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Home Office Form AN Statutory Rules

British Citizenship Absence Calculator

Check your UK naturalisation absence figures against the normal 450-day, 270-day and 90-day Form AN residence limits, and understand the Home Office discretion rules that can apply when limits are exceeded.

Form AN Absence Evaluator

Physical presence on the first day of the relevant qualifying period is normally required.
This checker does not determine the full immigration-status rules.
Count whole days outside UK only
Max 90 days allowed in final 12 months

Home Office Absence Discretion: Important 2026 Rules

The 450-day and 270-day figures are the normal permitted absence limits, not absolute mathematical cut-offs in every case. The Home Office has a published discretion policy for excess absences. The amount that can be disregarded depends on the route, the amount of excess absence and whether the applicant satisfies the other naturalisation requirements and demonstrates the required UK ties.

Overall qualifying-period discretion

For section 6(1) applications, up to 480 days is described as the total number of absences normally disregarded where the policy conditions are met; for section 6(2), the corresponding figure is 300 days. Wider discretion can apply for applicants with established UK homes, family and a substantial part of their estate here, including certain occupational or compassionate circumstances. The guidance contains further limits of 900 days for section 6(1) and 540 days for section 6(2) in the relevant circumstances.

Final 12 months

The normal final-year limit is 90 days. The current guidance identifies 100 days as the total normally disregarded and provides further discretion for 101–179 days where the relevant UK links and other conditions are met. More than 180 days in the final year is only likely to be disregarded in exceptional circumstances.

Business travel

Overseas business travel is still an absence. However, frequent work travel can form part of a discretion assessment. The Home Office specifically gives UK-based business travel as an example where the applicant's home, family and substantial part of their estate remain established in the UK and the other policy conditions are satisfied.

First-day presence

In addition to counting absences, applicants normally need to have been physically present in the UK on the first day of the qualifying period. The relevant date is different depending on the route and application date, so applicants should check the exact qualifying period rather than relying only on a total absence number.

Other naturalisation requirements

This tool does not decide lawful residence, immigration time restrictions, English/Welsh/Scottish Gaelic, Life in the UK, good character, future intentions or other Form AN requirements. It is therefore an absence and residence screening tool, not a complete citizenship eligibility calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions (6 Detailed FAQs)

For the standard section 6(1) five-year route, the normal permitted absence is no more than 450 days in the qualifying period and no more than 90 days in the final 12 months. For the section 6(2) three-year route for applicants married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, the normal overall limit is 270 days and the final-year limit is also 90 days.

The Home Office counts whole days of absence only. The day you leave the UK and the day you return are not counted as days of absence. You should therefore calculate each trip by ignoring the departure date and return date, then add the whole days spent outside the UK.

Yes, discretion can apply, but exceeding the normal limit does not create an automatic entitlement to naturalisation. The current guidance normally disregards up to 480 days for section 6(1) and 300 days for section 6(2) where the other requirements are met. Wider discretion can apply where you have established your home, family and a substantial part of your estate in the UK and the relevant occupational, compassionate or other criteria are satisfied. The final-12-month rules also have separate discretion bands.

Yes, time physically spent outside the UK counts as an absence. However, frequent overseas business travel can be relevant to the Home Office's discretion policy. The guidance specifically recognises cases such as people working for a UK-based business who are required to travel abroad frequently, provided the relevant UK ties and other requirements are met.

The immigration-time-restriction rules depend on the naturalisation route. For the standard five-year section 6(1) route, you normally need to have been free from immigration time restrictions for at least 12 months before applying. For the section 6(2) spouse or civil-partner route, the 12-month waiting period after obtaining ILR or settled status does not normally apply, but you still need to satisfy the applicable immigration-status requirement at the date of application.

No. An absence calculator only checks part of the residence requirements. A naturalisation applicant must also satisfy the relevant first-day physical-presence rule, lawful-residence and immigration-status requirements, English/Welsh/Scottish Gaelic and Life in the UK requirements where applicable, good-character requirements and the other requirements of the relevant naturalisation route. The Home Office can also consider discretion where an absence limit is exceeded.
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Form AN Limits
5-Year Route Max450 Days
Spouse Route Max270 Days
Final Year Max90 Days