Applying for British citizenship with settled status or ILR: time spent outside the UK

Written by: Aarshi Joshi

Published: 07/07/2026

If you have been granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) or indefinite leave to remain (ILR) through a different immigration route, and you want to apply for British citizenship , you will need to meet the residence and absence requirements for British citizenship. The requirements for British citizenship are different to those for settled status and indefinite leave to remain applications.

A new absence rule under the EUSS was introduced in July 2025 allowing for settled status to be achieved if you had lived in the UK for 30 months in the last 60 months. However, British citizenship has different absence rules, so time spent outside the UK may affect whether you are eligible to apply.

Why your absences matter

Whether you have settled status under the EUSS (including under the 30/60 months rule) or hold indefinite leave to remain, you should carefully check how many days you have spent outside the UK before applying for British citizenship.

Spending too many days outside the UK during your ‘qualifying period’ or in the last 12 months before your application may result in your application being refused.

What are the residence and absence requirements for British citizenship?

There are two main ways to apply for British citizenship depending on whether you’re married to a British citizen or not. Both require you to be physically present in the UK on the first day of when your qualifying period starts and both have limits on time spent abroad.

	Married to a British citizen	Not married to a British citizen
When can you apply after receiving settled status or indefinite leave to remain	Immediately	After 12 months
Qualifying period	3 years	5 years
Max absence during qualifying period	270 days	450 days
Max absence in the last 12 months before application	90 days	90 days

What if you have spent too many days outside the UK

The Home Office might accept your application for British citizenship even if you have spent more time outside the UK than allowed. However, this is not automatic and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

The Home Office will normally allow your application if you have up to a total of 300 days of absences (if married to a British citizen) or up to a total of 480 days of absences (if not married to a British citizen) during your qualifying period.

If you are away from the UK for more than 300 or 480 days (depending on if you are married to a British citizen), the Home Office may allow your application if you satisfy all the following requirements:

You must have lived in the UK for a longer qualifying residence period and in addition, you did not spend substantial time outside of the UK at the beginning of the residence period (see table);
There were exceptional reasons for your time outside the UK (see below);
You meet all other requirements for British citizenship;
You have established your home, family life and a large part of your estate such as property, in the UK.

Absences in the residence period (days)	Married to a British citizen/Not married to a British citizen	Min. UK residence required for British citizenship	No substantial absences during
300 – 450	Married to a British citizen	4 years	First year
450 – 540	Married to a British citizen	5 years	First 2 years
480 – 730	Not married to a British citizen	7 Years	First 2 years
730 – 900	Not married to a British citizen	8 years	First 3 years

Exceptional reasons for your time outside the UK

If you have more absences than normally allowed, you will need to provide evidence to show that your absences were due to exceptional reasons.

The Home Office might look at whether the absences resulted from:

A posting overseas in Crown service or designated service;
The unavoidable nature of your employment;
Exceptional occupational circumstances;
Compassionate or humanitarian reasons;
Being unable to return to the UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examples

	Maria	Franco
Route	Maria is not married to a British citizen. She used the 30/60 months rule to get settled status under EUSS.	Franco is married to a British citizen and he was granted indefinite leave to remain.
Absences	Between 450 and 730 days	Between 300 and 540 days
Reasons for absences	She left during COVID-19 and was unable to return to the UK for an extended amount of time.	Franco also has more absences than allowed. He enjoyed long travels and stays in his home country. They were not caused by any exceptional reasons: – COVID-19 – The nature of his employment; – Posting abroad in Crown service; and – He does not have any exceptional occupational or compassionate circumstances.
Outcome	The Home Office may allow her application if she can show that: – She has lived in the UK for at least seven years; – She did not have substantial absences during the first two years of her seven year residence period prior to making her application; and – Her excess absences were connected to her inability to return to the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maria’s absences fall under a recognised exceptional reason so she may be successful in her application.	Franco’s absences do not fall under any recognised exceptional circumstances. He likely needs to delay his application until his absences fall within the allowed limits.

Key takeaways

Before submitting a British citizenship application, make sure that you:

Review your travel history carefully;
Check that you were physically present in the UK at the start of your qualifying period;
Calculate all absences during your relevant qualifying period.

We strongly recommend getting legal advice if you have been away from the UK for long periods of time and are looking to apply for British citizenship.

Need advice on your British citizenship application?

At Seraphus, we help individuals assess their eligibility and navigate every stage of the British citizenship process.

If you are unsure whether you meet the residence and absence requirements, our immigration team can review your travel history, advise on the likelihood of success in your application, and support you throughout the process.

Fill out the contact form