When a person is born outside of the United Kingdom but has a British parent, they are eligible for British citizenship by descent.
To learn more about British citizenship by descent and see if you qualify, read on. Get in touch with our expert immigration solicitors at 02033844389 right now to find out more.
If a person was born outside of the UK but has a British parent, they can become a British citizen. A person who is British by descent would have become a citizen in one of these ways:
A person can have British citizenship by descent or “British citizenship otherwise than by descent.” It is important to know the difference. People who don’t have British citizenship through their family can give it to a child born outside of Britain. A person who is British by descent usually can’t give their status to children who were born outside of the UK.
They don’t have to follow this rule if their parent was born in a crown-designated or EU service. Someone who is not British by descent would have become a citizen by being born, adopted, naturalised, or, most often, registered in the UK or a qualifying region.
When a child is born outside of the UK, British citizenship is usually simply passed down from one generation to the next. In other words, if you were born outside of the UK but one of your parents was a British citizen at the time of your birth, you may immediately become a British citizen.
Because your parent was born or adopted in the UK, got British citizenship on their own, or worked for the Crown at the time of your birth, they can easily give you their citizenship. If your British parent got their citizenship by descent, that doesn’t mean you automatically get British citizenship.
If you are a naturalised citizen by descent, it also depends on when you were born and what your parents’ immigration status was at the time. Your parents must have been British citizens in some other way at the time of your birth if you were born outside the UK on or after July 1, 2006. If they were, then you instantly have British citizenship by descent.
You are automatically a British citizen by descent if you were born outside of the UK between 1983 and June 2006. This is true even if your mother or father wasn’t a British citizen by descent at the time of your birth. However, if your father is British citizen but your mother isn’t, they must have been married at the time.
If you weren’t born in the UK before 1983, you will only be a citizen by blood if your father was British and a citizen of both the UK and its colonies. He must have been married to your mother and be able to give you his citizenship.
Certain situations may allow you to become a British citizen by descent even if you don’t automatically have the right to be a British citizen.
If you were born before 1983
You might be able to become a citizen by blood if your parents were not married when you were born or if your mother was British instead of your father. Your mother or father must have been a citizen of the UK or one of its colonies at the time of your birth in order to be registered. They must also have citizenship by some other means than by descent unless they were working as a Crown servant at the time of their birth.
If you were born between 1983 and 2006
If your father wasn’t married to your mother when you were born, you can still apply for citizenship by descent. Also, when you were born, your father had to be a British citizen in some way other than through descent or work for the Crown.
If you were born outside of the UK on or after July 1, 2006
You could still become a British citizen if you were adopted from outside of the UK, if you were born in the UK to a British parent, or if you lived in the UK with your parents.
You don’t need to do anything else if you are automatically a British citizen by descent. You can also apply for a British visa if you want to.
It is possible to apply for British citizenship by descent if you are not already a British citizen by descent. Based on your birth date, you will need to fill out the right entry form, which is:
After you fill out the online application form, you need to do the following:
As you can see, not everyone has to pay all of those fees. It depends on when you were born.
It is usually possible to get British citizenship by descent if your parents were British. However, if you have a British grandfather, you may also be able to get British citizenship. This is called British citizenship by double descent.
You can get citizenship by double descent if you meet certain requirements, such as when you were born, and citizenship by descent.
You might be able to get citizenship by double descent if any of the following are true:
You may be able to claim British citizenship by descent (or double descent) in the following situations:
If you can prove that a grandparent gave you British citizenship, you may be able to claim it. The most common types of claims are those that happen when:
If you are automatically British, you can show this by asking for a British passport or an immigration letter.
A child’s passport is what you need if you are under 16 years old. An adult’s passport is what you need if you are over 16 years old. Getting a passport can be done online or by mail.
If you don’t want to apply for a passport, you can fill out the online form on the gov.uk website to request a letter proving that you are a British citizen. Moreover, when you need to prove your immigration status for job, immigration, or travel, your letter won’t work. You will need a UK passport for that.
You can stay in the UK forever if you have British citizenship by descent. You will also have all the rights and benefits of a person born in the UK. Moreover, you can apply for a British visa by descent, which is very important. This will let you travel to other countries as a British citizen and come back to the UK without any problems. Furthermore, you won’t have to pay anything to live, work, learn, get public funds (like benefits), or use the NHS.
As a British citizen, you will have the right to abode. This means that you will not need a visa to enter the UK, and you can stay here for as long as you want. You can show that you have the right to live in the UK with your passport or by getting a Certificate of Entitlement. This is an official paper that proves you have the right to live in the UK permanently.
UKVI will look at each application for British citizenship by descent on its own because the rules for UK citizenship can be very complicated. You should talk to an immigration expert if you think you might be able to claim British status by descent or double descent.
At every step of the way, our immigration lawyers can help you with your question or application. Many people have been successful in their claims to British citizenship by descent and double descent with their help. People who want to become British citizens by descent have come to our lawyers many times before.Â
Your own lawyer will help you and your family figure out the best way to become citizens and will also handle your application. They will also check to see if you can get British citizenship by descent or help you with other choices, like the UK Ancestry Visa.
To find out more about British citizenship by descent or to talk about your situation, send an inquiry today or call 02033844389 for a free chat. Along with offices in London, Manchester, and Birmingham, we also have offices in many other places in the UK.
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.
Yes, you can claim British status through a grandparent who is British if you meet certain conditions. Claim double descent is the name for this method. Claims of double descent are usually looked at case by case. There are, however, rules you can follow if you want to claim British status through a grandparent.
Part 14(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 gives a long explanation of what it means to be a British citizen by descent. If you were born outside of Britain and at least one of your parents was a British citizen at the time of your birth, you may be automatically a British citizen or be able to register as a British citizen by descent.Â
There are a lot of things that can affect your eligibility. Our solicitors can check to see if you are eligible and give you professional help with your immigration options.
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