Need help deciphering information.
Nov 14th 2014, 10:12 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2014
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Posts: 2
Need help deciphering information.
I am currently 22 living in Atlanta, GA. Born in Seattle, WA. Mother was born and raised in England till she was 17 when her and her parents moved to the USA for work. My mother never registered my birth with the British consulate here in the States. Father is American.
I am looking to travel to England within the next 2 years for schooling and possibly consider living their. I need to know if I am
1. A British Citizen by descent
2. If i need to register my birth or apply for citizenship
3. What further action maybe necessary before apply for a passport (if at all possible)
We have done some reading on here and on https://www.gov.uk/ but have only become more confused. If you can help it will be greatly appreciated.
I am looking to travel to England within the next 2 years for schooling and possibly consider living their. I need to know if I am
1. A British Citizen by descent
2. If i need to register my birth or apply for citizenship
3. What further action maybe necessary before apply for a passport (if at all possible)
We have done some reading on here and on https://www.gov.uk/ but have only become more confused. If you can help it will be greatly appreciated.
Nov 16th 2014, 10:18 pm
#2
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,192
Re: Need help deciphering information.
If you are 22 then you were born after 1983. This means that, under the British Nationality Act 1981, if you were born outside the UK and your mother is a UK-born British citizen then you are a British citizen by descent and have been since birth. This is regardless of your father's citizenship or your parents' marital status, either now or in the past.
As such you can either apply for consular birth registration or directly for your British passport.
Consular birth registration is optional for British citizens but it is a useful process to undergo as it will provide you with a consular birth certificate which acts as evidence of your British citizenship should you ever need to prove it in the future and can be replaced if necessary for a small fee. This is particularly useful for British passport applications. You can also use it as a standalone document to apply for your first British passport.
https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
As such you can either apply for consular birth registration or directly for your British passport.
Consular birth registration is optional for British citizens but it is a useful process to undergo as it will provide you with a consular birth certificate which acts as evidence of your British citizenship should you ever need to prove it in the future and can be replaced if necessary for a small fee. This is particularly useful for British passport applications. You can also use it as a standalone document to apply for your first British passport.
https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
Nov 19th 2014, 5:23 pm
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2014
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Posts: 2
Re: Need help deciphering information.
Thank you so much for getting back to me on this. I will be taking care of this asap. You are a big help.
Nov 19th 2014, 11:34 pm
#4
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,192
Re: Need help deciphering information.
Not a problem. I would add that your US birth certificate will need to be the 'long form' version showing the full details of your parents and it would need to have been issued within three months of your birth. The reason for this is that adoptive parents are often listed on US birth certificates as if they were the birth parents and British parents cannot pass on their citizenship by descent to their adopted children.
