Does anyone have recent experience with the application for US Residency Certification? I paid the fee online and sent off form 8802 together with the HMRC form for relief at source and claim for repayment of tax back at the end of April. I had a couple of letters from the IRS saying there were processing delays, then I received a copy of the HMRC form in the mail with a date stamp in the official stamp box. No letter of explanation and no form 6166. I did ask for the form to be sent directly to HMRC so I'm hoping this was just a copy for my info. However, when I called HMRC today they advise they have not received anything from the IRS. Calling the IRS leads me to a recorded message saying they have too many enquiries re this form and to call back another day. Is it normal for the process to take so long?

yes I file them every year for a number of countries/entities… they were taking 6/9+ months over CV19…

The later you file the longer they take.. I started submitting them in late December/early Jan by fax and got the wait down to around 4 months like that.

This is very much a carbon copy of where I stand attempting to claim back a withholding from my cashed out frozen private pension plan. Like you we started all this back in April when the fee was paid and form sent off. Received the letter with the date stamp but without the 6166 form as we had not requested for it to be sent directly to HMRC.
Yesterday we called Philadelphia for an update as we had heard nothing for well over a month and the lady said the form had been sent to HRMC.
The lady that's helped me file will be away from Florida for a few weeks and if there's been no movement then she will call HRMC on her return.
Like you, we are amazed how long this is taking!

Well, that's most interesting! I spoke to a very officious IRS agent today who said things like "listen to the question" and "answer the question" - made me feel like an idiot, and was in complete contrast to the chatty HMRC person I spoke to yesterday! Came back to me after a brief hold with a very pleasant demeanour, told me I shouldn't have received just the stamped form, and asked me to fax in a copy of the HMRC form together with the letter of acknowledgement from the IRS. Apparently, I should have received a letter from the IRS telling me the forms had been sent to HMRC, but it appears as though they were never sent. The HMRC form they sent back to me is my original, so I'm hoping HMRC are going to be satisfied with a copy from the IRS.

Are you any farther along with this? I just sent you a msg.

Looks like I'm in the same boat as everyone else. I do have one question; are you able to see on your HMRC Personal Tax Account page whether the form has been received and entered into the system under Track Progress?

I think so. I had to do a new 8802 (long story!) and my HMRC account shows this:

Postal Form Reference Number: Not Applicable
Form type: Post
Date received: 07/07/2025
Status: Received

I have nothing else pending with HMRC so I am guessing this is what it is.

The HMRC Application for Relief at Source form asks for the "payers reference" . Where would I find this for pensions which have just started (therefore no P60 from last year)? Thanks

Thanks!

Thanks MidAtlantic

So long as you have had at least one payment, if you have an online HMRC account go to the page that shows the current tax year and then click on the link that says something like view or update pension details. There you will find the Pension Providers PAYE reference. Or call them on the international number, they will be able to look it up for you.

I file my US taxes jointly with my US spouse who has no UK (or other overseas income). When I submit my Form 8802, is the payment to the IRS as an individual ( $85) or the higher $ 185 applicable to Requests by applicants other than individuals. I ask as the 8802 does ask for her details and SS number. Thanks

I have exactly the same circumstances and filed my 8802 earlier this year. If you are only seeking the residency certificate for yourself then it is the individual fee of $85. I paid the fee electronically and mailed the forms to the IRS in mid May. I heard nothing by end August and contacted to them to enquire as to status. They said they had processed the 8802 form about 10 days prior in mid August but for some reason had not forwarded the attached DT2002 form onto HMRC as required. They were quite helpful and gave me a fax number to fax in a copy of the DT 2002. I did so on September 5. A week later I received a letter from the IRS with a copy of the certification, and a second letter a few days later with another copy but also stating they had forwarded the DT2002 onto HMRC. HMRC processed and applied the NT code at the end of September. So, currently it seems that the IRS is taking about 3 months to process on their end, but HMRC is pretty fast, within a week or two.

I did call HMRC and asked if I could send the certification directly to them (since I now had it and was not confident it would be forwarded this time either).They said no, it would be rejected because it had to be received directly from the IRS. Perhaps that is because the official certification stamp was nothing more than a date stamp, which anyone could apply! I expected something more official.

If I was doing it again, I would send a check with the form instead of paying electronically. The reason being that the check being cashed provides some indication that the process is working. Make sure you use the correct DT2002 form. It must the US-UK version, the other generic version will not be accepted.

Many Thanks Glasgow Girl,
With the current Govt shutdown I don't imagine that they will be processing these at present but I will take your advice to pay by check rather than electronically.so i can see when it starst to progress.

Just an updatethat despite the Govt shutdown I received a letter dated Nov 8th indicating that my form 8802 had been approved and been mailed to the HMRC - hopefully with the DT 2002. Now I wait on HMRC :-)