Immigration Corner | How to make a correction on a UK citizenship certificate

Dear Mr Bassie,

I recently found out that I needed to make a correction to my United Kingdom (UK) citizenship certificate. Please advise how I can get this done.

– W.B.

Dear W.B.,

To replace or correct a United Kingdom citizenship certificate, persons must pay a fee to order the replacement registration or naturalisation certificate or to correct mistakes on a certificate.

It is important to note that how a person orders a certificate will depend on when he/she became a citizen.

PERSONS WHO BECAME A CITIZEN AFTER SEPTEMBER 30, 1986

It should be noted that it costs £250 to replace a lost or damaged certificate, and persons should fill in the form online. Please note that the applicants will usually be able to keep their documents while the application is being processed.

Persons should be aware that they can receive 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. However, it should be noted that this service can only be accessed if the application is being made in the United Kingdom.

Those 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 what they can do at their governor’s office, and if living elsewhere, those persons can apply in other ways.

Please note that if the citizenship certificate has been stolen, the police should be notified immediately.

In order to correct mistakes on a certificate, persons should take the following steps:

1. Download and complete an application for a correction of a registration or naturalisation certificate.

2. Send the form and their original certificate to Department 1, UKVI.

3. Persons will need to pay a £250 fee if the mistake on the certificate was their fault. UKVI will send a letter advising if a fee needs to be paid. Please see the address below:

Department 201

UKVI

The Capital

New Hall Place

Liverpool

L3 9PP

PERSONS WHO BECAME A CITIZEN ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30, 1986

Those persons who became a citizen on or before September 30, 1986, can search the National Archives and order a certified copy for a registration certificate issued between January 1, 1949, and September 30, 1986. They can also order a naturalisation certificate issued between January 1, 1944, 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 Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, the global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com