Destroy Your BRP After Naturalisation - Guidance Updated
23 Apr 2026
If you are applying for British citizenship by naturalisation — or if you have recently been granted it — the official Form AN guidance was updated today (23 April 2026) with an important change to what you do with your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) after your application is decided.
Under the previous guidance, successful applicants were told to return their BRP to the Home Office. The updated guidance changes this: you should now destroy your BRP yourself once your naturalisation is granted. You no longer need to post it back. The guidance also updates the section on travelling to and from the UK after becoming a British citizen, which is relevant if you are planning to travel between your naturalisation ceremony and receiving your British passport.
This change affects anyone who holds a BRP — which includes people on BNO, Skilled Worker, Family, and most other visa routes — and goes on to successfully naturalise as a British citizen. It is a straightforward procedural update, not a change to eligibility requirements, residence periods, or the good character test.
If you have recently naturalised and have not yet dealt with your BRP, follow the new guidance and destroy it. There is no penalty for having already followed the old guidance. If you are currently preparing a naturalisation application, note that the substantive requirements — five years of lawful residence (or three years if naturalising through marriage or civil partnership to a British citizen), ILR or settled status, passing the Life in the UK test, and meeting the English language requirement — remain unchanged.
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