British Citizenship By Birth

If a person born in the UK has a parent who is a citizen of the UK, they can become a British citizen. British citizenship by birth is a unique and exciting path to becoming a UK citizen. It offers you all the benefits of living, working, and studying in one of the world’s most vibrant countries.
Talk to our immigration lawyers about your case and find out how to start the process of giving your children British citizenship by birth. Call us on 02033844389.

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What is British Citizenship By Birth?

First, it’s important to know that not everyone born in the UK since January 1983 will immediately become a British citizen. When the child is born, at least one parent must either be settled here (have indefinite leave to stay or settled status under EU rules) or be a British citizen. Only then is the child British.

There is a fee to register as British for a child born in the UK whose parents are not yet settled but who have since become permanent residents.

Children whose parents are not settled in the UK at the time of birth but have lived in the UK nonstop for the first 10 years of their lives can also become British citizens, no matter what their parents’ status is.

Overview: British Citizenship

How to get British Citizenship By Birth?

You can’t always get UK citizenship by birth through one of your parents. Also, UK immigration law no longer says that every child born in the UK is a British citizen.

So, there are only certain situations in which a child can become a British citizen by birth. As an example, if both parents live in the UK, the child can immediately become British. On the other hand, children of British citizens who were born outside of Britain will need to be registered to become citizens.

You can talk to our UK Immigration Solicitors if you want to know more about how to register your children for British citizenship.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Can I register my children for British citizenship by birth?

People who want to become British citizens must be at least 18 years old. If any of your children are younger than 18, you will need to register them. Before they can be added to your citizenship application, though, they need to have Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Children over the age of 13 can only become naturalised if they have stayed in the UK for at least two years before they apply to be registered.

Children born in the UK to non-British parents will be able to apply for citizenship as soon as their parents get ILR or Settlement Status. On the other hand, children whose parents are not British but already live in the UK will immediately become British citizens when they are born.

You can fill out the online form to make your children British citizens. After that, you will be asked to make an appointment to give your personal information at the UKVCAS service point that is closest to you.

In some of these places, you can also scan and copy your application materials.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Do children of UK nationals born abroad acquire British citizenship at birth?

Children born outside of the UK to UK citizens can become British “otherwise than by descent.” This person can pass on this position to children and grandchildren born in the UK or elsewhere.

The British Nationality Act of 1981 says that a person born outside of the UK can become a British citizen if either their father or the mother was a UK citizen at the birth time.

Children younger than 18 can become British citizens or sign up to become British citizens as long as:

On the application date, both parents resided in the UK for three years.
Both parents sign the application and agree to it.
The child must be of good character because they are at least ten years old.

The child will automatically become a citizen of the UK if both parents were born there. On the other hand, children will need to be listed for nationality if both parents are British but were born outside of Britain. The same goes for kids who were born outside of Britain but were adopted by British parents.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Do children born in the UK immediately become citizens of the UK?

There are different situations in which you may be able to apply for British citizenship if you were born in the UK.

Kids born on or after January 1, 1983

You might be able to become a British citizen if you or your children were born in the UK on or after January 1, 1983. For this to work, you must either:

Not be more than 18 years old.
Lived in the UK at least since you were 10 years old.

You won’t be able to call the UK home until at least one of your parents becomes a citizen or gets ILR or EU Settlement Status. This status allows them to stay there forever.

Additionally, you won’t have to sign up for citizenship if you meet the above conditions.

Children who were born before 1983

You are a British citizen if you were born in the UK before January 1, 1983, unless your father worked as a minister for a country other than the UK or you were born in the Channel Islands during World War II.

You can ask for a letter of confirmation of your position to make sure that you are a British citizen.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How do you become a British Citizen through Descent?

People who weren’t born in the UK can become British citizens by descent by proving that their parents or grandparents were born in the UK.

Parental rights must belong to British citizens. Also, the parents must have lived in the UK continuously for at least three years, with no more than 270 days away. One of the parents must also have become a British citizen through descent from a British parent.

To put it another way, a child who is a citizen of the UK by descent cannot pass on this position to future generations living outside of the UK.

In some cases, children who are eligible are not immediately British citizens. They need to apply to become citizens. This is how the law is applied:

If one of the parents was a British citizen at the time of the birth and the child was born on or after July 1, 2006, the child is immediately a British citizen.
If one of the parents was a British citizen at the time of the birth, a child born between 1983 and June 2006 could become a British citizen.
For children born before 1983, the father must be British or a citizen of the UK and Colonies and not married to the mother. If he is, the kids are automatically UK citizens.

You can apply for citizenship by descent online or on Form MN1 which you can send in with a letter. The application can be sent from anywhere in the world, not just the UK.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Can you become a British Citizen by Adopting a Child?

The British Nationality Act of 1981, which was changed by the Adoption and Children Act of 2002, says that children adopted on or after January 1, 1983, instantly become British citizens if one of the adopters is a UK citizen.

Any child who is not already a British citizen can become one as long as at least one of the adopters lives in the UK or one of the designated regions full-time.

A parent or guardian who is a citizen of the UK can become a naturalised citizen of the UK for their children if the order is obtained in a British court.

If someone is adopted and then their parental order ends, they do not lose their British identity.

Children adopted abroad before June 1, 2003, don’t automatically receive a British passport.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How do I get a British passport for my children?

Your children can get a passport if they are younger than 16 years old. For most kids, getting a passport can take up to three weeks.

To get a passport for your kids, you will need information from both parents or someone legally responsible for them that is signed by both parents. Otherwise, you need to write down your situation and explain why you can’t give this information. A child between the ages of 12 and 15 must sign the application form.

To get a first-child passport for your child, you must have never had a British passport before. Once you have completed your request, a third party must verify your child’s identity.

This person needs to be a British citizen and have known you for at least two years. They also need to work in a proper job.

As part of the process for getting a passport, the HM Passport Office will connect with your referee.

If you apply online, a British passport for a child costs £53.50 as of February 2023. If you go to a Post Office and fill out a paper form, it costs £64.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Which documents do I need to get my child a British passport?

You need to provide certain documents in order to apply for a British passport for your child. The UKVI will only accept originals or certified copies of documents. Photocopies and certified copies are not accepted, and your application will be rejected.

Along with your application for a British passport, you need to send in:

Complete birth or adoption certificate for your child. A parent or guardian must provide a signed letter confirming the name change, along with at least one formal record indicating the use of the new name. If the name on your passport does not match the name on your birth certificate.
Any legal passport that your child has had in the past from a different country.
Moreover, proof that your child is a citizen of the United Kingdom.

You will need to show verified translations of your papers if they are not in English or Welsh.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Application Form for British Citizenship By Birth

Use Form MN1 to apply for British citizenship for a child under 18 born or adopted in the UK.

People who live in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or any other British Overseas Territory can fill out this form.

You need to fill out Section 5 of Form MN1 with information about your references. These people must confirm your child’s identity.

Also, they must be able to tell the Home Office about any reasons the applicant should be given citizenship.

Also, both parents have to give their personal information and give their permission.

Attach a written statement to your form to describe your situation if you are a single parent or can’t give information about your child’s father or mother.

People born before 1983 need to use a different form, called Form UKM, to apply for registration.

Should my children have “good character”?

Being a British citizen requires showing that you have good character. This means that you must have followed UK laws since you arrived in the country.

UK Nationality Law requires all applicants over 10 to meet “good character” standards. For your child to be eligible, they must:

Had always followed the law and weren’t involved in or guilty of any crimes. This includes terrorism, war crimes, and other actions that aren’t seen as good for society as a whole.
Not breaking any immigration rules, like staying longer than allowed on a previous status or visa.

The Home Office will consider a child’s age and special circumstances when assessing their character.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Do I need to take my child to a citizenship ceremony?

To get their citizenship certificate, applicants must be at least 18 years old and take an oath. Still, children who want to go to a citizenship event will have to take an Oath of Allegiance and promise to be loyal to the UK. After the ceremony, they will receive their naturalisation certificate and can apply for a British visa.

You can ask for the help of a qualified interpreter if your child doesn’t speak English or has special needs.

Can my Children have more than one Passport in the UK?

Make sure your children won’t lose their current citizenship if you register them for British nationality. You can become a citizen of another country without losing your UK status. However, because UK law supports the right to have dual or multiple nationalities.

It is important to keep in mind that if the country your children are currently citizens of accepts dual citizenship. They may still have to do things like serve their country’s military when they are not in the UK.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How much does it cost to get a British Citizenship by Birth?

To get your kids British citizenship, you have to pay £1,012.

This doesn’t include the extra £80 you have to pay to book your citizenship service, which is only required of people aged 18 and above.

You might have to pay an extra £19.20 to have your fingerprints and picture taken as well.

You may have to pay a different biometric information fee if you are applying from the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or another British foreign territory.

What does a Status Letter mean?

A status letter is not the same thing as a proof of nationality. In reality, this paper only shows how the UKVI decided about a person’s nationality. The courts are the only ones who can say for sure if someone is a British citizen.

If applicable, you can use status letters to determine how you and your children can become British citizens. Moreover, you can use Form NS to ask for this paper. Getting a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right to abode is the way to find out if you are already accepted as a UK citizen.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Most of the time, a child needs a visa in order to live in the UK. For instance, if their parent is a foreign national working or studying in the country, the child may need a Child Dependant Visa.

Do you automatically get British citizenship by birth?

A child born in the UK does not automatically become a British citizen. At least one parent must be a British citizen. Or they have “settled status” for the child to be registered as a British citizen at birth.

Most of the time, you can apply for settled status after living in the country for five years straight. You might still be able to apply after five years if you haven’t lived in the UK for at least five years before your child is born. For your child to become a British citizen, you must first get either Indefinite Leave to Remain or EEA PR.

The process of applying to become a British citizen differs from obtaining settled status. Once you have settled status, your child will not instantly become a British citizen when they are born.

Can a child apply to become a British citizen?

You can become a British citizen in two ways: by registering or by naturalising. For children younger than 18, registration is the only way to go.

There are many different ways to fill out each type of application, based on the person applying. If you want to become a British citizen by birth, you need to show a lot of proof.

For the best chance of success, you should talk to our experienced immigration solicitor.

How do I help my non-British child born in the UK?

If both you and your partner have to follow the Immigration Rules, your child will be considered your dependent from the moment they are born. This means that the child does not automatically have the right to stay in the UK. They have to follow the same visa rules as you.

First, you will need to become a British citizen or settle in the UK. So that your child can stay and grow up there. Your child did not inherit British Citizenship automatically, so you will need to register them once they are old enough.

Can my British-born child receive a passport?

If your child can become a British citizen by descent, which means at least one parent is British, they can get a visa right away.

You will need to register a child born in the UK to non-British parents as a British citizen before they can become a citizen.

Once approved, you can apply for a British passport for your child.

These kids were born in the UK to parents who are not British and are in the country on a different visa. They will not be able to apply for a British card.

What do UK Immigration Solicitors do for you?

We know that registering as a British citizen is a very important thing to do. Moreover, we know how important it is to protect your family’s situation. Using our services ensures that we handle your application thoroughly and professionally.

This is what your lawyer will do:

Make sure your child is qualified and fill out all application forms completely;
Do a thorough check of the documents and suggest alternatives as needed;
Make a letter of representation. This letter tells them why your case is strong and cites important UK case law to back it up;
Talking to the Home Office until they decide what to do.

Call us at 02033844389 or send us an online message right now to start the process of applying for your child to get British citizenship by birth. You can also contact us to get more information from one of our experienced immigration lawyers.

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