Immigration Corner | Correcting or replacing a naturalisation certificate

Dear Mr Bassie,

I have lost my citizenship certificate. Please tell me how I can go about replacing it.

– JJ

Dear JJ,

It is possible for persons to replace or correct a United Kingdom citizenship certificate.

Persons will need to pay a fee to order a replacement registration or naturalisation certificate or to correct mistakes on a certificate. How persons order a certificate will depend on when they became citizens.

PERSONS WHO BECAME CITIZENS AFTER SEPTEMBER 30, 1986

Replacing a lost or damaged certificate

It costs £250 to replace a lost or damaged certificate. Persons should fill in the form online. They will usually be able to keep their documents while the application is being processed.

Please note that persons can get help with completing the online form if they do not feel confident using a computer or mobile device and/or if they do not have Internet access.

Please be aware that persons can only use this service if they are applying in the United Kingdom.

Persons who live in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or a British overseas territory will have to apply in person or by post instead. They should check with the governor’s office. Persons who live elsewhere can apply in other ways.

It is important to note that persons must inform the police if their certificate has been stolen.

Just for completeness, persons should be aware that they can correct mistakes on a certificate. Those persons should first download and complete an application for a correction of a registration or naturalisation certificate. Then send the form and the original certificate to:

Department 201

UKVI

The Capital

New Hall Place

Liverpool

L3 9PP

Persons will need to pay a £250 fee if the mistake on the certificate was their fault. United Kingdom Visa and Immigration (UKVI) will send a letter advising whether the applicant will need to pay.

PERSONS WHO BECAME CITIZENS ON OR BEFORE September 30, 1986

Those persons can search the National Archives and order a certified copy for a registration certificate issued between January 1, 1949, and September 30, 1986, or a 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. Please contact UKVI for help if unsure.

Good luck!

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practiss law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, deputy global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com