Am I eligible for a British passport?
Jun 3rd 2013, 1:39 pm
#1
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 2
Am I eligible for a British passport?
I am a 19 year old South African girl looking to study in the UK and would like to find out whether I am eligible for a British passport.
My Grandfather was born in Britain and my mother got her passport from him. My father also got his passport by descent. My parents were never married and my father has lived in the UK for about 20 years now. Would that mean he has been naturalised? I read something that if your father got his passport by descent but has been lived there for over 3 years then his child might be entitled to a passport. Is this true?
Thank you.
My Grandfather was born in Britain and my mother got her passport from him. My father also got his passport by descent. My parents were never married and my father has lived in the UK for about 20 years now. Would that mean he has been naturalised? I read something that if your father got his passport by descent but has been lived there for over 3 years then his child might be entitled to a passport. Is this true?
Thank you.
Jun 3rd 2013, 4:03 pm
#2
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,193
Re: Am I eligible for a British passport?
Your father wouldn't have been naturalised as he was already a British citizen by descent.
Did your father live in the UK for three years before you were born? If so, you could have been registered as a British citizen before your eighteenth birthday. This is no longer an option for you as you are now nineteen.
As a South African with British grandparents, you might want to look at applying for an ancestry visa if you want to work in the UK.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/vi...g/uk-ancestry/
If you only wish to study and are not already in the UK on an ancestry visa, you'll need to apply for a Tier 4 student visa.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/vi...dult-students/
Did your father live in the UK for three years before you were born? If so, you could have been registered as a British citizen before your eighteenth birthday. This is no longer an option for you as you are now nineteen.
As a South African with British grandparents, you might want to look at applying for an ancestry visa if you want to work in the UK.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/vi...g/uk-ancestry/
If you only wish to study and are not already in the UK on an ancestry visa, you'll need to apply for a Tier 4 student visa.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/vi...dult-students/
Jun 4th 2013, 3:51 pm
#3
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 2
Re: Am I eligible for a British passport?
Thank you for your informative answer. I will have a look at the ancestry visa.
