debph

Hello,

I want to apply for British citizenship by descent. My mother is British, my father is American and I was born in the US in 1965. I have:

My US passport
My mom's expired UK passport
My mom's birth certificate
My birth certificate

Do I need to send my parent's marriage certificate?

Also how long will I be without my US passport? I need it in November to travel. If I send in the application now will I have it back in time?

quoll

From memory we did send my DH's parent marriage cert to verify his mother's change of name. Can't tell you whether you will get your passport back or not, sorry, because we lodged in UK where there is a document checking service which allows you to take your docs away with you. DH got his registration in just over 3 months but they say it takes 6 months then he had a month before his citizenship ceremony and a few more weeks to his UK passport. Can you get a second passport? I know that some countries can do that in certain circumstances because of the need for passports to be sent off for visas etc.

JAJ

You don't need to send your U.S. passport. Keep copies of everything you do send and use a secure method.

You probably do need to send parent's marriage certificate, since it evidences mothers change of name and links to your birth certificate. Could you replace it if lost? In fact, it may be better to send certified copies since it's not clear whether you get anything back.

debph

Don't have to send US passport? That would make life so much easier if I didn't have to do that. Any insight as to why one's passport is included on the UK Border Agency webpage entitled "The documents we require for registration as a British citizen if you were born before 1983 to a British mother"?

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...tingdocuments/

JAJ

Sigh.

You may wish to research the British Nationality Act and you will see that the entitlement to registration (under section 4C) is not dependent on either a. having a passport, or b. providing it.

It can also be a good idea to read the relevant chapter of the Home Office Nationality Instructions to see what documentation is really needed. Any good search engine will help you locate this information if you have not already done so.

BritInParis

If successful you'll be issued with a Certificate of Registration, not a vignette sticker, so there's no physical reason why they would need your passport beyond its use to confirm your identity. As the vast majority of US citizens do not hold a passport, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that someone applying for registration even has a US passport. Applications can take up to six months to process so send in a good quality colour photocopy with a note explaining your need to retain your passport for travel in November. To be doubly sure have the copy certified as original seen by a suitable US government agency or better still a British consulate if they'll let you. The Home Office can always request the original passport later if they decide they absolutely need to see it.

If you're already in the UK, you can use the Nationality Checking Service to submit your application - you can retain all your original documents if you do so.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...eckingservice/