Guidance

Anguilla: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 1 September 2025

Version 4.0

About: Anguilla

This document contains useful information about Anguilla which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document  and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document  has factual errors then email the guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document  (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document  then you can email the guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 4.0
• published for Home Office staff on 27 August 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated:

• to provide more information about parental responsibility in Anguilla
• to provide more information about nationality certificates issued in Anguilla.
• with:
  • formatting changes
  • new information about:
  • adoption
  • documents in Anguilla.

Anguilla: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Anguilla.

Names in Anguilla consist of:

• forename
• middle name
• surname

Change of name

Name changes are legal in Anguilla.

Anguilla: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Anguilla.

Anguilla is a British overseas territory.

Dual nationality is legal in Anguilla.

‘Belonger status’ is a legal term normally associated with British overseas territories.

It refers to people who have close ties to a specific territory, normally by birth or ancestry. The requirements for ‘belonger’ status vary from territory to territory.

If the customer has ‘belonger’ status in a territory, it is the same as having indefinite leave to remain or indefinite leave to enter (being settled).

‘Belonger’ status is gained after 15 years residency in Anguilla. If a resident marries someone who already has ‘belonger’ status in Anguilla, this requirement is 5 years.

Anguilla: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Anguilla.

Legitimacy

Anguilla recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate:
  • if their parents were married at the time of the birth
  • from the time of the marriage if their parents marry after the birth
• illegitimate if their parents never marry

Parental responsibility

In Anguilla, if a child’s parents are married at the time of the birth, both parents have parental responsibility.

If a child’s father and mother were not married to each other at the time of the child’s birth, only the mother will have parental responsibility.

The child’s father can obtain joint parental responsibility with the mother if:

• his details are added to the child’s birth certificate and local law allows this to confirm parental responsibility
• he becomes registered as the child’s father under any other enactment
• he and the child’s mother sign a formal parental responsibility agreement
• he successfully applies for a court order, granting parental responsibility for the child

Anguilla: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Anguilla.

Adoption is legal in Anguilla.

Anguilla: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Anguilla.

Identity documents

Nationality certificates issued in Anguilla on or after 30 May 2025 show the British nationality status of the person named on the certificate. The certificate includes the section and subsection of the British Nationality Act 1981.