Child Citizenship Registration Fee Falls to £1,000 from 8 April
07 Apr 2026
If you have a child who is eligible to be registered as a British citizen, applying from 8 April 2026 will cost you less than it did yesterday. The Home Office has cut the child citizenship registration fee from £1,214 to £1,000 — a reduction of £214 per child — as part of the April 2026 fee schedule update.
This is one of the few fee reductions in an otherwise upward revision. ILR fees rise from £3,029 to £3,226 and naturalisation for adults increases from £1,605 to £1,709 from the same date, making the child citizenship cut stand out. The government had faced long-running criticism that charging over £1,200 to register a child who already has the right to British citizenship was disproportionate and acted as a barrier for lower-income families. While £1,000 is still a significant sum, the direction of travel is welcome.
Children who may be eligible for registration include those born in the UK after a parent becomes settled or British, children with one British parent born overseas, and children in other specific circumstances under the British Nationality Act. BNO visa holders who have reached ILR and have children born during or after their time in the UK should check whether their children are eligible. If your child qualifies, there is now a modest financial incentive to apply sooner rather than later — though unlike ILR and naturalisation, the fee has gone down rather than up, so there is no rush created by this particular change. The new £1,000 fee applies to applications submitted on or after 8 April 2026.
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