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British Citizenship by Registration
This route is for those qualified either by way of an entitlement or on a discretionary basis to apply for British Citizenship by registration. In order to be eligible to register as a British Citizen, the applicant may qualify in a number of permitted categories, the most common route being children under the age of 18 applying for registration.Children cannot apply to ‘naturalise’, but instead must apply to ‘register’ as British citizens.
British Citizenship by registration for children
In order to be eligible to register as a British Citizen by the way of entitlement, the child must satisfy one of the following requirements.
- Born in the UK whose parent or parents become British or settled (must be applied for before the child turns 18)
- Born in the UK who has lived in the UK continuously until the age of ten
The Home Office may also register a child under discretion and grant British citizenship. The applications are decided on individual merits and normally consider the child’s future intentions, the citizenship and immigration status of the child’s parents,the length of the child’s residence in the UK, whether or not the child is settled,parental consent and what is in the child’s best interests. The good character requirement applies on both types of registration and a high threshold applies on the discretionary registrations.
The child would need to make an application under MN1 form for registration and pay the required fees & complete the process.
How can we assist?
Our Immigration lawyers at City Legal have immense experience in assisting clients on obtaining British Citizenship. We carefully assess each of our client’s circumstances to ensure that the eligibility requirements are met & identify any potential issues with the application. We are a multi award winning law firm and pride ourselves in being approachable, innovative and always going that extra mile to make sure our clients receive the individual attention they deserve. Our Immigration team maintains a high reputation and is committed to provide clear, transparent and reliable advice to our clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
UK law permits multiple citizenships and there is no requirement to renounce previous nationalities, as dual citizenship is allowed in the UK. It is however worth checking the national laws of the other country you are looking to continue or holding the nationality as they may have a different criteria.
It is possible to apply for resumption of British Citizenship if anyone has previously surrendered their nationality. However it may be possible only if renunciation was necessary to enable the applicant to retain or acquire some other nationality.
If a child is adopted by a British citizen who is in the UK, the child will automatically become British from the date of the adoption and there is no need for registration and can apply for a passport straight away. If a child is adopted in another country then that country’s own adoption laws will apply. The adoption will not necessarily be recognised in other countries, including the UK. If the adoption is not recognised in the UK then the child will not automatically become British.
British nationality applications are decided by the Home Office normally within six months. Applicants will need to attend a Citizenship Ceremony to receive the Naturalisation certificate and then apply for a British passport.
Application needs to be certified by two referees, each of them has known the applicant for at least 3 years, has no criminal convictions within the last 10 years and is not related to the applicant or to each other. In a child’s case, one must be a person who has engaged with the child in a professional capacity, such as a doctor, teacher, health visitor, social worker or minister of religion and the other person must be either over 25 years old or a professional and hold a British Passport.