Currently it costs £1012 to register a child as a British citizen. Therefore, from 16 June 2022 the government has introduced a new policy which allows individuals under 18 years old to apply for a fee waiver if they meet the affordability test.
To meet the affordability test, the child and parents must effectively prove that they do not have sufficient funds at their disposal, after meeting their essential living needs, to pay the fee. Additionally, they must show that paying the required fee would deprive the child of having these needs met.
This policy applies to the following types of application:
- Form MN1: Registration of children under the age of 18.
- Form S2 and S3: Registration as a British citizen if you are a stateless person
- Form T: Registration as a British citizen if you were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 and lived here until you were 10 years old.
- Form B(OS): Registration as a British citizen if you are a British Overseas citizen, British subject, British protected person, or British National (Overseas) and have no other citizenship or nationality.
- Form B(OTA): Registration as a British citizen if you are a British Overseas Territories citizen, a British Overseas citizen, a British protected person, a British subject or a British National (Overseas).
- Form EM: Registration as a British Citizen through residence in Hong Kong before 1997 (paper only).
Affordability definition
The government defines affordability as “The applicant and parent(s) are considered unable to pay the fee when they do not have sufficient funds at their disposal to pay the required fee after meeting their essential living needs, and continuing to meet any other child’s essential needs, such as housing and food. This is the primary assessment for whether a fee waiver should be granted”.
Evidence
The child and parent(s) must provide clear and compelling evidence that they are unable to afford the fee. All financial circumstances of the applicant will be considered including:
- Proof that the child and parent(s) essential needs are being met by others eg. receipt of welfare benefits, financial dependency on family or friends.
- If the child and parent(s) have any savings or have made any reasonable efforts to save for the fee in the past 6 months.
- If the child and parent(s) have not excessively spent money on things other than their essential living needs.
If the affordability test is satisfied online applicants will receive a token to use, which will allow them to proceed with the application without paying the fee. The token will only be usable by the named individual to whom the waiver was granted. A request made using a paper fee waiver form must be submitted alongside the citizen registration application. Fee waiver requests will be considered before the main application is assessed.
