Disclaimer:
The information here is not exhaustive, there are many different pathways to obtain British citizenship. You can find all the legal requirements on the websites of Citizens Advice1 and the UK government2. Here, we include general legal information about the naturalisation process, but this does not constitute legal advice.
What is going to change?
The british government has announced plans to modify the legal requirements for naturalisation. The proposals include increasing the minimum residency period from 5 to 10-20 years. Additionally, new requirements of minimum income and tax contributions will be introduced3. These changes could be implemented at any point over the coming year.
Who is currently eligible for naturalisation?
People who have held ‘EU Settled Status’ or ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’ for over 12 months can apply for naturalisation. This 12 month waiting period is not required for spouses or civil partners of british citizens.
There are additional requirements such as not having spent more than 450 days outside the UK in the last 5 years.
What if you don’t currently meet the naturalisation requirements?
If you arrived to the UK after the 31st of December 2020, you might consider applying to Indefinite Leave to Remain as soon as you are eligible.
In general, people are eligible after 5 years with a skiller worker visa or 3 years with a Global Talent visa. You can find all the legal requirments for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the government website4.
Preserving your Spanish citizenship
Spanish citizens that acquire a new nationality must inform the Spanish consulate within 3 years. This process is necessary to prevent the loss of your Spanish citizenship. You can find how to do this process in the website of the consulate5.
References
2. https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/citizenship
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/earned-settlement
4. https://www.gov.uk/indefinite-leave-to-remain 5..https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/londres/es/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/index.aspx?scca=Nacionalidad&scco=Reino+Unido&scd=179&scs=Nacionalidad+espa%C3%B1ola+-+Conservaci%C3%B3n
