UK Citizenship: How Children Under 18 Can Apply for a Fee Waiver

Children under the age of 18 who are eligible to become British citizens may be able to have their citizenship application fee waived if they and their parents or legal guardians cannot afford the cost.

Global Mirror News gathered that the UK Government has introduced the fee-waiver route to ensure that eligible children are not prevented from obtaining British citizenship simply because their families are unable to meet the financial requirement.

According to guidance published on the official UK Government website, the concession applies specifically to applicants who are under 18 and eligible for British citizenship.

Who qualifies for the UK citizenship fee waiver?

A child may qualify where one of their parents regarded the UK as their home and, after the child was born, subsequently became a British citizen or obtained a qualifying permanent immigration status.

The qualifying circumstances include where the parent:

• became a British citizen;
• obtained indefinite leave to remain in the UK;
• obtained settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme;
• obtained indefinite leave to enter the UK; or
• obtained permanent residence status.

However, eligibility for British citizenship alone does not automatically guarantee a fee waiver. The family must also demonstrate that paying the citizenship fee would create significant financial hardship.

Financial hardship is central to the application

The Home Office considers whether the child and their parent or guardian can realistically afford the citizenship fee after meeting essential living expenses.

A fee waiver may be considered where the family cannot afford accommodation, cannot meet basic living costs such as food and heating, or has insufficient money left after paying for housing and other essential expenses.

The Government also recognises circumstances in which paying the citizenship fee would mean that the needs of a child could no longer be adequately met.

This means applicants should be prepared to provide credible evidence of their financial circumstances rather than simply stating that they cannot afford the fee.

How to apply for the fee waiver

The UK Government allows eligible applicants to apply either online or by post.

Those applying online can save their application and return to complete it later. Applicants in Guernsey or Jersey must apply by post, while the government currently does not provide this fee-waiver route for applicants in the Isle of Man.

For postal applications, applicants are required to complete the Child Citizenship Fee Waiver Request Form and send it to the address specified on the form.

The UK Government’s citizenship forms collection, updated in July 2026, continues to list the child citizenship affordability fee-waiver request as an available application route.

Parents and guardians can apply

A parent or legal guardian does not have to leave the application entirely to the child.

The UK Government says a parent or legal guardian can submit the fee-waiver application on behalf of the child and can include other children in the same application where applicable.

This is particularly important for families with more than one eligible child who are facing the same financial difficulties.

Documents applicants may need

Applicants should expect to provide evidence establishing both their identity and their financial circumstances.

For online applications, acceptable identity evidence may include a passport, national identity card or biometric residence permit. The government also says a biometric residence permit can be used for 18 months after the expiry date printed on the card.

Financial evidence may include:

• bank statements;
• payslips or other evidence of household earnings;
• evidence of rent or other accommodation costs;
• evidence of public funds received;
• letters from local authorities;
• letters from relatives or others providing financial support; and
• other documents showing household income and essential expenditure.

The strength of the application therefore depends heavily on whether the evidence clearly demonstrates the family’s financial position.

Do not apply for citizenship before receiving an online fee-waiver decision

One of the most important points for applicants is the order in which the applications are made.

Where the fee-waiver request is submitted online, the applicant must receive the fee-waiver decision before applying for British citizenship.

If the fee waiver is approved, the Home Office will issue an email or letter containing a personalised code known as a token. The applicant then uses that token when making the citizenship application.

Where the fee-waiver application is successful online, the subsequent citizenship application should also be made online where possible. If the two processes cannot be completed online, the applicant will need to use the postal route.

What happens if the child turns 18 while waiting?

Turning 18 while a fee-waiver application is being considered does not necessarily mean the applicant loses the opportunity.

The UK Government states that if an applicant turns 18 before receiving a decision on the fee-waiver request, they can still apply for citizenship as a child and may retain the fee waiver if they are otherwise eligible.

This provision could be particularly important where Home Office processing extends beyond the applicant’s 18th birthday.

Children in local-authority care are treated differently

The Government has also made clear that children being looked after by a local authority should not apply for the fee waiver.

Instead, evidence of their local-authority care should be provided when the citizenship application itself is submitted. The government says the citizenship application will be free in such circumstances.

Citizenship fee waiver is not a general concession for all applicants

It is important to distinguish the fee waiver from the normal British citizenship application process.

The waiver described by the UK Government is specifically aimed at eligible children under 18 who cannot afford the citizenship application fee. It is not a general mechanism through which every adult seeking British citizenship can have the application cost removed.

For example, adults applying for citizenship through naturalisation normally have to meet the applicable eligibility requirements, including residence and immigration-status conditions. A person with indefinite leave to remain or settled status will generally need to have lived in the UK for five years, although different rules apply to spouses or civil partners of British citizens.

Applicants urged to check eligibility before applying

The UK Government advises prospective applicants to establish that they are eligible for British citizenship before submitting an application.

The citizenship process can involve substantial documentation, including evidence of residence, immigration status and, depending on the route, knowledge of English and the Life in the UK test.

For families seeking the child fee waiver, the first priority should therefore be to establish the child’s citizenship eligibility and then demonstrate, with documentary evidence, why the family cannot afford the applicable fee.

Global Mirror News reports that the scheme provides an important route for financially vulnerable families, particularly where the cost of citizenship could otherwise prevent an eligible child from securing British Nationality.