Utility bills, tenancy agreements and council tax bills will NOT be accepted as proof of residency

[unaanu]

What documents did you have to submit?

I have council tax bills and payslips but not for every month, so I'm worried it won't be enough.

[alterhase58]

Are you an EU citizen or EU family member?
Then council tax bills or P60 are fine, one for each year (only one type is needed) - monthly payslips are not required. You don't need to send tons of documents.
If you hold UK ILR then generally your passport with stamps covering the residency period is sufficient.

[unaanu]

I'm an EU citizen. Unfortunately, I only have three P60's. Do you think that'll be a problem?

[alterhase58]

I'm an EU citizen. Unfortunately, I only have three P60's. Do you think that'll be a problem?

You are asked to prove residency by way of official type documents ....
Have you got council tax bills for the missing years? Those will be also be ok. There are also suggestions that the employment record which you can download from HMRC is being used. If you have correspondence/documents from other official sources such as DWP pensions or child benefit, NHS, council, or similar, that should work as well. If all else fails use payslips to fill the gaps.

[contorted_svy]

If you have been employed for the 5 years, get your employer/former employer to write a letter that confirms the dates of your employment.

[unaanu]

If you have been employed for the 5 years, get your employer/former employer to write a letter that confirms the dates of your employment.

I've had different jobs throughout the years with periods of unemployment in-between so that isn't really an option.

[unaanu]

I'm an EU citizen. Unfortunately, I only have three P60's. Do you think that'll be a problem?

You are asked to prove residency by way of official type documents ....
Have you got council tax bills for the missing years? Those will be also be ok. There are also suggestions that the employment record which you can download from HMRC is being used. If you have correspondence/documents from other official sources such as DWP pensions or child benefit, NHS, council, or similar, that should work as well. If all else fails use payslips to fill the gaps.

I do have council tax bills for the years I don't have P60's, but they don't cover the entire year, as I've been moving a lot. Must they cover the entire year?

[contorted_svy]

The longer they cover the better. See what you have between payslips and council tax bills.

[unaanu]

I'm in a Facebook group for people applying for British Citizenship and someone was just told that utility bills, tenancy agreements and council tax bills will NOT be accepted as proof of residency.

They were asked to provide P60s, employment letters, benefit letters, bank statements proving deposits from employer/benefit department, and full medical records.

Since when was employment/benefits a requirement to apply for British citizenship?

I have had several periods of unemployment during the last 5 years and have never been on benefits. I thought I could use my council tax bills as proof of residency, so now I'm freaking out. What do I do?

[secret.simon]

Since when was employment a requirement to apply for British citizenship?

It isn't.

someone was just told that utility bills, tenancy agreements and council tax bills will NOT be accepted as proof of residency.

Council tax bills probably are.

The proof that is acceptable is generally correspondence with national government agencies. That is why P45s and P60s are on that list, because they are issued by HMRC. Benefit letters from DWP would also be acceptable, as would NHS correspondence (though I am not certain about the latter).

Bills issued by private organisations, such as utilities and landlords, are what is not accepted.

[Casa]

I'm in a Facebook group for people applying for British Citizenship and someone was just told that utility bills, tenancy agreements and council tax bills will NOT be accepted as proof of residency.

They were asked to provide P60s, employment letters, benefit letters, bank statements proving deposits from employer/benefit department, and full medical records.

Since when was employment/benefits a requirement to apply for British citizenship?

I have had several periods of unemployment during the last 5 years and have never been on benefits. I thought I could use my council tax bills as proof of residency, so now I'm freaking out. What do I do?

See the official document guidance below:

You should supply the following documents to show you have been mainly in the UK during the 5 years (or, if married to or in civil partnership to a British citizen, 3 years) before making your application:

Your passports
If you are unable to provide your passport, explain why and supply letters from employers (including start and finish dates), payslips, P60s, educational establishments or other government departments indicating your presence in the United Kingdom during the relevant period

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... accessible

[SupperDog]

Are you an EU citizen or EU family member?
Then council tax bills or P60 are fine, one for each year (only one type is needed) - monthly payslips are not required. You don't need to send tons of documents.
If you hold UK ILR then generally your passport with stamps covering the residency period is sufficient.

I think council tax bills are not accepted. I saw someone posted a screenshot from the caseworker saying council tax bills are not accepted.

[alterhase58]

Council tax bills are official documents and used regularly. Certainly utility bills are not accepted.

[SupperDog]

Council tax bills are official documents and used regularly. Certainly utility bills are not accepted.

The email from the caseworker said clearly council tax bills are not accepted. I have seen at least 2 of the similar emails. Also on the application form, the documents section says household bills are not accepted. The official definition of household bills includes council tax bills.

[SupperDog]

Council tax bills are official documents and used regularly. Certainly utility bills are not accepted.

Just found one here. I think it's quite clear.

[alterhase58]

Might be good idea for UKVI to update their guidance with what is not acceptable.
Council Tax to my mind is a local tax bill raised by local government, rather than a household bill like gas or phone.
I still see people saying they used council tax bills without issues.

[SupperDog]

Might be good idea for UKVI to update their guidance with what is not acceptable.
Council Tax to my mind is a local tax bill raised by local government, rather than a household bill like gas or phone.
I still see people saying they used council tax bills without issues.

People who uploaded council tax bills won't have issue because they normally uploaded other documents as well and council tax bills are just ignored. People who only uploaded council tax bills received email like that one saying it's not accepted and had to provide other documents.

[bookerw100]

Might be good idea for UKVI to update their guidance with what is not acceptable.
Council Tax to my mind is a local tax bill raised by local government, rather than a household bill like gas or phone.
I still see people saying they used council tax bills without issues.

Perhaps they are not accepted as you can own a house, move abroad and still have a council tax bill issued.

[contorted_svy]

That is true also of a P60, one can be employed in the UK and not live here.

[SupperDog]

That is true also of a P60, one can be employed in the UK and not live here.

Don't know the logic behind that but I have seen at least 2 people who uploaded council tax bills as proof of residency and then received emails from the caseworkers saying council tax bills are not accepted.

From my point of view, P60 can't prove someone didn't leave the UK as well. But it's accepted. We can't do anything, just have to follow their guidance.

[contorted_svy]

Agreed. I have advised to use council tax bills before, as they weren't explicitly excluded by the guidance and we assumed they were documents produced by local government, but will make sure to amend this advice from now on - I wonder what evidence would people who don't work and don't get their passport stamped be able to use except for a lot of government letters, and how many of those per year should be supplied.