What happens after you pass the Life in the UK test?

You are told the result on the day, and you can also see it in the results tab of your account on the booking site. An email with your unique reference number arrives within 10 minutes.

Do not leave the centre until you know where your result and your number are. Check your email on your way out.

What is the unique reference number for?

The unique reference number, often called the URN, is the number you need for your citizenship or settlement application. It is unique for every test you take.

The Home Office checks it in an online verification portal. The portal shows your result and your photo.

Do you get a pass letter?

Before 17 December 2019, people got a test reference ID and a letter as proof. Now the proof is the unique reference number.

Because the number is the proof, it is worth keeping with care.

Is the reference number the same if you take the test again?

No. The number is unique for every test taken, so a new sitting brings a new number.

If you have more than one number, write down which test each one belongs to and keep the email for each. Use the number from the test that you passed.

Where should you keep your reference number?

Keep the email in a folder where you will find it later. Copy the number into a note on your phone, and into a paper file with your other application papers.

Do not delete anything from the booking account. If you need to look something up, you will want the same login.

What if the email does not arrive?

The result also shows in the results tab of your account on the booking site. The booking helpline is 0800 015 4245, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.

Look in your spam folder first. Check that the email address on your booking was typed correctly. If the number is still missing after that, call the helpline the same day.

Which parts of the handbook will you use in daily life?

Adult UK citizens can vote in all public elections. To vote, you must be on the electoral register.

You can drive on a licence from another country for up to 12 months. After that you need a full UK driving licence of your own.

Anyone in the UK who watches television, on any device, needs a television licence. One licence covers one home.

The handbook was written to help you take a full part in your community. After the test, it is still a useful book to keep on a shelf.

What do you still need for your application?

The handbook says that a would-be permanent resident or citizen must pass the test and also show evidence of English at B1. It warns that the rules can change and tells you to check the Home Office website.

Passing the test is one step in a longer process. Open the gov.uk page for your route and tick off what else is needed.

What are the principles behind the test?

The handbook names five basic principles of British life: democracy, the rule of law, personal freedom, tolerance of other faiths and beliefs, and taking part in community life.

These are the ideas the handbook opens with, and they run through the book to the last chapter. They are also the ones you promise to uphold if you become a citizen.

What should you do in the first week?

Save the number and the email. Then open the gov.uk page for your route and write down what else you need and by when.

Tell the people who will help you with the application, if any, that you have passed. Give them the number only when they need it.

What happens at the citizenship ceremony?

At the citizenship ceremony, new citizens make a pledge. They promise loyalty to the United Kingdom, to respect its rights and freedoms, to uphold its democratic values, and to obey its laws.

New citizens also swear or affirm loyalty to the monarch.

If you have studied the first chapter of the handbook, these words will be familiar. They sum up the principles that the chapter describes.

Check yourself

Have you saved the email with your unique reference number in two places?

Do you know which application the number is for?

Have you checked on gov.uk what else your application needs?

The numbers on this page are read from gov.uk and the booking service and were checked on 22 October 2026.