Life in the UK Test Exemptions: Who Does Not Need to Take It

The four exemptions

You do not need to take the Life in the UK Test if any one of these applies to you. Each card gives the evidence GOV.UK asks for and the detail that trips people up.

You are under 18

Evidence: None — the requirement simply does not apply.

GOV.UK lists being under 18 among the circumstances in which you do not need to take the test. PSI's FAQ adds a practical wrinkle: if you do need to sit it because your settlement or citizenship application will be submitted after your 18th birthday, an under-18 candidate needs parental consent and must contact the helpline first.
You are 65 or over

Evidence: None — the requirement does not apply.

GOV.UK lists being 65 or over among the circumstances in which you do not need to take the test. The same age exemption applies separately to the English language requirement.
You have a long-term physical or mental condition

Evidence: Either a completed exemption form or a letter from a doctor confirming your physical or mental condition.

GOV.UK publishes the form as 'Life in the UK exemption form: long term physical or mental condition' (PDF, 3 pages, last updated 24 May 2024). A qualified medical professional completes it on the applicant's behalf. The published guidance asks you to include original copies of current relevant medical reports, and says that if you already have a report or letter from a medical professional describing your condition you should include that too. The same form covers exemption from the English language requirement.
You have passed the test before

Evidence: Your existing unique reference number.

GOV.UK's example: if you are applying to become a citizen and already passed the test as part of your settlement application, you do not take it again. Note the contrast with the English language requirement — GOV.UK says that if you were exempt from that when you were granted settlement, you must submit an exemption form again when you apply for citizenship.

Are any countries exempt?

No. There is no nationality exemption from the Life in the UK Test. The list of majority English-speaking countries whose citizens do not have to prove their English is a rule of the English language requirement, which is a separate part of the same application. An American, Australian, Canadian or Irish citizen applying for settlement or citizenship still takes the Life in the UK Test unless one of the four personal exemptions above applies.

Who does not need the English test is covered on our B1 English test exemptions page.

The medical exemption form

For a long-term physical or mental condition the evidence is either a completed exemption form or a doctor's letter confirming the condition. GOV.UK publishes the form as Life in the UK exemption form: long term physical or mental condition; a qualified medical professional completes it on your behalf, and you include original copies of current medical reports with it. One form covers both this test and the English language requirement.

Open the exemption form on GOV.UK →

Passed it before? You keep the pass

You need the Life in the UK Test as part of most applications to settle in the UK (indefinite leave to remain). If you pass it at the settlement stage you do not take it again when you later apply for citizenship. One recent narrowing: the statement of changes to the Immigration Rules laid on 5 March 2026 removes the English language requirements and the Life in the UK test for dependent children aged 18 or over at the date of application under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse, aligning them with the rules for parents and under-18s.

Everything about the unique reference number, and why a pass does not expire, is on the results page.

What to do in your application

Do not book the test or pay the fee. An exemption means the requirement does not apply to you.
State the exemption in the settlement or citizenship application form where it asks about the Life in the UK Test.
Attach the evidence: nothing for age, the form or doctor's letter for a medical exemption, your unique reference number if you passed before.
Check the English language requirement separately. Being exempt from one does not automatically exempt you from the other.

Is this changing?

None of this changes the Life in the UK Test itself. The format, the pass mark, the £50 fee, the booking rules and the exemptions are all as described elsewhere in this file, verified against GOV.UK on 13 August 2026.

Exemption questions

Do I still need to take the test if I am 65 or over, or under 18?

No. GOV.UK says you do not need to take the test if you are under 18, are 65 or over, have already passed it, or have a long-term physical or mental condition — for which you provide either the published exemption form or a doctor's letter confirming the condition. The same medical exemption form also covers the separate English language requirement.

Which countries are exempt from the Life in the UK Test?

None. Nationality does not exempt anyone from the Life in the UK Test: a citizen of the United States, Australia or Ireland who applies for settlement or citizenship takes it like everyone else unless one of the four personal exemptions applies. The country-based exemptions people have in mind belong to the separate English language requirement, where nationals of majority English-speaking countries do not need to prove their English.

How do I claim a medical exemption from the Life in the UK Test?

Ask a qualified medical professional to complete the GOV.UK form "Life in the UK exemption form: long term physical or mental condition", or obtain a letter from a doctor confirming the condition, and include it with your application together with original copies of any current medical reports. The same form covers exemption from the English language requirement.

I am exempt. Do I still have to book or pay for anything?

No. If an exemption applies you do not book the test or pay the £50 fee. You state the exemption in your settlement or citizenship application and attach the evidence it calls for, if any. Age exemptions need no evidence beyond the date of birth already on your identity documents.

Does an exemption from the Life in the UK Test also cover the English language requirement?

Only partly. The age exemptions apply to both. The medical exemption form covers both. But passing the test before is a Life in the UK exemption only: GOV.UK says that if you were exempt from the English requirement when you settled, you must submit the exemption form again when you apply for citizenship.

Not exempt? Start practising

Twenty free mock tests in the real 24-question format, marked to the 75% pass mark.

Take Mock Test 1

Sources

LifeUKPractice is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the UK Home Office, gov.uk, or any government body.

Life in the UK Test exemptions: who does not need to take it