United Kingdom - Passport & Nationality - British Citizenship by Double Descent (Northern Rhodesia)

After 1948 and prior to 1983, British Citizenship could be passed two generations by descent from a UK-born grandfather where the middle generation (the parent) or the applicant was born in a British Protectorate. Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) was such a territory before 28.02.1958 and again after the Federal period between 01.01.1964 and 23.10.1964. However, any birth after this period, an application can be made where the parent was born during the Federal period on the basis of an anomaly in the categorisation of the territory as a British Protectorate.

This particular solution arises in the following circumstances:

  - applicant born between 01.01.1964 and 31.12.1982;

 - a parent born in Northern Rhodesia during the Federal period (1 March 1958 and 31 December 1963); AND

 - the relevant grandfather born in the UK.

If the claim comes from the paternal grandfather, then the applicant is British by operation of law (i.e. automatically British), as long as the relevant family members were born legitimately. However, if the claims comes down from a maternal grandfather, then an application to register as a British citizen has to be made. This route through the mother has become available after recent anti-gender discrimination legislation was passed.

There are two further points to note. The applicant and the relevant parent from whom the claim stems must not have:

• suffered from the Automatic Loss of Colonial Nationality enacted upon Independence (though there are some exceptions to this); AND

• renounced citizenship of the UK and Colonies.