bouncycat

So both me and my partner are PR in Canada, our daughter was born here 3 years ago. We would like to get her British citizenship but i am confused by the website!
There is a form MN1 that is for registering a child as a British citizen but what confuses me is that it says in the guide that a child born abroad with British parents has automatic acquisition of citizenship (by descent) but doesnt say any more about what to do. Soooo do i fill a form in or what?

Totally confused! thanks for any help.

jimmydean

Your daughter already has British Citizenship........ not sure what you are looking to do? If you want to get her a British passport just apply in the usual way through Washington DC

bouncycat

Thanks JimmyDean, that is what i originally thought but a friend of mine in the same situation but Australian as opposed to British just obtained Aus citizenship for their daughter and had to apply and got a certificate. This made me wonder if i had misunderstood the procedure and was missing something?

MillieF

I don't know if it helps but I did it the other way round. When our son was born, we were in France, but he immediately got British Nationality through me. He also got Canadian Citizenship through his father, and I applied to the Canadian Embassy in Paris and they sent me a Citizenship Certificate, I didn't need a Canadian passport...he was a baby, passports are expensive, and we wern't going anywhere. But the citizenship certificate/ card was the important bit.

Novocastrian

I have no idea about rules in Australia (if there are any) but your daughter is already a BC. To repeat, if you want to get her a passport, just apply for one. You'll need proof of your citizenship (not by descent), that's all.

BritInParis

Australia and Canada both require you to register the birth of a child overseas to gain citizenship by descent, but the UK does not. Normally you can have your child consular birth registered by the local Embassy, but since Canada is a English speaking country with a similar system of birth registrations, that is not a possibility there.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...tering-a-birth

As such you can just apply to the Embassy in Washington DC for her first British passport.

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...child-passport

Novocastrian

WTF is that supposed to mean? A child born in Canada to at least one parent born in Britain is British at birth.

BritInParis

And a consular birth certificate confirms under what section of British Nationality law the child is claiming their citizenship - usually 2(1)(a) BNA 1981.

Did you read the links before replying?

Woob1194

So I have two kids born in Canada, but they can apply for a British passport.
Weird.

BritInParis

So long as you're eligible to pass on your nationality, your children will be dual British/Canadian citizens.

JAJ

Canada hasn't required this since 1977.

BritInParis

Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but all the information I've seen states you need a Certificate of Citizenship or Certificate of registration of birth abroad to apply for a Canadian passport if born outside Canada?

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/info/section4.aspx?lang=eng

JAJ

You need it to get the passport, but the actual acquisition of Canadian citizenship occurs at the time of birth.

As distinct from subsequent to birth, which is the situation for Australian citizens by descent.

BritInParis

Okay, so it's recognition rather than acquisition. Going a little off-topic but I do wonder how Canadian parents manage if the registration process takes over a year.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/informa...processing.asp

How are they suppose to travel in the meantime? Without a passport, they cannot leave or re-enter the country of their birth and in many countries they would be considered an illegal immigrant

christmasoompa

Why can't they travel or leave/enter the country of their birth?

The registration process is only required where there isn't a Canadian birth certificate i.e. when a Canadian citizen is born abroad to a Canadian parent.