nationality and have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. We are planning to visit Iran for religious purposes for one week. I would like to know if this visit to Iran could have any impact on our naturalisation applications.


Many thanks

[alterhase58]

You are free to travel anywhere though I would check on gov.uk for travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran
You (or British citizens) are free to travel to anywhere (subject to visa requirements), at your own risk of course.
FCDO advises against all travel to Iran.
Travel is legal and not in contravention of UK laws.

[secret.simon]

I would be cautious about visiting Iran. The fact that you travelled to a country that the FCDO advises against travel to will not go unnoticed when you apply for naturalisation. It could at the very least likely cause your application to be scrutinised further and thus delay it.

Also, while you are in Iran, you may run into issues if the Iranian government and/or its agencies realise that you are resident in the UK, allegedly referred to as "Little Satan" there. However, as a Pakistani passport holder, it will be Pakistani diplomatic authorities, not the UK's, who would provide you with any consular assistance if you need it.

[Fattima1]

Dear respected members,


Thank you for your quick responses.

I just wanted to double to check if there will be an issue while submitting the naturalisation application as there is FDCO advisory on the Gov.uk website?


Many thanks

[Ixeon659]

I would be cautious about visiting Iran. The fact that you travelled to a country that the FCDO advises against travel to will not go unnoticed when you apply for naturalisation. It could at the very least likely cause your application to be scrutinised further and thus delay it.

I think those who process the application, are following the guidelines, and it is not against the rules to visit "unfriendly" country. If you go there with an intention to commit war crimes then it is a different story