Registration as a British citizen

Whether a child can be registered as a British citizen will depend on a number of factors including where the child was born, the status of their parents and in some cases the length of their residence in the UK.

The child will need to satisfy the Home Office that they meet one of the following:

If the child was born in the UK, then they would be in a position to apply if:

• one of the child’s parents obtained settlement after their birth and is of good character if aged 10 or above; or
• the child was born on or after 13 January 2010, and one of the parents became a member of armed forces whilst the child is under 18, and the child is of good character if aged 10 or above; or
• they are aged 10 or above and they have lived in the UK for the first 10 years of their life

If the child was born outside the UK, then they would be in a position to apply if:

• one of the child’s parents is British citizen by descent and the child and both parents have lived in the UK for 3 years without exceeding absences and the child is of good character if aged 10 or above; or
• one of the child’s parents was British citizen by descent at the time of child’s birth and the child and one parent has lived in the UK for 3 years before child’s birth without exceeding the absences where the other parent has either died or legally separated/ divorced from the parent who has lived in the UK for 3 years; and the child is of good character if the child is aged 10 or above.

The Home Office may choose to exercise discretion in particular circumstances where the child is under the age of 18, meets the good character requirements if over the age of 10, and deem it fit in all the circumstances to register them as British citizens.

There are also other ways of acquiring British citizenship and it depends on whether you were born before or after 1 January 1983, and through adoption.

Please get in touch with our immigration team who can advise you on your eligibility to obtaining British citizenship by contacting Sincere Immigration on 0203 877 0007 or email us at info@sincereimmigration.com.