LaLaLandBrit

I have three children born during my marriage in the US (southern California) and I'd like to register them as UK citizens. I am a US and UK citizen and hold current passports for both countries.
The UK form to register children for British citizenship is MN1. For anyone who's gone through that process, I'm curious about any gotcha's or areas I need to pay special attention to.
How long did the process take? Looks like it's a $grand per application.
Thanks

SanDiegogirl

if you are British born and bred, then your children are British by descent (i.e born not in the UK of a British parent)

You should just be able to get their passports.

Who can automatically acquire British citizenship by descent?

A person will automatically acquire British citizenship by descent if they were born outside the UK on or after 1st January 1983 and one or both of the parents is a British citizen other than by descent. British citizen by descent applies when an individual is born outside the UK and one or both parents are British. Section 14(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 provides an extensive definition of the term British citizen by descent.

LaLaLandBrit

Thanks SanDiegoGirl; yes, I'm comfortable that my kids qualify based on my status, my question was more about the process: i.e. how long it takes, requirements for in-person visits to a consulate, etc. etc. if anyone on this board has been through this process for their kids.

christmasoompa

Hi, welcome to BE.

Just checking, they’re not already UK citizens? You weren’t born in the UK?

Edit - SDG beat me to it!

LaLaLandBrit

Thanks for the welcome.
Yes - I was born in London, my parents were born in London and I lived half my life in the UK working as a civil servant, then emigrated to California.

christmasoompa

OK, so you don’t need to register them, they’re already British (and have been since birth). You can just apply for their passports if needed/wanted.

LaLaLandBrit

Really? I thought I had to register them using a MN1 form.

christmasoompa

Nope. You can’t apply to register them as British citizens using MN1, because they already are.

A search of the forum will bring up some relevant threads, here’s one to get you started - https://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-...tizens-916426/

HTH.

Pulaski

You can register their births, and there are benefits to doing so, such as if later in life that allow their British passport to expire and they need to make a fresh application (a "consular registration of birth" is irrevocable evidence of British citizenship) but there is no need to register their births as a stepping stone to applying for British passports for them.

LaLaLandBrit

Thanks, yes - that's exactly what I figured. Getting them a Brit passport now is somewhat redundant, they're young, the passport would only last five years and we have no intention to relocate to the UK for an extended period, when a UK passport would be needed. I figure it's better for my kids when I eventually croak that they have an easy pathway to apply for a passport if they need it, with me doing the donkey work now.

Pulaski

That's my plan, but I have been putting it off for several years, and my daughter won't get her first British passport until she is eligible for a 10 year passport.

christmasoompa

You don’t need to do any donkey work though, their pathway is to just apply for a passport when they need it, it’s a simple online process.

As per the link to the other thread above, you could apply for their British consular birth certs, but that’s not the MN1 application and it’s not essential either. It’s up to you if you want to do that, but when the time comes they’ll be able to apply for a passport.

BritInParis

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth

LaLaLandBrit

Sure, but then my kids have the rigamarole of producing my birth certificate (probably also death certificate) and maybe other relevant documents. I want to save them the hassle of doing that - the consular birth registration seems to do that and at 150 sterling is relatively cheap.

Glad I checked in here - I probably would have gone in the wrong direction with the MN1.
Thanks

Pulaski

Did you read her reply to me? If so, you appear not to have understood it.

She can register her children's birth now, then later applying for a passport will be a breeze. Registering their births isn't cheap, but there are definite advantages to doing so. And as LaLaLandBrit has identified, there is also a disadvantage to applying for a child's passport too soon (expires after only 5 years).