Replacing a UK citizenship certificate
Dear Mr Bassie,
ISEEM to have lost my United Kingdom (UK) citizenship certificate. How can I go about replacing it? Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
– K.D.
Dear K.D.,
With respect to replacing or correcting a United Kingdom citizenship certificate, persons must pay a fee to order a replacement registration or naturalisation certificate, or to correct mistakes on a certificate. Persons should be aware that how they order a certificate will depend on when they became a citizen. For persons who became a citizen after September 30, 1986, to replace a lost or damaged certificate, it will cost £250 to replace it. Persons should first
fill in the form online. Those persons should usually be able to keep their documents while the application is being processed. Persons can get help with completing the online form if they do not feel confident using a computer or mobile device or they do not have Internet access. However, it should be noted that persons can only use this service if they are applying in the United Kingdom.
Please be aware that if persons live in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory, they have to apply in person
or by post instead.
Persons should check which one applies to them and what they can do by checking with the governor’s office. If persons live elsewhere, they can apply in other ways.
However, persons must inform the police if their certificate has been stolen.
With respect to correcting mistakes on a certificate, persons should first download and complete an application for a correction of a registration or naturalisation certificate. Then, they should send the form and their original certificate to Department 1, UKVI. Those persons will need to pay a £250 fee if the mistake on the certificate was their fault. UKVI will then send a letter informing whether the applicant will need to pay. Please send to the address below:
Department 201
UKVI
The Capital
New Hall Place Liverpool
L3 9PP
Please note that if persons became a citizen on or before September 30, 1986, they can search the National Archives and order a certified copy for a:
• Registration certificate issued between January 1, 1949, and September 30, 1986;
• Naturalisation certificate issued between January 1, 1844, and September 30, 1986.
Please be aware that persons cannot get a replacement certificate from UKVI if they became a British citizen before October 1986. Those persons should contact UKVI for help.
Good luck. John S. Bassie is a barrister/ attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Courtappointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com