aligurl091

Hi. I am a 24 year old U.S. citizen (born in 1985), born in Washington, D.C. to an American citizen (father) and a British mother (she has lived in the U.S. for 30 years but has managed to retain solely her U.K. citizenship through a special visa issued by the World Bank, where she works).

I have been living in the U.K., though I still list my permanent address as Washington, D.C., for the past two years, on and off, while on a UK student visa, as I have been doing a masters degree.

Now that I am almost finished, I want to obtain my UK passport, which I have been led to believe I can, as I was born outside the UK after 1983 to a mother who is a British citizen (she was born there as well).

However, it isnt clear to me whether you have to be still "a child" in order to try and obtain this kind of citizenship by descent. Since I am over 18, and am claiming in my own right -as opposed to my mother claiming/making an application for me- can I still obtain British citizenship? Did I have to apply for this before I turned 18?

And am I going to run into any problems because I am applying to the U.K. Identity & Passports service here, rather than applying to the U.K. embassy/consulate, even though I am technically a U.S. citizen applying...its just I dont have any plans to travel back to the U.S. until I finish my degree in 6 months, so I cannot go for an interview at the UK consulate back home...?

I have in fact already submitted my application, and sent with it my full birth certificate, my U.S. passport which I entered the UK on, and the registration of my birth ceritificate that my mother had done at the U.K. consulate when I was born. I put my address on the application as in the U.K., even though its not permanent, and is a student hall that I will be living in for at least another 6 months.

JAJ

If you were born in 1983 or later, and your mother is born in the United Kingdom, you are automatically a British citizen by descent (from the moment you were born). You would not have obtained a consular birth certificate if this was not the case.

I see no reason why your British passport should not be granted, provided they are satisfied with your proof of ID.

Does your mother want to remain long term in the United States?

xcarlymeganx

why would you want to move from the usa to england?!? I would KILL to move to america! England is rubbish and dull! Stay where you are!!!!!!!!!

christmasoompa

Oooh, let's think. Thousands of years of history, culture, proximity to Europe, beautiful green rolling countryside, stunning coastal scenery, world class museums, shopping, opera and ballet, temperate climate which is highly unlikely to kill you, no poisonous animals, democracy, NHS, Cotswolds, Lake District, Cornwall, etc, etc.....................

Among the many people on this forum who love the US, there are also plenty of people on here who would much rather live in England. Have you ever actually lived in the US? Or lived abroad at all? No offence but that is the kind of comment I'd expect from somebody who has never lived abroad, thinks the UK is a cess pit and then moves abroad and discovers it's actually pretty good!

Mummy in the foothills

Dave_Was

So move.

I don't want to sound harsh, but your post added nothing to this thread.

If you really want to move to the US, why not post in the appropriate forum on what the right/correct methods are to immigrate to the US.

Elaine B.

you really shouldn't laugh you probably haven't heard this before but I hear the place has gone to the dogs

Elvira

Signed Carly Megan aged 13¾...

Mummy in the foothills

So has the US

smoot1138

Hi All,
I'm new here and am so happy to have found this site!
I am a Brit, living in Los Angeles for 10 years now. I still have my British passport as I'm not a US citizen.
I moved here to work and ended up getting married to an American and now have a wonderful son who's a US citizen but who I want to have dual citizenship. I had no idea that you could automatically be a UK citizen if born after 1983!
My question is...what do I have to bring with us on our visit to England this June? His birth certificate, my birth certificate...what else? What forms can I download here and fill in so I'm prepared?

Also, although this might be the wrong forum, does he need a visa to visit the UK? How do I obtain one? He's going to be 3 yrs in August. Does the UK require a visa for one so young? Are the visa's 3 months or 6?

Lastly, I want my child to have the best of both worlds! A brilliant previous post mentioned all the wonderful qualities of England that the US will never have. I love California for it's constant sunshine {I'm solar powered } and pacific ocean and various landscapes within 1 hour of each other. But England is a beautiful, lush world of it's own and I look forward to each visit.


Anyway, thanks for any help you can give me...much appreciated

Smoot n' son.

FlyergirlUK

Answer to that one is here.

If you're just visiting then he can use his US passport.

No visa required.

smoot1138

Thanks so much, Flyergirl

'If you're just visiting then he can use his US passport'.

Well I want to use this visit to get my son's dual citizenship application underway.

In the future, I'd also like to have dual citizenship {reversed}. Do both the US and UK have the same requirements? Does the US recognize dual nationality or do you have to give up your British 'ship in order to gain US 'ship?

FlyergirlUK

You can certainly hold both citizenships - your son is proof of that.

The US may not 'recognise' dual citizenship but it is allowed all the same.

meauxna

The distinction is that your son IS a dual citizen; he doesn't need to apply for UK citizenship, just evidence of it.

Generally, it's best not to mention 'dual citizenship' like it's something separate, to the various governments.
The US will only deal with you as a US citizen, ie, you must enter & leave the country on the US passport. The UK is much more flexible and will let you use either passport to enter, with the limitations that go on the US passport if you use that one.

You could apply for US citizenship and retain your UK, probably any time now. It gives you a more secure position in the US, for sure.

Even if you choose not to naturalize to US, you should read the following article's FAQ link at the bottom. Rich Wales' has written a very easy to understand Dual Citizenship FAQ.
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Natura...ship_Resources

edit: a little example, similar to your son. Because of a change in Canadian law, I became *recognized* as a Canadian citizen through decent from my mother (recently). So I *am* a Canadian citizen now, but I do not have evidence of it (passport or citizenship certificate).