Sally Redux

Yes I think you were getting confused by the requirements to show intent to stay for the purpose of receiving benefits.

Get your UK passport renewed and buy a ticket

not2old

to that, on another thread on BE recently, it appears they let those born in the UK back in with expired British passports. Its all the way one speaks English to the IO at passport control... no joke

Yes, agree, renew the passport

good luck with the move

britwhore

MarylandNed

It's assumed that if you are a UKC that you would know that you have the right to live in the UK. It really shouldn't need to be spelled out for you. It comes under the category of The Bleeding Obvious.

davejm15

Not so obvious when ones been away for 15 years & have become a Citizen somewhere else! My intelligence & common sense wasn't the question! After "9/11" the rules changed - I've been informed by the British Embassy since I posted on here - and, because I've been away longer than two years & my passport has expired, I have to apply for permission to reenter. This is given once they (British Embassy) have confirmed with their US counterparts I can leave (no warrants, taxes outstanding, etc).

But thanks for your input!!!!!!

Jerseygirl

What?!?!? Either someone is pulling your leg or you're pulling ours.

All that is absolute nonsense. You are a Brit and as such can return to the UK anytime you want...with or without a valid UK passport. You do not need permission from anyone.

BritInParis

As a US citizen you will need to file an annual tax return to the IRS when you return to the UK but the rest is nonsensical. Providing you renew your British passport - which is something that the British Embassy in Washington is no longer involved with - then you can simply book a flight and come home.

mikelincs

What a load of cobblers you have been told, you just get on a plane, even with an expired passport, and just tell the immigration people in the UK you are returning to live. No time limit, no special permission to re-enter needed, you are a British citizen and they can't stop you returning, doesn't matter if you ahve outstanding debts etc from the US, that's up to the US to stop you leaving if they want, but absolutely nothing to do with you returning. They can't even stop those people who have gone to fight for IS from re-entering Britain, OK they would arrest them at the airport once they were in, but they can't stop them coming back. Who ever told you tht, if they were a British emnassy employee should be sacked with immediate effect for blatantly lying to you.

Jerseygirl

Although it's ideal to enter the UK with a valid UK PP...he cannot be refused entry using an expired one right? Probably a good idea to take as much supporting evidence as possible...birth certificate etc. It may take longer to get through UK immigration at the airport.

BritInParis

Unlikely but not impossible.

He will need to leave the US on his US passport and US citizens are non-visa nationals so getting to the UK border is not an issue. Once there however the immigration officer will still need to be convinced of his identity and that he remains a British citizen. If the OP's British passport expired more than ten years ago or was issued overseas then its details may not be electronically stored and therefore it may prove difficult to verify.

If the OP wishes to return to the UK as a British citizen then he should really be renewing his passport before he travels. It will also help him when he wants to register with a GP, apply for a job, claim benefits, etc.. Given the expense, time and hassle involved to relocating to a different country it's really a minor outlay for peace of mind.

MarylandNed

Someone's been informing you a load of old bollocks then. If you are a UKC, you have the right to live in the UK and you can do so at any time (that's part of the definition of citizen). How many more people do you need to tell you this before you believe it?

LondonSquirrel

All you do is supply a copy of your US passport biographical page when you apply for your new UK passport, otherwise the process is the same as for those of us who have no other citizenship but British. They used to ask for the actual foreign passport but now only ask for a copy.

The Life in the UK test is for non EU nationals applying for citizenship or permanent residency and the 2 years thing is that the permanent residency can easily be lost if the holder resides outside the UK for more than 2 years.

davejm15

Thank you......that is exactly my position now with passport application being mailed this weekend! The annual tax thingy I'm aware & prepared for. However, the "nonsensical" part came via the Embassy in Washington themselves. In many ways it's not an issue as 1) taxes are up to date and, more importantly, I don't have any warrants

BritInParis

I'd be very surprised that if that information came from the Embassy in Washington. How did you contact them? Did they requested any money for their services? Sounds like it might be a scam.

davejm15

They called me after I sent a message for information to them via the official site!