United Kingdom - Passport & Nationality - British Nationality by Birth

We look at three scenarios:

• Children under 18 born in the UK
• You are over 18 and born in the UK after 1982
• You were born in the UK before 1983

Children under 18 born in the UK*

A claim for British Nationality can be made in the following circumstances:

• Child is over 10 years old and been resident in the UK since birth - read more
   
• A parent was a British Citizen at the time of the child's birth - read more
   
• A parent had "Settled Status" (ILR or the Right of Abode) at the time of birth - read more
   
• A parent was an EU/EEA National and had Permanent Residency at the time of birth - read more
   
• A parent acquires "Settled Status" (ILR or the Right of Abode) before the child turns 18 - read more

In all other cases, an assessment of your parents' nationality status at the time of your birth must be undertaken in order to determine whether you have a claim to British Nationality.

You are over 18 and born in the UK after 1982*

A claim for British Nationality can be made if a parent (mother or father) was:

• born in the UK before 1983 - read more

• Naturalised in the UK before your birth - read more

In all other cases, an assessment of your parents' nationality status at the time of your birth must be undertaken in order to determine whether you have a claim to British Nationality.

You were born in the UK before 1983*

You would have a Standard claim to British Nationality by Birth - read more

 

* Exceptions

Exceptions apply:

• if your parents were resident in the UK at the time due to Diplomatic Service
• if your parents weren't married at the time of your birth
• you were adopted

How do I find out?

We suggest following our 4 STEP PROCESS, designed to simplify the complex laws of British nationality and to avoid unnecessary and expensive application fees, to find your answer:

Step 1: Determine whether you have a Standard Route (birth in the UK before 1983, or a parent born in the UK before 1983)
Step 2: If not, complete our free Nationality Assessment
Step 3: Order a free Status Trace
Step 4: Conduct a Citizenship Report

 

The solutions that WhatPassport.com have discovered under this category, including the criteria and requirements for British Nationality by Birth in the UK, are:

 

BIRTH BEFORE 1983

British Nationality by Birth (in UK pre 83): Applicant born in UK (including Northern Ireland) before 01.01.1983.

 

BIRTH AFTER 1983 TO EU PARENT

British Nationality by Birth (1981-1-1c) EEA National Parent: Applicant born in UK (including Northern Ireland) after 01.01.1983 and before 02.10.2000 to an EU National. EU National must have been ordinarily resident and from "old" EU countries. Birth after 02.10.2000, EU parent must be "settled" or become "settled" after the birth. 

 

BIRTH AFTER 1983 TO "SETTLED" PARENT

British Nationality by Birth (1981-1-1a)-British Parent: Applicant born in UK (including Northern Ireland) after 01.01.1983. to a parent was British Citizen at time of birth. 

British Nationality by Birth (1981-1-1b)-Parent Resident: Applicant born in UK (including Northern Ireland) after 01.01.1983. to a parent who was "settled" in the UK at time of birth. This includes Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Armed Forces Exemption, or Right of Abode. Applicant under 18.

 

BIRTH AFTER 1983 AND UNDER 18

British Nationality by Birth (1981-1-3a)-Parent becomes Settled: Applicant born in UK (including Northern Ireland) after 01.01.1983. to a parent who is ordinarily resident. Applicant must be under 18. 

British Nationality by Birth (1981-1-4) Child Residency: Applicant born in UK (including Northern Ireland) after 01.01.1983. to a parent who was "settled" in the UK at time of birth. This includes Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Armed Forces Exemption, or Right of Abode. Applicant under 10. 

British Nationality by Birth (1981-1-2) Abandoned: Child found abandoned and born after 01.01.1983. If parents are not found, the child is classified as British.

To find out whether you or your children might have a claim, take a couple of moments to complete our FREE online Nationality Assessment.

 

Key Terms

British Nationality by Birth
Nationality and Birth in the UK