British Citizenship for Child Born Abroad

When applying for British citizenship by birth, both the child applicant and the sponsoring parent must meet certain eligibility requirements to be granted citizenship:

• The child applicant must be a minimum of 10 years of age at the time of application
• Both the child applicant and the parent(s) must have held residence in the UK for the three years prior to applying for citizenship for the child born abroad
• The child’s immigration history must indicate that they have not spent more than 270 days outside of the UK in the three years prior to submitting the application package
• The child’s application for citizenship must be approved by both parents and completed by at least one parent who has parental responsibility
• Children over 10 years of age must meet the requirements for “good character” in the UK

There are a variety of circumstances in which you may automatically become a British citizen by descent.

• Children born on or after the date July 1st, 2006 who have at least one British parent at the time of the birth are automatically granted British citizenship
• Children born before the year 1983 with a father who is a British citizen are automatically granted British citizenship
• Adopted children who were adopted on or after the date January 1st, 1983 can automatically acquire British nationality if one of their parents is a UK citizen. Note that British citizenship for adopted children remains in place even if the parental responsibility is ended

All foreign nationals applying for UK citizenship who are over 10 years of age must meet certain good character requirements according to current UK immigration laws.

Good character requirements include the following:

• The child must not have a record of being involved in criminal or terrorist activity
• The child’s immigration status must be valid
  They must not have broken the terms of previous visas or other immigration regulations
• The child must not have a police record in the UK

Applicants who are age 18 and over must attend a British citizenship ceremony in order to receive their citizenship certificate.

In some cases, individuals may be exempt from attending a ceremony. For exempt individuals or children under the age of 18, the citizenship certificate will be sent through the mail. This certificate is needed as proof of nationality for the applicant to obtain a British passport.

At the ceremony, in addition to receiving their certificate, new British citizens pledge an oath of allegiance to the UK. Private ceremonies may be arranged for an additional cost.

Because British passports are only accessible to eligible UK citizens, your child will need to receive a certificate of UK citizenship before applying for a passport. You will need your supporting documents, such as birth certificates or other proof of identity in order to apply. You can apply online or submit the application form and documents by post. The child’s parents will apply on behalf of the child under the age of 18.

If you are unsure if your child is eligible to receive UK citizenship or a British passport, contact a dedicated lawyer at Total Law who can advise you on your immigration options.

The costs and fees associated with obtaining British citizenship for children born abroad may vary depending on the circumstances. Generally, application fees are:

• £1,012 per applicant under the age of 18
• £1,206 per applicant over the age of 18
• £80 for the British citizenship ceremony fee, per applicant aged 18 or over
• £19.20 for biometric information per applicant
• £49 to apply for a British passport online and £58.50 when applying by post.

Applicants under the age of 18 who cannot afford the application fee may be eligible in some cases to have the fee for the citizenship application waived.

Generally, the processing time for citizenship for children born abroad is about 6 months when you apply online at the UK government website.

Applicants who apply by post may have to wait longer to receive a decision.

Note that processing times may be significantly delayed due to covid-19.

Applicants over the age of 18 will need to schedule and attend a British citizenship ceremony after their initial application is approved.

Obtaining a British passport can take on average another five weeks.