Yes, you can apply for British citizenship if you have spent some time outside the UK. The limits set in place are as follows:
- If you are married to a British citizen, you must not have been absent from the UK
- For more than 270 days in the three years directly preceding your application
- If you are not married to a British citizen, you must not been absent from the UK for more than 450 days in the five years directly preceding your application
In both cases, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days during the 12 months immediately preceding your application. If you have absences in excess of these thresholds then you can try and persuade the Home Office to exercise discretion in your favour. Our blog goes into this issue of excess absences in more detail.
