British Dual Nationality

There is no “application” as such for obtaining dual citizenship.

If one wants to get dual citizenship, they have to first become an actual British citizen.

Ways to obtain British Citizenship are as follows:

• You are a child born in the United Kingdom
• By descent. You may be a British national if you were born in the UK after 1st January 1983, or if you were born outside the UK with at least one parent’s nationality being British.
• Married persons. As the spouse or civil partner of a UK citizen, you have to spend a minimum of 3 years in the UK as a settled person (by holding Indefinite Leave to Remain or EU Settled Status).
• 5-year route. After 5 years of residence in the UK, applicants are eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain. After a year, as a settled person, you are permitted to submit a British citizenship application to process for British nationality. The same applies to EU and EEA citizens on the EU Settled Scheme.
• Citizenship for “stateless” individuals – If you are considered “stateless” (not a national of any state) you may be eligible to become a British citizen. The British citizen application process will depend on the country where you were born.
• Nationality for people who renounced it. If you renounce your British Citizenship, you may be allowed to resume your status as a British citizen.

The way to do that is as follows:

• Ensure you meet the requirements, and are eligible for British citizenship
• Apply for British citizenship, including submitting relevant documents and proof of eligibility
• Pay the £1,330 application fee
• Provide biometric information
• You may be invited to an interview
• Take and pass the ‘Life in the United Kingdom’ test (where applicable)
• If your application is approved, you’ll attend a British citizenship ceremony.

Following your British citizenship ceremony, you can return your biometric residence permit and apply for a British passport.

You need to pass the Life in the UK Test.  The test asks 24 questions that pertain to United Kingdom laws and the UK legal system, employment, and other information about life in the UK.

The minimum mark required to pass is 75%.

You can do the test any time before you apply for citizenship and are permitted to do it as many times as necessary, but you will be required to pay for it every time.

You will not be required to take the Life in the UK Test if you have already passed it in the past, are under 18 years old or over 65 years old, or if you have a medical or physical condition that permits you from taking the test, which will need to be confirmed by a doctor’s note.

To meet the requirements of ‘good character,’ for British citizenship application, applicants must show that they do not have any severe or recent criminal record.

The Home office is the government body that reviews any criminal offences overseas and about any UK immigration-related issues.

The UK immigration laws will also take into account the positive contributions you may have made to society, too.

As per the British Nationality Act, applicants that are 18 years are older that have successful British citizenship applications, must participate in a Citizenship ceremony.

These ceremonies are to be scheduled within 3 months of the date you received an invitation from the Home Office. One guest is allowed to attend with you but these ceremonies are not open to the public.

You must bring with you your Home Office letter of invitation and written confirmation from the Register Office.

During the citizenship ceremony,  you will be asked to take an Oath of Allegiance and pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.

After this rite, you will receive your British nationality certificate and an information pack to learn more about your new rights and responsibilities as a UK citizen.

Once you have satisfied all the requirements for British Citizenship and gotten your certificate of Naturalization or British citizenship registration status at your citizenship ceremony, you can apply for a British passport.

With your passport, if it’s permitted with your home country, you now hold dual nationality.

The laws in England state that multiple citizenship also called triple citizenship, is permitted.

In fact, there is no limit to the number of nationalities you hold, according to UK law.

There are many countries, however, as mentioned above, that does not permit dual citizenship, essentially capping the number of citizenships one can hold.