This is a tale in two parts – the first part was painless and easy. The second made me rue the day I decided to embark on this journey. But such is life and I hope my experiences make your journeys somewhat easier.

This is the story of my family and I becoming British citizens and then trying to remain Overseas Citizens of India, as well.

After pondering for more than 4 years, my husband and I decided to change our citizenship last year. It wasn’t easy, deciding to give up our Indian citizenship but we finally thought that we will become Brits, considering England has been our home for almost all of our adult and married lives. Our children were born here and the younger one was already a British citizen as she was born when our visa status was akin to permanent residentship, while England was all the older one knew, after living here and going to school here for 8 years.

A simple perusal of the UK Border Agency‘s website was all that was needed to equip us with the necessary knowledge on how to become British citizens. As we had been living in England for over 9 years, and in possession of the “Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK” visa for over 5 years, we knew we fulfilled the standard requirements for naturalisation.

The only thing we had to do prior to sending in our applications was to pass a test entitled “Life in the UK”, where we would be tested on everyday British living as well as on British history. It was really quite simple and once we passed that hurdle, we set about becoming naturalised citizens.

Accordingly, we downloaded the necessary forms (Form AN for adults and MN1 for children) and filled them out. We didn’t need much else – all we needed were one photo identity document, the Life in the UK pass certificate and our current passport with the relevant visa. The detailed guides (available for download in the PDF form) made it very easy to complete the form.

The form had to be counter-signed by two British-passport holders who are professionals in their own right and as the husband’s colleagues fit the bill, those that knew us well were quite happy to sign our photos and attest that we were who we were claiming to be.

As we didn’t want to be without our travel documents, we used the National Checking Service (NCS). As the NCS is run by the local authorities, the appointment was procured quite easily at a venue quite close to us and with the staff quite happy to accommodate your requests, we got to see someone the week after. On the scheduled day and for a nominal fee, our documents were given a careful perusal and all the necessary supporting documents were photocopied and attested by the Checking officer and our passports returned to us straightaway.

Barely two weeks after that, we got the confirmation that our naturalisation has been approved and can we please make an appointment by calling the number given so we can be sworn in as British citizens. Ringing the number procured us a date a week away and so, in short order, we found ourselves in Chelmsford, listening to this fantastically-livered chap tell us about the part Essex played in the history of England and then bidding us to go forth and do no harm as poms.

Applying for a passport was a doddle – the forms were given to us along with our naturalisation certificate and were quite straightforward. (You can also get it from your post office, request for one here or even apply online.) So it was just a case of fill it out, send it out, make an appointment to prove that we are who we claim to be (as it was for our first passports) and then three days later, we got our shiny, red passports.

From start to finish, the whole procedure took less than three months. Everything went off like clockwork, following standardised procedures and when we got stuck, the guides and websites proved ample information. If that wasn’t sufficient, the helplines were available to point us towards the right direction. If you still aren’t sure, services like the post office’s ‘Check and Send’ service serve as excellent check points, enabling you to fill your forms and send them after having them checked thoroughly, saving valuable time and money. Doing so made it possible for my husband to change the photo he had attached to the form as it didn’t fit the guidelines.

Even as my husband and I marvelled at how easy the whole process turned out to be, we had more than an inkling that the sister process to retain a toe-hold on to our Indian citizenship would be diametrically different and we weren’t wrong!

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