You may be eligible to apply for registration as a British citizen if you do not inherently qualify for British citizenship. This can be done either through an entitlement or on a discretionary basis.

What are the main eligibility requirements for Registration as a British Citizen?

To be eligible for British citizenship registration, you must demonstrate to the Home Office that you satisfy one of the following criteria:

• You were born in the United Kingdom on or after January 1, 1983, and you are not inherently a British citizen by birth. Furthermore, your mother and/or father became British citizens or settled in the UK before your 18th birthday, and you applied for registration before your 18th birthday. or
• You are not automatically a British citizen by birth, as you were born in the United Kingdom on or after 1 January 1983. However, you apply for registration before your 18th birthday, and your mother and/or father became a member of the armed forces on or after 13 January 2010. or
• If you were born in the United Kingdom on or after January 1, 1983, you are not automatically a British citizen by birth. Additionally, you were absent from the UK for no more than 90 days in each of the first ten years of your life. You applied for registration at any time after your tenth birthday, and you may apply under this provision at any age. or
• The following conditions must be met in order to qualify for registration: you were born outside the United Kingdom on or after January 1, 1983, one of your parents was a British citizen by descent at the time of your birth, the parent's father or mother was a British citizen by descent or other means, the parent had been in the UK for a minimum of three years in a row prior to your birth, the parent had not been absent from the UK for more than 270 days during that three-year period, and you applied for registration before your 18th birthday. or
• You were born outside the United Kingdom on or after January 1, 1983, and one of your parents was a British citizen by descent at the time of your birth. You applied for registration before your 18th birthday, and you and your parents were in the United Kingdom on the day three years prior to the date of the application. Neither you nor your parents have been absent from the UK for more than 270 days during the intervening three years. Additionally, both your mother and father have authorised your registration. or
• If the specific provisions of British nationality law had been in effect at the time of your birth, and if your mother was a citizen of the UK and Colonies at the time of your birth, you would have automatically been a citizen of the UK and Colonies by descent through your mother, in the same way as it provided for citizenship by descent through a father. This would have occurred if you would have had the right of abode in the UK immediately before 1 January 1983. or
• You were born in the United Kingdom prior to July 1, 2006, and your parents were not married at the time of your birth. You have never been a British citizen, and only under specific circumstances would you have become a British citizen if your parents were married at the time of your birth. or
• You are a British Overseas Territories Citizen, a British National (Overseas), a British Overseas citizen, a British subject, or a British protected person. You apply for registration, and you were in the UK for five years prior to the date of application. During the intervening five-year period, you were not absent from the UK for more than 450 days or in the UK in violation of the immigration laws. In the twelve months immediately preceding the date of application, you were not absent from the UK for more than 90 days or subject to any restriction on the period for which you might remain in the UK. or
• The Secretary of State is satisfied that you do not possess any other citizenship or nationality, and the Secretary of State is satisfied that you have not voluntarily forfeited any other nationality through action or inaction at any time after 4 July 2002 (or, if you are only a British National (Overseas), after 19 March 2009), if you are a British Overseas citizen, a British subject, a British protected person, or a British National (Overseas). You apply for registration. or
• If you were born outside the United Kingdom on or after January 13, 2010, and your mother or father was a member of the armed forces deployed outside the UK at the time of your birth, you are eligible to apply for registration. If you are under the age of 18 at the time of your application, your parents must consent to your registration.

In the event that you have previously renounced British citizenship, are of full capacity, and your renunciation of British citizenship was necessary to enable you to acquire or retain some other citizenship or nationality, you may also be entitled to be registered as a British citizen.

You may still apply for registration on a discretionary basis if you are not eligible to be registered as a British citizen.

• As a child, at any time before your 18th birthday;
• As a British Overseas Territories citizen, at any time.

What else do I need to know about Registration as a British Citizen?

The Secretary of State must be satisfied that the individual is of good character if they are 10 years of age or older at the time of their application for registration as a British citizen.

The statutory requirement is presently in effect, despite the Supreme Court's declaration that the good character requirement is incompatible with Convention rights in relation to certain registration applications.

It can be difficult to submit applications for registration on a discretionary basis, especially as a minor. It may be advantageous to evaluate the application's merits, both in terms of the evidence available and in principle, prior to submitting it on this basis. A particularly pertinent consideration for children is frequently whether their future is readily apparent in the United Kingdom.

If your application for registration as a British citizen is approved, you will be required to attend a registration ceremony if you are over the age of 18. Upon completion of the ceremony, you will receive your certificate of registration as a British citizen.