Naturalization Certificate

Hi, I am applying for my wife naturalisation certificate (NC). She was on Tier 1 Dependant previously and recently got residence permit (ILR). I was doing an online application (Form AN) for her and realised that my NC number is required. If I remember correctly I never got that back from homeoffice.

I have got 2 questions,
Can I apply for her naturalisation certificate (NC) without my NC, however I do have my British passport and also my kids NC.

If its not possible then how can I apply for NC again, I know you can apply online but do I have to give all documentation that I previously submitted to get NC.

Kind Regards,

In theory all that is required for is "evidence of British citizenship" which can be your passport number along with photo copies of all pages, as per Guide AN.

Guide AN wrote: Evidence of British citizenship

• Your spouse’s or civil partner’s current passport or naturalisation/registration certificate showing that he/she is a British citizen. You should provide a complete and full copy of your spouse’s or civil partner’s current passport. Every page in the passport must be copied including the blank pages, and
• The marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate

So your passport should suffice.

On a side note, why do you not have your naturalisation certificate? You should have received it back from HMPO once you applied for your first adult passport after naturalisation. It's posted separately from your British passport using Royal Mail 2nd class. If you did not receive it you should get in touch with HMPO and ask them to locate it. Alternatively, you can request a duplicate certificate but it will cost you £250.

Also note that a British passport is not necessarily proof of British citizenship and, if there's any doubt, HO may ask to see your naturalisation certificate. The only ultimate proof is your naturalisation certificate. If you never got it back, I'd recommend you follow up with HO/HMPO and make them aware that you never received it.

Thank you for swift response.

I am really not sure why i never got and I why i never checked it. In the joy of getting passport I may have completely forgotten it

Do you know how can I contact HO regarding this. Any help will be highly appreciated.

Regards

Since you've got your passport, assuming your NC was never sent back to you, it will be with HMPO, not HO. Try contacting them on some of the contacts listed here.

Make sure you haven't instead misplaced your certificate and explain the situation to them. I'm not sure what details they may ask of you but have your passport application dates ready just in case. If you still have your unique application number it may help them look things up.

There have been a small number of similar cases where either HMPO or the delivery company would misplace the supporting documents/envelope and lose the applicants's NC and/or foreign passport. Did you get the rest of your supporting documents back? If so, the naturalisation certificate should have been enclosed in the same envelope. If you received your other document(s) w/o the NC there's a chance that it's HMPO that misplaced it as opposed to the delivery company, so you could use that information to help them locate it.

good point sir,

I believe i have all the rest of the documents. Its only NC missing.

let me contact them and see how it goes.

Thanks

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Thanks all for your response. I did asked HMPO yesterday and they suggested I did a joint application (JCAP).
Hence they dont have it. Now, I am worried as how can i lose it. As i even have all the other documents but not this. My question is,
Would I need NC later, or would be it required for anything in the future for passport renewal etc
Do i need to report lost NC to police
While I was going through form (NC, which is for duplicate certificated). I came across nationality that I am holding (apart from British). Do you think its a red flag as I am holding another nationality by birth which I got before british and was disclosed previously.

Regards

If you applied for citizenship using the JCAP service, then you never sent your cert to HMPO for the passport.

You would have simply received your certificate at your ceremony and received your passport automatically a couple of weeks later.

It therefore appears you might have misplaced or lost your certificate you received at your ceremony.

It is your naturalisation certificate that is the evidence of your citizenship. A passport is a travel document.

ASIF82 wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:42 pm

Now, I am worried as how can i lose it.

If you applied via JCAP then your passport was automatically issued and HMPO never had to see your NC which you would have received at the ceremony and kept thereafter. Many people with "lost" certificates usually find it at some point down the line as having been misplaced and filed into the wrong place, so it may not be lost. Things like this can happen to everyone.

ASIF82 wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:42 pm

Do i need to report lost NC to police

Unless it was stolen I don't think you need to. Bear in mind police will only issue a case ID (i.e. crime reference number) if there's an actual crime. So unless it was stolen, there wouldn't be any crime for them to log and I suspect they will just tell you there's no need. Probably best to contact your local police station if in doubt.

ASIF82 wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:42 pm

My question is,
Would I need NC later, or would be it required for anything in the future for passport renewal etc

In general, including passport renewal, most likely you wouldn't. However, for your spouse's naturalisation application the HO may request to see the naturalisation certificate instead of your passport if they so wish.

Also bear in mind, as previously mentioned, your NC is one of (if not the) most important documents you have ever received from the HO as it is the only real proof to your claim of British citizenship if any governmental institution should ever require such proof and it's certainly best to have a copy. A passport itself is not proof of your claim to citizenship.

Edit: @CR001 beat me to it ^_^

Thank you CR001 and AnotherUUID, your help is really been fantastic.

Can you please answer this as well,

While I was going through form (NC, which is for duplicate certificate). I came across nationality that I am holding (apart from British). Do you think its a red flag as I am holding another nationality by birth which I got before british and was disclosed previously.

link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... te-form-nc

Okay.

wonderful, thank you