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There are 6 different types of British nationality. These are:

• British citizenship
• British overseas territories citizen
• British overseas citizen
• British subject
• British national (overseas)
• British protected person

Further information

Contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if you鈥檙e not sure whether you have British nationality or not.

You can live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls if you鈥檙e a British citizen. You can also get a UK passport.

You might be a British citizen depending on:

• where and when you were born
• your parents鈥� circumstances when you were born

You can check if you鈥檙e a British citizen if you鈥檙e not sure.

Get British citizenship

If you鈥檙e not a British citizen, you might still be able to apply to:

• register as a British citizen - for example, if you have another type of British nationality
• become a British citizen by 鈥榥aturalisation鈥� - for example, after you settle in the UK

If you were born before 1 January 1983

You became a British overseas territories citizen on 1 January 1983 if both of these applied:

• you were a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC) on 31 December 1982
• you had connections with a British overseas territory because you, your parents or your grandparents were born, registered or naturalised in that British overseas territory

You also became a British overseas territories citizen if you were a woman married to a man who became a British overseas territories citizen on 1 January 1983.

If one of your parents was a British overseas territories citizen

You can apply to become a British overseas territories citizen if you did not automatically become one because either:

• your parents were not married at the time of your birth
• your mother was a British overseas territories citizen

You can apply for British citizenship at the same time.

If you were born on or after 1 January 1983

You鈥檙e a British overseas territories citizen if both the following apply:

• you were born in a British overseas territory
• at the time of your birth one of your parents was a British overseas territories citizen or legally settled in a British overseas territory

You鈥檙e also a British overseas territories citizen if one of the following applies:

• you were adopted in an overseas territory by a British overseas territories citizen
• you were born outside the overseas territory to a parent who gained British overseas territories citizenship in their own right (known as 鈥榦therwise than by descent鈥�)

If your parents were not married

You can apply to become a British overseas territories citizen if you did not automatically become a citizen because your parents were not married at the time of your birth.

You can apply for British citizenship at the same time.

Rights as a British overseas territories citizen

You can:

• hold a British passport
• get consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts

If you鈥檙e not a British citizen, you鈥檙e still subject to immigration controls - you do not have the automatic right to live or work in the UK.

British citizenship

You automatically became a British citizen on 21 May 2002 if your British overseas territories citizenship was gained by connection with a qualifying territory.

If you were born in a qualifying territory on or after 21 May 2002, you also automatically became a British citizen if your parent was either:

• a British or British overseas territories citizen
• settled in that territory

The qualifying territories are:

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Antarctic Territory
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• Pitcairn Islands
• Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
• Turks and Caicos Islands

You鈥檒l also be a British citizen if you were born outside the UK or in a British overseas territory to a parent who is a British citizen in their own right.

Register as a British citizen

You may be able to register as a British citizen if you became a British overseas territories citizen after 21 May 2002 and meet certain conditions.

You became a British overseas citizen on 1 January 1983 if both of these applied:

• you were a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC) on 31 December 1982
• you did not become either a British citizen or a British overseas territories citizen on 1 January 1983

Hong Kong

If you were a British overseas territories citizen only because of your connection with Hong Kong you lost that citizenship on 30 June 1997 when sovereignty returned to China.

However, you became a British overseas citizen if either:

• you had no other nationality and would have become stateless
• you were born on or after 1 July 1997 and would have been born stateless if one of your parents was a British national (overseas) or British overseas citizen when you were born

Rights as a British overseas citizen

You can:

• hold a British passport
• get consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts

Unless you鈥檙e also a British citizen:

• you鈥檙e still subject to immigration controls - you do not have the automatic right to live or work in the UK
• you are not considered a UK national by the European Union (EU)

Become a British overseas citizen

You can only apply to become a British overseas citizen in limited circumstances.

Stateless people

You may be able to register as a British overseas citizen if you鈥檙e stateless (not recognised by any country as having a nationality) and both of these apply:

• you were born in the UK or an overseas territory
• one of your parents is a British overseas citizen

You may also be able to register if you鈥檙e stateless and all of these apply:

• you were born outside the UK and qualifying territories
• one of your parents is a British overseas citizen
• you鈥檝e lived in the UK or an overseas territory for 3 years or more

You have to fill in different forms depending on whether you were:

• born before 1 January 1983 - read the guidance and fill in Form S1
• born on or after 1 January 1983 - read the guidance and fill in Form S2

Children

A child under 18 can be registered as a British overseas citizen in special circumstances.

British citizenship

You may be able to register as a British citizen if you鈥檙e a British overseas citizen and meet certain conditions.

Until 1949, nearly everyone with a close connection to the United Kingdom was called a 鈥楤ritish subject鈥�.

All citizens of Commonwealth countries were collectively referred to as 鈥楤ritish subjects鈥� until January 1983. However, this was not an official status for most of them.

Since 1983, very few people have qualified as British subjects.

Who is a British subject

You became a British subject on 1 January 1983 if, until then, you were either:

• a British subject without citizenship, which means you were a British subject on 31 December 1948 who did not become a citizen of the UK and Colonies, a Commonwealth country, Pakistan or Ireland
• a person who had been a citizen of Ireland on 31 December 1948 and had made a claim to remain a British subject

You also became a British subject on 1 January 1983 if you were a woman who registered as a British subject on the basis of your marriage to a man in one of these categories.

Ireland citizens

You鈥檙e a British subject if you were a citizen of Ireland on 31 December 1948 and made a claim to remain a British subject.

If you did not make a claim to remain a British subject you can apply to the Home Secretary to become a British subject if either:

• you鈥檝e been in Crown service for the UK government
• you鈥檙e associated with the UK or a British overseas territory by descent, residence or another way

You can do this by applying for a British subject passport.

Children of British subjects

British subjects cannot normally pass on that status to their children if the children were born after 1 January 1983.

However, a child may be a British subject if they were born on or after 1 January 1983 in the UK or a British overseas territory and all the following apply when they are born:

• one of their parents is a British subject
• neither parent is a British citizen, British overseas territories citizen or British overseas citizen
• they would be stateless without British subject status

Rights as a British subject

You can:

• hold a British passport
• get consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts

However, you:

• are usually subject to immigration controls and do not have the automatic right to live or work in the UK (there are only rare exceptions to this)
• are not considered a UK national by the European Union (EU)

Becoming a British subject

Stateless people

You may sometimes be able to register as a British subject if:

• you鈥檙e stateless (not recognised by any country as having a nationality)
• you were born outside the UK or British overseas territories on or after 1 January 1983

Children

A child under 18 can be registered as a British subject in special circumstances.

Becoming a citizen of another country

Since 1 January 1983 anyone gaining citizenship of any other country cannot be a British subject, unless they鈥檙e also a citizen of Ireland.

British citizenship

You may be able to register as a British citizen in very limited circumstances if you meet certain conditions.

Someone who was a British overseas territories citizen by connection with Hong Kong was able to register as a British national (overseas) before 1 July 1997.

British overseas territories citizens from Hong Kong who did not register as British nationals (overseas) and had no other nationality or citizenship on 30 June 1997 became British overseas citizens on 1 July 1997.

Rights as a British national (overseas)

You can:

• hold a British passport
• get consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts

However, you:

• are subject to immigration controls and do not have the automatic right to live or work in the UK
• are not considered a UK national by the European Union (EU)

British National (Overseas) visa

If you鈥檙e a British national (overseas), you and your family members may be able to apply for a British National (Overseas) visa. It allows you to live, work and study in the UK.

British citizenship

You may be able to register as a British citizen if you鈥檙e a British national (overseas) and meet certain conditions.

You would have become a British protected person on 1 January 1983 if you:

• were a citizen or national of Brunei
• were already a British protected person
• would otherwise have been born stateless (without a country) in the UK or an overseas territory because, when you were born, one of your parents was a British protected person

In most cases you would have lost your British protected person status if:

• you gained any other nationality or citizenship
• the territory you were connected with became independent and you became a citizen of that country

Rights as a British protected person

You can:

• hold a British passport
• get consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts

However, you:

• are subject to immigration controls and do not have the automatic right to live or work in the UK
• are not considered a UK national by the European Union (EU)

Become a British protected person

You may be able to register as a British protected person only if all the following apply:

• you鈥檙e stateless and always have been
• you were born in the UK or an overseas territory
• your father or mother was a British protected person when you were born

Contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if you think you might qualify as a British protected person.

British citizenship

You may be able to register as a British citizen in very limited circumstances if you meet certain conditions.