BritInParis

Then she’ll be by descent. Come back if you have any further questions.

scot47

The two categories under current British nationality Law are "by descent" and "other than by descent" Other inventions like "by double descent" or "by law" are just that - fictions, inventions with no legal basis.

SapphiraeLupa

I have made a successful application this year via the Romein decision. My mom was born in SA in 1952, to British parents. I was born in SA in 1982.
I applied via a well known intermediary, which was rather expensive and on reflection I don't think it was necessary. The application was straightforward, and I see it is covered in the new UKM guide which you can download from the govt site. There is an application fee which you pay when you make the application £80 iirc.

At the insistence of the intermediary I only sent certified copies of the documents (they said they have had many instances of the Home Office returning docs via ordinary post, which of course in SA means you will never see them again). From the letter I got back from the Home Office it seems the only docs they wanted and used were my current SA passport ID page, my unabridged birth certificate (not the vault copy) my mom's unabridged (also didn't use her vault copy) and my grandads birth and marriage certificates. Also (oddly) my marriage certificate (I don't see how this was relevant, but it was included in the docs section).

I don't know if they included a covering letter or not, but there was nothing like that attached to the email that I got from the home office (although copies of my other docs were).

SapphiraeLupa

I don't know whether they can submit in one envelope, but I do know that I submitted certified copies (certified here in SA), and they accepted that. If you do send originals make sure you have made arrangements for them to courier them back to you as otherwise they will send it via regular mail and we all know how chancy that is.

In terms of how your mom acquired citizenship, I see on my form it says "s5 CUKC" although I'm sure you could also write that she got her citizenship by ordinary operation of law as she was born to a married British father if you prefer. In the section for how my grandfather and grandmother acquired their citizenship it says "CUKC 12(1)". They were both born in the UK to British families.

Hope this helps clarify for you. If you have further questions I'd be happy to try answer based on my experience. If you need help getting docs out of Home Affairs in SA DM me, we have a great expediting company that we used after waiting a year for my birth certificate!

christheron

Hi RosalindJane

Interested to find out if you've been sucessfull with your direct application. I'm in nearly the exact same situation so would hope the direct route is possible.

thanks
C

christmasoompa

RosalindJane hasn't been on the forum for over 6 months, so is unlikely to see your question. I'd suggest you start a new thread so that those with experience are more likely to see it.

HTH and welcome to BE.

Roach

Hi SapphiraeLupa,
I was wondering where you got your documents certified (assuming you did it in RSA)? I am very hesitant to send my original passport and documentation.
Thanks for posting the minimum required documents- that will save me some time!

SapphiraeLupa

I just went to my local SAPS station and got them certified by the desk sergeant.
You do the biometrics here, at the same places where you do them for UK visas. There was some kind of issue with the booking system, so eventually I just went there without an appointment and they did it for me.

Don't forget to inform home affairs before you do your citizenship ceremony, otherwise you will lose your SA citizenship when you gain British, which can be fixed if you still live in SA, but it's a pain.

IanV

Hi - to apply for a passport, does one need to do the UKM first?

BritInParis

That would depend on your circumstances - maybe best to start your own thread on the subject.

IanV

Hi BIP - I thought I'd continue this thread as it all seems relevant to this discussion. My mother has a BP (by decent - her father was born in the UK and she was born in South Africa). Considering the Romein case, I meet all of the criteria for a BP passport, however, I am not sure if I need to do the UKM first - is this a requirement to apply for a BP?

BritInParis

If you’re not a British citizen already but you meet the Romein criteria (born outside the UK to a British by descent mother before 1983) then you’ll first need to register as a British citizen using Form UKM before you can apply for a British passport. Bear in mind that it’s very important you first apply to retain your South African citizenship before starting the process otherwise you will lose it on becoming a British citizen.

IanV

Thanks BIP - I will keep this thread updated with progress :-)

SapphiraeLupa

Hey, as BIP says you need to do the UKM first.

People in SA seem to often conflate UK citizenship and UK passports, they are actually two different things. You must have citizenship before you are eligible to apply for a passport (and you can be a citizen without having a passport).
So, you need to get registered as a citizen first, you must apply for retention of RSA citizenship at Home Affairs but you only need to do that before you do the actual citizenship ceremony, you can start the UK application process in the meantime. My application took about 4 months to get processed, and then a further 3 month wait for the citizenship ceremony, so it's not a speedy thing. You can only apply for a passport after you have had your citizenship ceremony.

IanV

Thanks for the info. I have paid for my passport application already. so I will probably have to forfeit that fee as the UKM will not be done in time (90 days...). On the upside, I have all the required documentation in hand :-)