JAJ

To get an idea of what applying for a first passport is like go to http://www.fco.gov.uk then select UK Overseas Missions. The websites of the Rome and Washington Embassies will tell you what you need to do - as far as I'm aware, once you get your registration certificate as a British citizen you apply for a British passport at the nearest British diplomatic mission.

No need to leave the country as far as the UK was concerned, but if you were in Italy you might need to approach the authorities there to get your visa status locally changed to EEA status.

Jeremy

Stephen Gallagher

    > Thank you! Follow up query- I believe I can apply for a British passport
    > via mail, but someone else seemed to believe that I would have to go in
    > person to one of the consulates or even to the UK to get my British
    > passport before going back to Italy to prove that I was indeed
    > recognized as a citizen of the EU.

According to the website of the British Embassy
in Rome, they will issue British passports
(even first ones) through the mail.

Once your application for registration is approved
and you have been sent your Certificate of Registration
as a British Citizen, you can use that to apply for a
British passport through the mail.

You should not have to go to a British consulate or
to the UK to get a British passport.

Whether you have to leave Italy and re-enter with
your British passport, in order to now be viewed
as an EU citizen (and therefore no longer subject
to immigration restrictions) would be a matter for
the Italian government to tell you. Logically,
you shouldn't have to, but as you know, governments
are not logical.

Stephen Gallaghe

JMendham

I married a British Citizen about 5 years ago and we reside in Phoenix, Arizona. I have been wondering if I could apply for British Citizenship? We don't plan on living in England, but I want see if I could apply for it without living there. My husband has just become an official permanent resident here in the US, but won't go for citizenship because he was told he'd have to give up his British citizenship, Is that not the case anymore? I know I have a couple of questions here, but I would sure appreciate some guidance on this.

Manc

No you have no rights to British Citizenship

Your husband can hold dual citizenship however once he is eligible for US Naturalisation. The USA have no authority to revoke his British Citizenship

L D Jones

JMendham wrote:
[...]
    > I married a British Citizen about 5 years ago and we reside in Phoenix,
    > Arizona. I have been wondering if I could apply for British
    > Citizenship? We don't plan on living in England, but I want see if I
    > could apply for it without living there. My husband has just become an

You cannot apply to naturalize as a British citizen without fulfilling
the residence requirement in the UK. It's similar to the requirements
your husband must meet in the US to become a US citizen (and your
husband will not be required to "give up" his British citizenship should
he want to become a US citizen).

JAJ

Who told him he'd have to give up his British citizenship? (he won't)
The UK has allowed dual citizenship since 1949.

And as for the US point of view, start at http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

Jeremy

Rich Wales

"JMendham" wrote:

> My husband has just become an official permanent resident
> here in the US, but won't go for citizenship because he
> was told he'd have to give up his British citizenship,

Not really.

The US naturalization oath contains a mandatory blanket renunciatory
clause (in which a new citizen disavows all prior allegiances) . . .

. . . but this renunciation has no legal effect under British law
(i.e., Britain will ignore it and continue to view your husband as
being British) . . .

. . . and the US doesn't enforce the renunciation in any meaningful
way -- i.e., they won't make your husband go to British officials to
have his old citizenship revoked under British law, and they won't
care or mind if your husband keeps his British passport as well
as having a US passport, as long as he always calls himself a US
citizen in his dealings with US officials.

Even though the US State Dept. considers the renunciatory clause to
be unenforceable, however, Congress has no desire to take it out,
and the courts have never ruled it unconstitutional, so it's probably
there to stay for the foreseeable future. There is no way to get
an exemption from the renunciatory statement (and no point in even
wasting time asking for a waiver -- USCIS, formerly called INS, has
no legal authority to consider any such request).

In the end, it's up to each new citizen to decide for (him/her)self
whether he/she is willing to go through the naturalization process,
including the making of the formal (but legally toothless) renunci-
atory statement. Some people feel "an oath is an oath", no matter
whether it's legally binding or not. Others see no reason to take
the renunciation any more seriously than the US government itself
does, and are content to view the clause as really just being an
archaic, fancy way of saying "I'm an American now". Your husband
will have to make his own decision on this and act accordingly.

Rich Wales [email protected] http://www.richw.org/dualcit/
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant,
or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and
are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice.