Immigrationboards.com

Hi everyone,

I just got my Indefinite Leave to Remain and I'm married to a British Citizen (who is British by birth). I've been in the UK legally for more than 3 years now, so it looks like I can apply for natrualisation straight away.

But I'm wondering, instead of sending my BC husband's passport, can I send a certified copy of his birth certificate (issued by the Home Office identity & passport service) instead of his passport?

I know that the documents required for the citizenship application are:
1. my passport
2. my indefinite leave to remain
3. our marriage certificate (i have the original)
4. my BC spouse's passport or birth certificate


so my question is, if I don't send his passport and choose to send his birth certificate instead, does the birth certificate have to be the original? because it's almost 30 years ago and his mother has moved around, the original birth certificate is now nowhere to be found. We now have a certified copy ordered from the identity & passport service...

Please kindly advise if this is sufficient.

Thank you!!

This is not an expert opinion, but I would think a government issued replacement certificate (i.e. not just one that was photocopied by anyone) would be acceptable. Please wait for a more senior member to confirm though!

I did want to ask though, is there any reason you don't want to send your husband's passport? If it's just because he'll need to use it while the application is processing, I would suggest using NCS if it's available at your local council. There is a fee (I think it might vary by council - mine was £50 as a guide) but they'll check your application, take UKBA accepted copies of all your documents and return them immediately.

See here for more info on NCS: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/briti ... e/#header1

Vivienne15 wrote:Hi everyone,

I just got my Indefinite Leave to Remain and I'm married to a British Citizen (who is British by birth). I've been in the UK legally for more than 3 years now, so it looks like I can apply for natrualisation straight away.

But I'm wondering, instead of sending my BC husband's passport, can I send a certified copy of his birth certificate (issued by the Home Office identity & passport service) instead of his passport?

I know that the documents required for the citizenship application are:
1. my passport
2. my indefinite leave to remain
3. our marriage certificate (i have the original)
4. my BC spouse's passport or birth certificate


so my question is, if I don't send his passport and choose to send his birth certificate instead, does the birth certificate have to be the original? because it's almost 30 years ago and his mother has moved around, the original birth certificate is now nowhere to be found. We now have a certified copy ordered from the identity & passport service...

Please kindly advise if this is sufficient.

Thank you!!

Certified copy from IPS is perfectly fine.another option for you would be to provide a certified copy of his passport. solicitors do that for a low price(10 to £ 20). you do not have to use NCS.this is my personal experience.
Good luck