What is the Life in the UK test unique reference number, and what if you lose it?

What is the Life in the UK test unique reference number, and what if you lose it?

The unique reference number, or URN, is the code that links you to your test result. If you lose the email, sign in to your Life in the UK account, because the URN shows next to your result there.

You need the URN for your citizenship or settlement application, so it is worth five minutes to keep it safe.

What is the URN?

It is a number given to you for each test you take. It is unique, which means no other test has the same one. You get it by email after the test, pass or fail. The email arrives within 10 minutes.

Think of it as the receipt for your result.

What is it used for?

You write the URN on your citizenship or settlement application. The Home Office uses it to look up your result and your photo. That is how it knows you passed, and that the person who took the test is the person applying.

Without the number, the application has a gap, so do not leave it to the last day.

Where can you find it again?

You have three places to look.

• The email you got after the test. Search your inbox and your junk folder for the date of your test.
• Your Life in the UK account. The URN shows next to your result.
• Any note you made. Write the number in a safe place as soon as you get it.

If you tested more than once, you have more than one URN. Use the one from the test you passed.

What if you failed and passed later?

Each test gets its own URN, so a failed test has one too. Only the passed test counts for your application, so label them clearly. A simple note such as "passed, March" next to each number stops mistakes.

What if your test was before 17 December 2019?

Older tests gave a letter, and the number on it was called the "test reference ID". If you lost that letter, you send a letter with your application. In it, you explain that you lost the original letter.

Can you share the URN?

Treat the URN as private. It links to your result and your photo, so give it only to the people handling your application.

What if you passed years ago?

A person who passed before, for example for settlement, does not take the test again for citizenship. The rules name no end date for a pass. So an old URN can still be useful.

For what happens next, see your result and what to do after you pass.

If you have not taken the test yet

Use the time to learn well. Our free practice test gives you a feel for the 24 questions. Then read the values and principles chapter, which is short. It also gives the promise that new citizens make at the citizenship ceremony.

Check yourself

• Where will you save your URN email?
• If you took the test twice, which URN goes on the application?
• Is your old test from before 17 December 2019, and do you still have the letter?