Making an MN1 Form Application to Register Your Child as a British Citizen

Over the past decade, we’ve helped many clients register their children as British citizens. Using the knowledge and experience we have obtained during this time, we have created this MN1 Form Information Guide to provide you with the comprehensive information you need to get started. This MN1 form application can be used for children under 18 years of age and allows them to be registered as British citizens.

You should note that once a child becomes 18 years of age, they will need to apply for Naturalisation instead of being registered as British (via the MN1 application). For more information about the naturalisation process, please see our British Citizenship page.

MN1 Form Eligibility Criteria

For a child to be registered as a British citizen, they will be eligible under the following circumstances:

• The child was born in the UK to a parent or parents that have subsequently secured Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), EEA Permanent Residence, or Settled Status as a European national
• The child has had another form of British nationality
• The child was born before 1st January 1983 to a British mother
• The child was born to a British father, even if he was not married to the child’s mother
• The child was born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983, and one of the parents was either British or holding an Indefinite Leave to Remain/Permanent Residence Visa at the time
• The child is under 18 and does not fit into the other categories
• The child has a connection with Gibraltar or Hong Kong
• The child is stateless

Eligibility Rules for Each Category

We can assist you in making an application using form MN1 guidance if you are applying for your child to become British under one of the following sections:

• Section 1 (3) – birth in the UK to parents who are now settled in the UK or have become British citizens.
• Section 1 (3A) – birth in the UK to parents who have joined the British armed forces.
• Section 3 (1) – a child whose parents are applying for British citizenship at the same time.
• Section 3 (2) – birth abroad to parents who are British by descent and have lived in the UK or a British overseas territory.
• Section 3 (5) – birth abroad to parents who are British by descent but are now living in the UK or a British overseas territory.
• Section 3 (1) – children adopted abroad by British citizen parents.
• Section 3 (1) – children whose parents had renounced and subsequently resumed British citizenship.
• Section 4D – birth abroad to parents serving in the armed forces.

How Much Will It Cost to Apply for Your Child’s MN1 Registration?

The government fee (or you could call it an application fee) is currently £1,214 per child. If the child turns 18 years old during the process, you will be charged an additional £80 fee for the British citizenship ceremony that they would need to attend to be issued with their naturalisation certificate.

Please read our British Citizenship page for more information about the ceremony process. Please note that children under 18 years of age are not required to attend a ceremony, and their registration as British certificates will be sent by post.

How to apply and Biometric Enrolment

We will be applying online as the UKVI’s application process is now fully digital, and the current processing time is around 8-10 weeks (but it can take up to 6 months, so be warned). Since April 2015, the Home Office has introduced a new Biometric requirement for all form MN1 guidance applications.

One of the reasons why the processing time is so slow is the UKVI’s biometric enrolment element of the process. As a part of the application process, you must enrol your child’s biometrics details for identity verification. Once we submit the online application to the Home Office, we will secure your child’s Biometric appointment for you as part of the submission process.

Your child’s application will be rejected if you do not enrol their biometrics as instructed. You may also have to pay between £100 – £200 per applicant to secure a Biometric appointment at the Biometric Centre nearest your home.