A certificate of entitlement is an official record that proves a person has the right of abode in the UK. It is for people who hold the right but have no UK passport that shows it. It is digital and not a visa, and it lets the holder prove their right to enter and live in the UK.
Key points
- You can apply if you are a British citizen with a foreign passport or a Commonwealth citizen who has the right of abode.
- Applying costs £589. A decision usually takes 8 weeks in the UK, or 3 weeks after a visa application centre appointment outside the UK.
- Since 26 February 2026 certificates are digital. They do not expire, but the holder must keep their UKVI account up to date.
- You cannot hold a certificate of entitlement and a valid British passport at the same time.
- There is no right of appeal if an application is refused. You can ask for it to be reconsidered, which costs a further £589.
How a certificate of entitlement works
A certificate of entitlement can be used to prove your right of abode in the UK. For example, you can use it when you travel to the UK or when you need to prove your right to live and work here.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement
You can only apply if you are a British citizen with a foreign passport or a Commonwealth citizen who has the right of abode. Do not apply if you already have a valid vignette sticker certificate of entitlement in a foreign passport.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement
You cannot have a certificate of entitlement at the same time as a valid British passport. If you want a certificate, you need to surrender your British passport. You contact HM Passport Office to find out how.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement
Digital certificates since 26 February 2026
If an application is approved, you get a digital certificate of entitlement. It is a digital record of your right of abode and you access it online. You need a UKVI account to do this.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement
The Immigration (Certificate of Entitlement to Right of Abode in the United Kingdom) Regulations 2006 say a certificate is issued either as a sticker in the passport or as a digital certificate.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible) Changes from 26 February 2026 mean successful applicants now receive a digital certificate instead of a sticker.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible)
Your digital certificate is not a visa. It does not expire, so you do not need a new application when your passport expires. You must update your UKVI account when your passport or personal details change. You can view the certificate and use it to get a share code when you need to prove your status, for example when you travel, rent a property or start a job.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement Holders use the general eVisa process to create and update their records.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible)
| If you have | What happens |
|---|---|
| A sticker (vignette) certificate in a valid passport | You can use it until the passport expires. You can change it to a digital certificate for free |
| A sticker certificate in a passport that expired before 26 February 2026 | You need to make a new application |
| A digital certificate already | You should not make a new application. Link your new passport through your UKVI account |
The first two rows are set out on GOV.UK. The third follows the guidance for caseworkers, which says an application from someone who already has a digital certificate is rejected as invalid.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible)
Cost, timescales and refusals
It costs £589 to apply.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement The fees page for citizenship and right of abode applications gives the same figure for form ROA.[3]UK Visas and Immigration, Fees for citizenship applications and the right of abode
If you apply in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you usually get a decision within 8 weeks of applying online and sending in your documents by post. If you apply from outside the UK or from a British overseas territory, you must apply online. You usually get a decision within 3 weeks of attending an appointment at a visa application centre. You may be able to pay for a faster decision if the option is available.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement
Guidance says a person is ineligible if they do not have the right of abode, if they already hold a current UK passport that shows it, or if their right of abode is restricted or has been removed.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible)
There is no right of appeal against a refusal.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible) You can apply to have the application reconsidered if you think UKVI did not decide it in line with the law or its policy. The fee is not refunded if you are refused because you are not eligible or did not send enough evidence.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement The reconsideration fee is £589.[3]UK Visas and Immigration, Fees for citizenship applications and the right of abode
A certificate issued on or after 21 December 2006 can be revoked if it is discovered that the holder does not have the right of abode.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible)
Example
Ruth became a British citizen by naturalisation. She now lives abroad and travels on her foreign passport. She has no valid British passport and wants to prove her right to enter the UK.
She applies online from outside the UK, pays £589 and attends an appointment at a visa application centre. She can usually expect a decision within 3 weeks of that appointment. If approved, she creates a UKVI account and links her foreign passport to her digital certificate. When she travels, she can use it to prove her right of abode.
What people get wrong
People often think a certificate of entitlement is a type of visa. It is not. It records a right that the person already has by law. A certificate cannot give the right of abode to someone who does not already qualify.
Home Office guidance says so directly. The right of abode comes from the Immigration Act 1971, and no passport or certificate can confer it on someone who does not already have it.[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible)
A second mistake is to apply for a certificate while holding a valid British passport. You cannot hold both at the same time, so you would first need to surrender the British passport.[1]Home Office, Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement
The bottom line
A certificate of entitlement is the way to prove the right of abode when you do not have a British passport. It costs £589 and is issued digitally, and it does not expire. It is not a visa and it does not create the right. There is no appeal if it is refused, only a request for reconsideration. Check that you hold the right of abode before you apply, because the fee is not refunded for an ineligible application.
Common questions
You can apply if you are a British citizen with a foreign passport, or a Commonwealth citizen who has the right of abode. You cannot apply if you hold a valid vignette sticker certificate of entitlement in a foreign passport.
It costs £589 to apply. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused because you are not eligible or did not send enough evidence.
No. GOV.UK says the digital certificate is not a visa. It does not expire, but you must update your UKVI account when your passport or personal details change.
There is no right of appeal. You can apply to have the application reconsidered if you think UKVI did not make the decision in line with the law or its policy.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. Prove you have right of abode in the UK: Apply for a certificate of entitlement. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- UK Visas and Immigration. Right of abode: caseworker guidance (accessible). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- UK Visas and Immigration. Fees for citizenship applications and the right of abode. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩