It never occurred to me that I should become British formally. I didn’t need to - I am a European Citizen. But then Brexit hit us.

Having a British Child with a British Dad in the UK and me only Hungarian was not an option. Luckily Hungary allows dual Citizenship so I kept my original too.

It took me only 6 months the whole process from start to finish while working full time and Charlie was starting school, busy times I would say.

I will tell you exactly what I did and what you need to do if you are similarly a busy working Mum and have no time for additional projects in your life but desperately need to get on with the application, fast and efficiently.

To start with there are some basic requirements you need to comply with such as:

• Living in the UK in the past 5 years

• To have a Settled Visa from the UK Government

• Being able to prove you worked here and have been paying taxes

• Speaking basic English to get by 

Sequence of actions you need to follow

• Note down travels

• Book your Life in the UK Test

• Order and Study The Book to be able to pass the test

• Book your Language Test

• Collect Paperwork

• Submit Application

It seems simple but believe me - it is taking time and energy to pull this together

Basically, you need to provide every exit and entry of the United Kingdom in the past 5 years.

To do so, you need to remember all your holidays in the past 5 years - the Government wants to know if you stayed away from the UK less than 90 days/year.

This was the most time consuming for me due to my work travels. I added 64! rows to my spreadsheet which I then had to type into the online application line by line….

That was 64 times leaving the UK and coming back - in a 5 year period. No kidding.

This is something you can start straight away, even before starting anything else - go backwards and start recording new travels at the same time - trust me, you won't regret making a start early on.

Studying about Life in the UK is pretty much reading the book and practicing the test.

I was nervous about the test as it was 24 questions, you have limited time to answer, and you can only make few mistakes otherwise you fail.

Taking the test again and paying for it again was not my preference so I was revising for weeks every night!

The 2 books helped me to prepare were the Handbook and the Practise Questions - you can buy them online through the photo links

I will earn a small commission fee — at no extra cost to you — if you make a purchase through the links on image

The language test is easy if you speak basic English, i.e. you can order in a restaurant, or book yourself an appointment at the GP - what they are looking for is that you can get by in an English environment.

The watch out is that the test result is only valid for 2 years, so need to apply for the citizenship before the language test expires.

PLUS I moved to the UK over 15 years ago and settled here when Hungary was not part of the EU yet. So that time I needed visa, then work permit (registration) for a while and at applying for Citizenship I needed to provide proof of those also.

Make sure you collect all necessary documents before you start the application process, so you have all the correct dates you need to type in the online form, etc.

After submitting your application, you need to send hard copies of the paperwork for approval - they need originals - hence you need these ready to post.

Now I am a proud British-Hungarian Mum living in the UK and free to travel in the EU without any restrictions. And it only took me 6 months from start to finish.

You can do it it, too!

Let me know if you need any help with your application or practicing English.

I provide coaching and practical tips during 1-to-1 sessions for my clients.

Happy Application and Good Luck!