If you or your parents were born in the UK, you might automatically be a British citizen. Check if you’re a British citizen based on whether you were: born in the UK or a British colony before 1 January 1983 born in the UK between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000 born in the UK between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006 born in the UK between 30 April 2006 and 30 June 2021 born in the UK from 1 July 2021 onwards born outside the UK or are stateless If you’re not a British citizen automatically, you may still be able to apply to become a British citizen . Your rights as a British citizen If you’re a British citizen you can live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls. You can also apply for a UK passport .

Born in the UK or a British colony before 1 January 1983

You’re usually a British citizen automatically if you were born in the UK. There are 3 exceptions. You will not be a British citizen if: your father was a diplomat working for a foreign country your mother was a diplomat working for a foreign country and you were born on or after 10 April 1968 your father was an ‘enemy alien in occupation’ in the Channel Islands during World War 2 If you were born in a British colony You’re a British citizen automatically if both of the following apply: you were a citizen of the UK and Colonies ( CUKC ) on 31 December 1982 you had the ‘right of abode’ in the UK (this means you could live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls) There’s one exception. You might not be a British citizen if you got a certificate to confirm that you’re registered as a Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies ( CUKC ) under the ‘British Nationality (No 2) Act 1964. Read more detail about who can claim British citizenship automatically .

Born in the UK between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000

Whether you’re a British citizen depends on where your parents were from and their circumstances. There are different rules if, when you were born: at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country neither of your parents was a British, Irish, EU or EEA citizen You’re automatically a British citizen if you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court. If at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen when you were born You’ll be a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was either: a British citizen an Irish citizen living in the UK If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born You’re automatically a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was both: a citizen of a country that was in the EU or the EEA at the time living in the UK with free movement rights If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. Countries that were in the EU or EEA between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000 (other than the UK and Ireland) Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and The Netherlands were in the EU by 1 January 1983. Greece was in the EU by 1983 but Greek citizens did not get full free movement rights until 1 January 1988. Although Portugal and Spain became EU members on 1 January 1986, their citizens did not get full free movement rights until 1 January 1992. Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden joined the EEA on 1 January 1994. Liechtenstein joined the EEA on 1 May 1995. If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born You’re only automatically a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents lived in the UK and had one of the following immigration statuses: indefinite leave to remain ( ILR ) right of abode right of re-admission If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. You can check if your parents had ILR , right of abode or right to re-admission .

Born in the UK between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006

Whether you’re a British citizen depends on where your parents were from and their circumstances. There are different rules if when you were born: at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country neither of your parents was a British, Irish, EU or EEA citizen You’re automatically a British citizen if you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court. If at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen when you were born You’ll be a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was either: a British citizen an Irish citizen living in the UK If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born Most children of EU or EEA citizens born between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006 are not automatically British citizens. You’re automatically a British citizen if when you were born all of the following applied to at least one of your parents: they had citizenship of a country that was in the EU or the EEA at the time they lived in the UK they had ‘indefinite leave to remain’ ( ILR ), ‘right of abode’ or ‘right of re-admission’ You might also be a British citizen if your parent or their family member died or stopped working before you were born. If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. Countries that were in the EU or the EEA , or had equal status, between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006 (other than the UK and Ireland) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden were in the EEA by 2 October 2000. Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but has been part of the single market since 1 June 2002. This means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals. Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU on 1 May 2004. If your parent or their family member died or stopped working before you were born You’re automatically a British citizen if at least one of your parents was living in the UK and that parent, or one of their family members, was one of the following when you were born: an EU or EEA citizen who lived and worked in the UK and had died a retired EU or EEA citizen who had worked or been self-employed in the UK If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born You’re automatically a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents lived in the UK and had one of the following: indefinite leave to remain ( ILR ) right of abode right to re-admission If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. You can check if your parents had ILR , right of abode or right to re-admission .

Born in the UK between 30 April 2006 and 30 June 2021

Whether you’re a British citizen depends on where your parents were from and their circumstances. There are different rules if when you were born: at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country neither of your parents was a British, Irish, EU or EEA citizen You’re automatically a British citizen if you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court. If at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen when you were born You’ll be a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was either: a British citizen an Irish citizen living in the UK If the parent that meets these conditions is your father and you were born before 1 July 2006, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born You’re automatically a British citizen if when you were born all the following applied to at least one of your parents: they had citizenship of a country that was in the EU or the EEA at the time they lived in the UK they had ‘indefinite leave to remain’ ( ILR ), ‘settled status’, ‘permanent residence status’, ‘right of abode’ or ‘right of re-admission’ If the parent that meets these conditions is your father and you were born before 1 July 2006, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. Children of EU , EEA or Swiss citizens born on or after 1 January 2021 From 1 January, an EU , EEA or Swiss citizen with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme cannot also have permanent residence status. This means that if they have a child on or after 1 January 2021, the child’s citizenship will be based on their settled status. Countries that were in the EU or the EEA , or had equal status, between 30 April 2006 and 30 June 2021 (other than the UK and Ireland) Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden were in the EEA by 30 April 2006. Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but it is part of the single market. This means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on 1 January 2007. Croatia joined the EU on 1 July 2013. If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born You’re automatically a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was living in the UK and had any of the following: indefinite leave to remain ( ILR ) right to re-admission right of abode If the parent that meets these conditions is your father and you were born before 1 July 2006, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. You’re also automatically a British citizen if at least one of your parents was in the UK armed forces and you were born after 12 January 2010. You can check if your parents had ILR , right of abode or right to re-admission .

Born in the UK from 1 July 2021 onwards

Whether you’re a British citizen depends on where your parents were from and their circumstances. There are different rules if when you were born: at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country neither of your parents was a British, Irish, EU or EEA citizen You’re a British citizen automatically if you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court. If at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen when you were born You’ll be a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was either: a British citizen an Irish citizen living in the UK If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born You’re a British citizen automatically if when you were born all the following applied to at least one of your parents: they had citizenship of a country that was in the EU or the EEA at the time they lived in the UK they had ‘indefinite leave to remain’ ( ILR ), ‘settled status’, ‘right of abode’ or ‘right of re-admission’ If your parent had ‘permanent residence’ status ‘Permanent residence’ status stopped being valid on 1 July 2021. This means that if you were born on or after 1 July 2021 you did not automatically have British citizenship, in most cases. You will still be a British citizen automatically if both of the following are true: your parent with permanent residence status had applied for settled status on or before 30 June 2021 you were born before they got a decision on their application If your parent was granted settled status after 30 June 2021 If you’re not a British citizen already, you will become a British citizen automatically if you were born before your parent got settled status if they applied either: on or before 30 June, and did not have permanent residence status after 30 June, but had ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying before this date, and would have met the settled status criteria if they’d been able to apply by this date In either case, you will become a British citizen automatically from the date they were granted settled status. If your parent had pre-settled status You may already be a British citizen if your parent can show all of the following when you were born: they had pre-settled status they’re from the EU , Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 they lived in the UK for 5 years in a row and in that time they were working (or looking for work for up to 3 months), studying or they were self-sufficient Countries that are in the EU or the EEA , or have equal status (other than the UK and Ireland) Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden were in the EEA by 30 April 2006. Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but it is part of the single market. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on 1 January 2007. Croatia joined the EU on 1 January 2013. If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born You’re a British citizen automatically if when you were born at least one of your parents was living in the UK and had any of the following: indefinite leave to remain ( ILR ) right to re-admission right of abode You’re also a British citizen automatically if at least one of your parents was in the UK armed forces and you were born after 12 January 2010. You can check if your parents had ILR , right of abode or right to re-admission . If your parents were exempt from immigration control when you were born Some workers are exempt from immigration control - for example, foreign diplomats posted in the UK, members of NATO, or certain European organisations. You’ll have been told if you’re exempt from immigration control. People who are exempt from immigration control do not need to apply for settled status, but they can do if they want to. You’ll be a British citizen automatically if both of the following are true: your parent chose to apply for settled status while they were exempt from immigration control (or within 90 days of stopping being exempt) you were born after they were granted settled status You’ll become a British citizen automatically from the day your parent is granted settled status if all of the following are true: you were born before your parent was granted settled status your parent would have been eligible for settled status on 30 June 2021, but did not apply because they were exempt from immigration control

Born outside the UK or stateless

If at least one of your parents is a British citizen You might automatically be a British citizen depending on when you were born and your parents’ circumstances at the time. Find out if you’re already a British citizen or if you can apply to become one . If you were born in a British overseas territory Depending on when and where you were born, you might automatically be a British citizen if you were born in a British overseas territory . If you were adopted You’re automatically a British citizen if you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court. If you were adopted overseas, you’re a British citizen if you were adopted by a British citizen and your adoption order is certified as having been made in accordance with the Hague Convention. If you’re stateless If you’re not recognised as a citizen of any country, you may be able to register as a British citizen depending on when and where you were born. Check if you can apply to register as a British citizen .

Your parents' immigration status when you were born

If you were born in the UK after 31 December 1982 and your parents were not British or Irish, you’ll need check their immigration status to be sure you’re automatically a British citizen. At least one of your parents will usually need to have had one of the following when you were born: indefinite leave to remain ( ILR ) right to re-admission right of abode permanent residence status, if you were born on or before 30 June 2021 settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme Your parent would have been able to live and work in the UK without restrictions if they had any of these statuses. Indefinite leave to remain ( ILR ) ILR is not usually a status you get automatically - your parent would have applied for it before getting it. If your parent has ILR , they will usually have one of the following to prove it: a stamp in their passport a letter from the Home Office a ‘vignette’ (sticker) an expired biometric residence permit online proof of their immigration status (an eVisa) Right of abode Your parent may have got right of abode automatically if they were a British national or from a Commonwealth country - they will not have applied for it. If your parent has ‘right of abode’, they’ll usually have either: a UK passport describing them as a ‘British citizen’ or ‘British subject with right of abode’ a non-UK passport with a ‘certificate of entitlement to the right of abode’ Find out more about right of abode . Right to re-admission Your parent may have got right to re-admission automatically if they were from a Commonwealth country - they will not have applied for it. If your parent has ‘right to re-admission’, they’ll usually have a passport that says they’re ‘entitled to readmission to the United Kingdom’. Permanent residence status Your parent will usually have got permanent residence status automatically if both the following applied by 30 June 2021: they were from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein they lived in the UK for 5 years and were working, studying, self-sufficient or looking for work here Your parent did not need to have applied for a permanent residence document to have permanent residence status. Permanent residence status stopped being valid on 1 July 2021. If you were born on or after this date, you will only be a British citizen automatically if: your parent applied for settled status on or before 30 June 2021 their application was approved after you were born Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme Settled status is also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme’. Settled status is not a status you get automatically - EU citizens have been able to apply for settled status since March 2019. You’re usually eligible for settled status if you started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 and you’ve been living here for at least 5 years. Someone with settled status can view or prove their status online . Find out more about the EU Settlement Scheme .

Check if you're a British citizen

Overview

If you or your parents were born in the UK, you might automatically be a British citizen.

Check if you’re a British citizen based on whether you were:

born in the UK or a British colony before 1 January 1983
born in the UK between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000
born in the UK between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006
born in the UK between 30 April 2006 and 30 June 2021
born in the UK from 1 July 2021 onwards
born outside the UK or are stateless

If you’re not a British citizen automatically, you may still be able to apply to become a British citizen.

Your rights as a British citizen

If you’re a British citizen you can live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls.

You can also apply for a UK passport.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Check if you're a British citizen

Overview

Your rights as a British citizen

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