All UK citizens are either British citizens by descent or British citizens otherwise than by descent, according to British nationality legislation. Those who are British citizens through birth, registration, naturalization, or adoption are not citizens by descent.
When a person is born outside of the United Kingdom, they can apply for British citizenship based on the status of their parents or grandparents as British citizens.
Descendants of British citizens are not subject to immigration restrictions and enjoy many of the same rights as other British citizens, such as the right to a UK passport and the right to vote in elections. Citizens by descent, on the other hand, are unable to pass on their British citizenship to their children born outside the UK, whereas citizens not by descent are permitted to do so.
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Who Can Become A British Citizen By Descent
Citizenship by descent is generally carried down from generation to generation to children born outside of the United Kingdom. If you were born outside of the United Kingdom but one of your parents was a British citizen at the time of your birth, you may be eligible for British citizenship by descent.
If your parent was born or adopted in the United Kingdom, earned citizenship after making their own application, or worked as a Crown servant at the time of your birth, they can immediately pass on their citizenship to you. If your British parent earned citizenship by descent, you will not be eligible for automatic citizenship.
When you were born, as well as your parents’ immigration status at the time, determine whether you are an automatic citizen by descent. If you were born outside the United Kingdom on or after July 1, 2006, you will automatically be a British citizen by descent if one of your parents was a British citizen by descent at the time of your birth.
If you were born outside of the United Kingdom between 1983 and June 2006, you are an automatic citizen by descent if your mother or father was a British citizen other than by descent at the time of your birth; however, if your father has British citizenship but your mother does not, they must have been married at the time.
If you were born outside the United Kingdom before 1983, you will only be a citizen by descent if your father was British and also a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, married to your mother, and eligible to pass on his citizenship to you.
Who is eligible to apply for naturalization through descent
If you do not have an automatic right to British citizenship, you may be entitled to register as a British citizen by descent under certain situations.
If you were born before 1983, you may be able to register as a citizen by descent if your parents were not married at the time of your birth or if your mother, rather than your father, was British. Your mother or father must have been a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies at the time of your birth, and they must have citizenship other than by descent unless they were working as a Crown servant at the time of your birth.
If your father was not married to your mother when you were born, you can register for citizenship by descent if you were born between 1983 and June 2006. Your father must have have been a British citizen by descent or working as a Crown servant when you were born to be eligible.
If you were born outside the United Kingdom on or after July 1, 2006, you may still be eligible to register as a British citizen if you resided in the UK with your parents, your British parent lived in the UK before your birth, or you were adopted outside the UK.
How To Apply For Citizenship In The United Kingdom By Descent
If you do not have automatic citizenship by descent and are entitled to register instead, you can do so on the gov.uk website by filling out an online application form. The form you’ll need to fill out will be different based on when you were born and how you qualify. You can also apply by mail, however postal applications take substantially longer to process than online applications.
You will need to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to have your biometric information collected, which includes your photograph and fingerprints, in addition to completing the application form.
You will be asked to provide a number of supporting papers with your application to demonstrate that you fit the conditions for citizenship by descent. You can either upload copies of your documents to the online service or have them scanned at your UKVCAS appointment.
If their application is approved, applicants over the age of 18 will also be obliged to attend a British citizenship ceremony. There is an extra £80 charge for this.
What Is Citizenship By Double Descent In The United Kingdom
Although British citizenship by descent is normally transmitted down one generation by a parent, some persons may be eligible for British citizenship simply because they have a British grandmother; this is known as British citizenship by double descent.
Citizenship by double descent, like citizenship by descent, is based on when you were born as well as a number of other characteristics.
If you were born after January 1, 1983, you may be eligible for citizenship through double descent if one of the following applies:
At the time of your parents’ birth, you had a grandfather who was born in the United Kingdom and served in the Crown Service.
You were born in a former British colony, or one of your parents was born there.
Your parent was a British citizen between February 2nd and December 31st, 1982, and had a British-born mother but not a British-born father.
If you were born before January 1, 1983, you may be eligible to claim British citizenship by descent (or double descent) under the following circumstances:
You or one of your parents was born in a former British colony (with the exception of the key Commonwealth countries in 1949);
You (or your parent) were born in the United Kingdom;
When you were born, your parents were both working for the Crown;
Your parents married before 1949, and your father’s paternal grandfather was born in the United Kingdom.
Your mother’s father was born in the United Kingdom, yet you were born outside the European Economic Area.
If you were born before 1949, you may be eligible for British citizenship through a grandparent if certain conditions are met. The following scenarios are the most prevalent sorts of claims:
Your parents and you were not in a Commonwealth country (must be born before 1915)
You or one of your parents was born in a former British colony.
Before 1949, your grandfather or parent married a British man.
If You Have Automatic Citizenship, How Can You Prove You Are A Citizen
If you have automatically gained British nationality, you can demonstrate this by applying for a British passport or a letter confirming your immigration status.
If you are under the age of 16, you must apply for a child’s passport, whereas if you are over the age of 16, you must apply for an adult’s passport. You can apply for a passport online or through the mail.
If you don’t want to apply for a passport, you can get a letter confirming your British citizenship status by filling out an online form on the government’s website. You will need a UK passport to verify your immigration status for job, immigration, or travel purposes; your letter will not suffice.
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