British Citizenship

UNITED KINGDOM

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND;
(ENGLAND, WALES, SCOTLAND, AND NORTHERN IRELAND)
[“British” refers to “of the United Kingdom”]

CITIZENSHIP: Nationality is regulated by the British Nationality Act of 1984.
Due to Great Britain's historic relationship with its former colonies and the British Commonwealth,
certain groups of peoples fall into special categories. Citizenship requirements and special
considerations for these groups are frequently different than for those considered to be foreign
nationals and, to a degree, are different from category to category. Persons included in these
special categories are:
British Dependent Territories Citizens
British Overseas Citizens
British Subjects
British Protected Persons
Commonwealth Citizens
Citizens of the Republic of Ireland.
After January 1, 1983, the following qualify for British citizenship:

BY BIRTH:
Child born in the United Kingdom, at least one of whose parents is a British citizen or has
settled in the United Kingdom.
Child born in the United Kingdom whose parents are unknown.

BY DESCENT:
Child born overseas to a British citizen if at least one of his parents is a British citizen other
than by descent.
Child born overseas to a British citizen in service to the Crown.
Child born outside of the United Kingdom with certain family connections (unspecified) to
the United Kingdom.

OTHER:
Child adopted by Order of the Court of the United Kingdom.
Person registered by the Secretary of State as a British citizen. (Often used for children
born abroad to British citizens.)

 SPECIAL CATEGORIES: Persons falling into these categories may be registered as British
citizens if they have lived in the United Kingdom lawfully for five years; the twelve months
preceding the application must be of continuous residence.
British Overseas Citizen
British Subject
British Protected Person
British Dependent Territory Citizen
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BY NATURALIZATION: British citizenship may be granted upon fulfillment of the following
conditions:
Person has been a resident of the United Kingdom for five years.
Persons married to British citizens are required to reside in the United Kingdom for the
three years preceding application, with certain restrictions on periods spent outside the
United Kingdom.
Person is of good character and has sufficient knowledge of English, Welsh, or Scottish
Gaelic.
Person intends on remaining in the United Kingdom or entering Crown service.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP: RECOGNIZED.

LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP: Unless it is required for other reasons, British citizens need not renounce
their citizenship upon obtaining a foreign citizenship. Those who have voluntarily renounced British
citizenship are entitled to reacquire it once. Otherwise, the resumption of British citizenship is at
the discretion of the Secretary of State.

VOLUNTARY: A completed application for renunciation, together with documentary evidence
of citizenship, plus fee, should be submitted to the British Embassy. Application will be sent to
England to be processed for approval. In approximately two months the person will receive the
processed application as acceptance of the renunciation.

INVOLUNTARY: No information was provided.

ANY QUESTIONS concerning citizenship, or requests for renunciation of citizenship, should be
directed to the address below:
Embassy of the United Kingdom Embassy Telephone: 202-587-6500
Consular Section Consular Telephone: 202-588-7800**
3100 Massachusetts Avenue Fax: 202-588-7850
Washington, DC 20008
**The Consular number reaches a voice mail answering system. Choose the number that
corresponds with the "Citizen/Naturalization" category. Due to a heavy workload, the Consulate
prefers that all questions be mailed or faxed.
British Nationality Law Information: www.britian-info.org/bis/consular/bnatlaw.stm

COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS: The Commonwealth is a free association of sovereign,
independent states, numbering 53 at the end of 1999. Most of the membership consists of former
colonies and territories of the United Kingdom. There is no charter, treaty, or constitution; the
Commonwealth association is expressed in cooperation, consultation, and mutual assistance for
which the Commonwealth Secretariat is the central coordinating body.

ASSOCIATED STATES:
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei,
Canada, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominica, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica,
Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
Nauru, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore,
Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu,
Samoa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.