IrmoBrit

catinhat95 - There is no "citizenship application" per se; you're either a citizen or you're not, based on the laws. If you are a citizen, then you can apply for a passport.

sarahdukie

No, I did not have to apply for citizenship first. Since my father was born and raised in England, my parents were married at the time of my birth, and I was born in 1981, I was automatically a British citizen by birth--all I had to do was prove my father's citizenship, my parents marriage, and my identity in my passport application to receive my passport. Make sure you thoroughly research your eligibility before you apply (depending on the year you were born, whether it is your mother or father who is British, if your parents were married, etc, you may be subject to different requirements). http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/passpor...-passport-usa/ is helpful. I obtained much of my help from this thread, which saved me probably hundreds of dollars calling ABTRAN, which documents a fellow going through the process the hard way: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=542570

If you are eligible, hurrah! You already a British citizen and can apply for your passport. If you don't have a birth certificate ISSUED within 3 months of birth (I was told by ABTRAN this is to ensure that an adoption had not taken place) as a first-time passport applicant, you will need to supply hefty supplimentation to your application. I will post below the cover letter that I enclosed with my application, which lists the documents I obtained to bolster it. I was very lucky--it worked, and I received me passport on the first try. It took me several months of research and document hunting to ready my application, and I am sure it was due to this attention to detail that my application was successful. Good luck, feel free to contact me with any questions, I would be glad to help. This can be a harrowing process!


British Embassy
Passport Office
19 Observatory Circle N.W.
Washington, DC 20008

To Whom it May Concern,
Thank you for taking the time to review my application for a British Passport. I have recently enquired with ABTRAN [contracted customer service provider for the UK Embassy] regarding the correct procedure for a passport in my individual case, as the oldest certified copy of my birth certificate that I have was issued 5 years after birth and rather tattered (this is, however, an official certified copy of the original). I have taken great effort to compile every bit of supporting documentation to be found to prove my birth, identity and parentage. Since the British Embassy no longer issues reimbursements for unsuccessful applications and I have heard of others in my circumstance being rejected 6 or 7 times, they have advised me to write this cover letter and enclose the following documents to ensure my application is successful:
* Father's Certified UK Adoption Certificate, including place of birth and adoptive father’s name
* Father’s Certified long-form UK Birth Certificate, bearing his mother’s maiden name (born illegitimately)
* Parent's Completed Declaration of Marriage Form
* Parent's State of Illinois Marriage Certificate issued by Dupage County, signed by County Official
* Letter from Illinois State Division of Vital Records verifying parents’ marriage (the State of Illinois does not disperse marriage records, only verifies)
* My long form Birth Certificate from the State of Illinois Vital Records Office proving parentage
* My short form Birth Record from State of Illinois Health Division proving parentage
* My birth card and growth chart issued by Hinsdale Adventist Hospital confirming my date of birth, dates spent there as a patient after birth, and mother’s name and doctor, issued at time of birth
* The original hospital bill from Hinsdale Adventist for my birth, billed to my father, naming my mother as the patient
* Headed and certified letter from Hinsdale Adventist Hospital verifying no hospital birth record
* My baptismal record issued by Gary United Methodist Church, signed by church official, naming both parents
* A program from my baptismal service, naming myself and both parents
* Birth fact sheet from Hinsdale Adventist Hospital issued at time of birth, naming both parents
* Commemorative birth certificate issued at birth, naming both parents
* Official state psycho-social evaluation conducted at 3 years of age, naming myself, parents and date of birth
* Copy of my US Passport
* Copy of my US Driver’s License
* Completed Application form C1
* Countersigned Photographs

In addition, I have been advised to affirm the contents of the above documents by stating that I have indeed exercised significant effort in attempting to obtain hospital records besides the hospital birth card. As the enclosed letter from Hinsdale Adventist confirms, there are none on file because the hospital destroys pediatric records 10 years after they are issued. Likewise, I exercised effort to obtain my parents official marriage record from the State of Illinois, however, as their letter confirms, records are not issued by the State of Illinois, only verified.
The above documentation supports my application by providing multiple, state-authorized and documented confirmation of my father's British citizenship by birth (two documents), subsequent marriage to my mother in 1978 (two documents), my birth (five documents) and parentage (five documents) as well as verification that these documents are exhaustive and that there are no other records available from state agencies or the hospital.
I have also been advised by ABTRAN to provide you with contact details to reach me with any questions or concerns regarding my application. I kindly request that I be contact using the following information first, so as to save time, postage and resources (and so that my application is not rejected). As a student, my resources are very limited, and I will not be able to afford making multiple applications now that refunds are not given for unsuccessful applications. I hope it can be seen that I have taken great effort to obtain every possible verification of my birth, identity and parentage.

home phone:
mobile phone:
e-mail:

Thank you again for your time. Regards,

IrmoBrit

sarahdukie - Wow, that's a lot of documentation! Do you know (or anyone else reading this thread) if I might have a problem with my passport application? I was born in Bermuda, but my mother says when she turned my Bermuda birth certificate over to the US Consulate to get my US birth certificate, she never got it back. I have since gotten a new certified copy, but as an adult. And my US birth certificate was issued a couple of years after I was born.

Mallory

Why would you have a problem with a passport? Do you mean UK or USA passport?

People from Bermuda can automatically get a UK passport. You said you have a US birth certificate? So I presume you can get a US pp??

Re: Sarah - she can get a passport, even though she was born before 1983, because her father was British. If it was her mother that was British, she would have to have applied for British citizenship, and pay a hefty fee, before she could apply for a Brit passport. Doesn't apply to people born after 1983, as they did away with the discrimination against women.

Do you live in Irmo by any chance?

catinhat95

SarahDukie, here is my info:
- Mother’s DOB: December 2nd, 1952
- My DOB: December 30th, 1981
- Mother moved to US when she was 10 months old, does not have a UK passport or formal certificate confirming UK citizenship
- Mother has UK birth certificate
- Grandmother has UK birth certificate AND expired UK passport

from my understanding, i have to apply first for citizenship and then second for a passport because i was not born after 1983. can you explain this more? Thanks so much in advance.

catinhat95

ahhhhh, I see it is because it is my mother who is British -- this is what I have not been understanding!!!! so can anyone walk me through the steps and also let me know how long I would be without my US passport while the process is going on. I would be submitting only my birth certificate and my mother's birth certificate and hopefully that would be enough, no?

Mallory

That's right. Because you were not born after 1983 you have to apply for citizenship. Then when you get that, you can apply for pp.

If it had been your father that was born in UK, you would have automatically got a Brit pp no matter when you were born, and would not have to pay $1000 for citizenship.

IrmoBrit

Mallory - Yup, I live in the Irmo area. The reason I asked about the birth certificate is because Sarah mentioned that if you don't have a birth certificate issued within three months of birth, it could be a problem. I only got a certified copy of my Bermuda birth certificate a couple of years ago.

I do have a US passport; looking into getting a British passport now.

Mallory

My children were affected by this law, but not my brother's children, who were also born outside the UK. :curse:

I lived in Irmo until last year, just recently moved to Lexington!

catinhat95

where are the fees written? where can i look them up?

Mallory

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/si...feesfrom060409

Seems like it is 720 pounds, after April 2009, if mother is British.

If father is British, it is 0 pounds. Just apply for pp.

(Above, if born before 1983).


If born after 1983, anyone can apply for the pp.

catinhat95

it's so hard to believe that this kind of discrimination still lingers!

Mallory

Wouldn't you think they would drop the fee? Why should you have to pay for an outdated sexism law?

My daughter was born in Germany, in USAF hospital, to a British mother, and couldn't get British citizenship till after 1983, and then had to bloody pay for it.

sarahdukie

That is sexism at it's best! Ridiculous and unfair.

Irmo--I am not sure about your situation--it seems you simply need to prove you were born in Bermuda, whereas I had to prove my father was born in England, and that I was my father's child. Does being born in Bermuda qualify as being born in the UK, or outside it? The best way to confirm how you must proceed is to call ABTRAN (expensive--make a list of any questions you have and fire through quickly!), but it may be that you won't have the problems I did, being born in a country that automatically qualifies you for a UK passport.

Here are the requirements:All applicants

Born before 1 January 1983 in the UK
If you were born before 1 January 1983 in the UK you must provide:

* a photocopy of your current ID and
* your full UK birth certificate

Born before 1 January 1983 outside the UK
If you were born before 1 January 1983 outside the UK you must provide:

* a photocopy of your current ID and
* your original consular birth certificate or
* your original registration certificate or
* your father’s UK birth certificate and marriage certificate

Born after 1 January 1983 in the UK
If you were born after 1 January 1983 in the UK you must provide:

* a photocopy of your current ID and
* your full UK birth certificate and
* your mother’s full UK birth certificate or
* your father’s full UK birth certificate or
* your father’s birth certificate and marriage certificate

Born after 1 January 1983 outside the UK
If you were born after 1 January 1983 outside the UK you must provide:

* your full foreign birth certificate and
* a photocopy of your current ID or your previous travel document and
* your mother’s full UK birth certificate or
* your father’s birth certificate and marriage certificate

IrmoBrit

Yeah, since I was born in Bermuda before 1983, I qualify on my own, not by descent. I just wasn't sure if it mattered that my birth certificate was not the original one issued right after my birth.