You can claim British citizenship by double descent if you have a grandparent (and in rare cases a great-grandparent) born in the UK. This is known as double descent. Children under the age of 18 will need to claim citizenship before the age of 18 or they will lose all rights to British nationality.
Can I apply for British citizenship if my grandmother is British?
British nationality law allows claims to come from a UK-born grandparent (known as double descent). If you were born after 1 January 1983, you may have a claim to British citizenship if: … Your grandmother was born in the UK, and your relevant parent was registered as a child before 1983.
Can you get UK citizenship through great grandparents?
United Kingdom. Applying for British citizenship through a grandparent is a three-step process that takes several years. If you can prove one of your grandparents was born in the U.K., you first have to apply for a U.K. Ancestry visa, which allows you to stay in the country for five years.
How do I apply for British citizenship by descent?
You are a British citizen by descent if:
- You are born outside the UK to a parent who was a British citizen at the time;
- It does not matter whether the birth took place before or after 1 January 1983 as long as a child who was born before that date became a British citizen on that date;
Can you claim citizenship through grandparents?
One of the easiest ways to acquire dual citizenship is by descent. Many countries let you claim citizenship if your parents, grandparents or — in some cases — great grandparents were born in said country. There are other avenues to dual citizenship too, with some of the most popular being investment and naturalization.
Does having a British passport mean I am a British citizen?
You can live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls if you’re a British citizen. You can also get a UK passport. You might be a British citizen depending on: where and when you were born.
What is the difference between British citizen and British national?
All British nationals are eligible to be issued with UK passports. However, only British citizens have the automatic right to live and work in the UK. … A BN(O) would have been issued a UK passport issued since 1st July 1987 describing the holder as “British National (Overseas)”.
Can I get a British passport if my grandparents were born in England?
You can apply for a UK Ancestry visa if all of the following are true: you’re a Commonwealth citizen. you can prove one of your grandparents was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. you’re able and planning to work in the UK.
How long can I stay outside the UK with British passport?
You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period in the last five years. This requirement works on a rolling basis, which means that the 12-month period doesn’t necessarily have to be a calendar year – it can be any consecutive 12 months.
Can grandchildren of British citizens get a British passport?
There are provisions in British nationality law allowing a claim for grandchildren of a person born in the UK. It’s a complex area, and any claim for grandchildren would be termed a Non-Standard route to British Citizenship and (in most cases) requires specialist advice*. … Grandchildren Born After 1 Jan 1983.
Can my son get a British passport?
Your child needs British citizenship before they can get a UK passport. If your child is over 18 years old, they’ll need to apply as an adult – check citizenship eligibility for adults. If your child is under 18, it’s important to check if applying for citizenship is the right thing for them.
Can I apply for UK citizenship from abroad?
If you’re from any other country
You can usually apply for citizenship 12 months after you get indefinite leave to remain (or ‘indefinite leave to enter’) unless you’re married to a British citizen. If you don’t have either of those, you can check if you’re eligible for indefinite leave to remain on GOV.UK.
Who qualifies for British citizenship?
Requirements for British naturalisation
Be aged 18 or over. Be of sound mind, that is of full mental capacity. Lived in the UK for at least five years (or three, if married to a British citizen or settled person) Held Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for at least 12 months before the naturalisation application.
Can you get EU citizenship through great grandparents?
You may be eligible for European citizenship by descent if you have parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents from Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland and a number of other EU countries. This type of citizenship is known as jus sanguinis and is commonplace across most of Europe.
Does my child have to be legally present in the US to automatically derive citizenship after I naturalize?
A child can, under certain circumstances, derive U.S. citizenship automatically through the naturalization of a parent. … In most cases, you need to have already held U.S. lawful permanent residence (a green card) in order to derive U.S. citizenship.
What is British citizenship by double descent?
There are provisions in law allowing a claim to British citizenship based on having a grandparent (and, in rare cases, a great grandparent) born in the UK. This is known as double descent.