hopefulJames

Hey everyone,

My mother is Australian and my father is English I was born in England and my parents applied for and obtained an australian citizenship for me when I was born. This has since expired and I am now 22, how would i go about obtaining an Australian passport again and is this still possible? I haven't forefited my right to citizenship or anything?

Thanks a lot for any help

James

Bermudashorts

Citizenship does not expire, only passports expire.

I don't know the process for getting a new passport, but just wanted to confirm that point.

hopefulJames

thank you very much for that confirmation...that is reassuring


Does anyone know anything about how i'd get a new passport, i've heard something about a citizen test?

thanks a lot

Pollyana

You don't need to sit a citizenship test if you are already a citizen

See here for getting a passport ;
http://www.uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/Passports.html

JAJ

You're still an Australian citizen UNLESS your mother became a British citizen before 4 April 2002 (or became a citizen of another country by application). If that happened, she lost her Australian citizenship at that point and you would have lost yours at the same time (as you were under 18 and the other parent wasn't Australian).

If you did lose your Australian citizenship, you need to apply to get it back.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Loss_o...an_Citizenship

Mikail

Check the DIAC web-site at www.immi.gov.au. You can get all the information from there.

Good luck.


Mikail.

hopefulJames

Well, my mother is still an Australian citizen and has never taken up English Citizenship. She still has a valid Australian passport which she travels under. Does this mean that I should be ok in renewing my Australian passport?

Thanks a lot, sorry if my questions seem obvious!

moneypenny20

You should have no problem renewing your passport. You will probably have to go to AHC in London in person but it's quite easy and straightforward. Follow the link given above and good luck.

JAJ

If she never became a British citizen then she never lost Australian citizenship and your Australian citizenship is still valid. As you have already been told - just renew your passport. Don't make it more complex than it needs to be.

Why on earth hasn't your mother become a British citizen since 2002?

hopefulJames

Well thank you for that rather barbed assurance. I am sorry that my questions seemed to you obtuse, I was just not sure what the procedure would be in renewing a passort when it was a dual nationality.

As regards to my mum not becoming a British Citizen, I can only speculate that she had other things going on in her life and wasn't keeping abreast of these things.

thanks

JAJ

As long as you are still an Australian citizen, it's no different to any other Australian passport application. Have you still got your citizenship registration document? If no, you will need to replace it.

Bear in mind that unless you spend a total of 2 years in Australia, you can't pass on your citizenship to non-Aus born children of your own:
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Austra...hip_by_Descent

She may have had good reasons before 2002 (before Australian law changed), but since then, it's really not smart to stay a non-citizen. Things are getting more difficult all the time for non-citizens in Britain (even those with ILR) and she will find the process for becoming a British citizen more difficult/expensive now than it would have been had she pursued citizenship back in 2003.

Nevertheless, she ought to put becoming British at or close to the top of her priority list.

stixng

This has been a helpful thread but wanted advice on my particular situation....

I was born in the UK in 1976 but lived in Australia since 1977. In 1980 my parents and I became Aussie citizens.

Sometime in the late 90s I acquired a British passport.

Since I was already a UK citizen first (1976), and then became an Aussie citizen (1980)....i didn't give up my Aussie citizenship did I?

I am still a dual citizen aren't I?

JAJ

Correct. Acquiring the passport of a country of which you were already a citizen did not cause loss of Australian citizenship.

Do you have your own citizenship certificate? Back in 1980, children normally went on the back of parent's citizenship certificate. That's not good enough now ... use DIAC form 119 and pay A$60 to get your own certificate.

stixng

Thanks JAJ!

No I do not have my own certificate, I am on the back of my dad's. Thanks so much for the tip. I'll fill out the form right away.

All this research for our baby girl who will be born in a few weeks time and obtain her citizenship by descent and then passport for our trip back to Oz in Feb.

I understand too that she'll automatically be a British citizen by descent but am holding off getting her a UK passport until we travel back to London for the Olympics. or would you suggest otherwise... i read on http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...bornoverseas/#

"Please Note: First time applications for children can sometimes be complex and therefore take longer to process. Parents are encouraged to obtain passports for new born babies as soon as possible after the birth.".

I currently reside in the USA

JAJ

You need form 119:
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/119.pdf

The fee is A$60, but you'll need to ask the Embassy in Washington DC what the local fee is. http://www.usa.embassy.gov.au/whwh/consular.html

They will accept the application and send it to Australia for decision. Shouldn't take too long. You should only need a copy of your father's citizenship certificate.

And don't listen to anyone who tells you that you don't need your own citizenship certificate:
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Eviden...an_Citizenship

Since 2002, children who become naturalised Australian alongside parents get their own citizenship certificates. Those who became Australian before 2002 need to get their own.

A few points:

1. She will be a US citizen automatically, and first priority has to be her US passport.

2. She is not an Australian citizen until registered as such. Use form 118. Once she is Australian, she needs an Australian passport as well.

3. Best way to prover her British citizenship by descent is a consular birth certificate. You can get the passport later on,
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Britis...h_Registration
also: http://britishexpats.com/wiki/UK_Passport_In_The_US

(note what it says about US birth certificates not proving natural parentage if reissued later on - make sure her British and Australian citizenship is obtained & documented immediately to avoid hassles later on)

4. Make sure you're aware for your daughter about the 2 year residence rule for passing Australian citizenship on to the next generation,
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Austra...hip_by_Descent