Friend's eligibility for a British passport
#1
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Joined: Jan 2018
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Friend's eligibility for a British passport
Hey everyone,
I have a friend whose father is a British citizen.
Is he eligible for a British passport?
Thank you for your help!
I have a friend whose father is a British citizen.
- Friend's year of birth: mid 1990s
- Friend's place of birth: outside the UK (Mauritius)
- His father was born outside the UK in the early 1960s.
- His mother is not a British citizen
- His father was a (naturalized) British citizen at the time of birth.
- His parents got married before he was born.
Is he eligible for a British passport?
Thank you for your help!
Last edited by ismyfriendbritish; Jan 27th 2018 at 1:41 am.
#2
Re: Friend's eligibility for a British passport
If the father was a naturalized British citizen at the time of birth the father is "British other than by descent", and if he was married to the mother at the time of birth, then your friend is a British citizen. All he needs to do is apply for a British passport.
#3
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Re: Friend's eligibility for a British passport
Thank you for your help. My friend told me that he asked an immigration and that the lawyer said he’s not eligible because he was born after 1986. Any idea why the lawyer would think he’s not eligible?
Last edited by ismyfriendbritish; Jan 27th 2018 at 3:30 am.
#4
Re: Friend's eligibility for a British passport
Merely being "born after 1986" is not a disqualifying event, so I am not sure what the lawyer was suggesting. ..... Unless Mauritius has a prohibition on dual citizenship, and the lawyer thinks that the British citizenship was forfeited. However British citizenship doesn't work like that and isn't forfeited even if another country says that dual citizenship is prohibited and the British citizenship must be discarded.
The rules get more complicated if the child's parents were not married, or if the (only) British parent was the mother and the child was born before 1983.
#5
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Re: Friend's eligibility for a British passport
Thank you for your help. Assuming that my friend is eligible, what's the application process? Does it require a lawyer or can he do it himself?
#6
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Posts: 1,114
Re: Friend's eligibility for a British passport
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
He / She will also need someone to countersign her passport photo. A professional (for example doctor) with British, EU or Commonwealth nationality not related to your friend can countersign.
#7
Re: Friend's eligibility for a British passport
1986 may be referring to 1968 and Mauritian independence from the UK but there's no piece of British nationality legislation came into effect in 1986 that would affect your friend. Providing his father was a naturalised British citizen at the time of his birth and he was married to his mother then he has been a British citizen from birth and needs only to apply for his passport.
Before applying your friend should check his father's British citizenship certificate. It needs to explicitly state 'naturalisation', not 'registration'. The latter doesn't necessarily mean that your friend has a claim to British citizenship.
Before applying your friend should check his father's British citizenship certificate. It needs to explicitly state 'naturalisation', not 'registration'. The latter doesn't necessarily mean that your friend has a claim to British citizenship.