Form

Guidance on registering as a British overseas territories citizen using form RS2 after making a declaration of renunciation (accessible)

Updated 4 October 2023

October 2023

The requirements you have to meet

This guide and the application form RS2 are for people who have renounced British Overseas Territories citizenship or British Dependent Territories citizenship or citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies and who now wish to resume citizenship and be registered as British citizens.

The requirements

You will be entitled to registration if:

• you are not of unsound mind and

• you are of good character and

Either

• you have made a Declaration of Renunciation renouncing British Overseas Territories citizenship (after 26 February 2002)

Or

• (between 1 January 1983 and 25 February 2002) you have made a Declaration of Renunciation renouncing British Dependent Territories citizenship

Or

• (before 1 January 1983) you have made a Declaration of Renunciation renouncing citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies and

Either

• you

• your father

• your father’s father

• your husband, wife or civil partner

• your husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s father, or

• your husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s father’s father was: (a) born in a British Overseas Territory, or

• naturalised in a British Overseas Territory, or

• registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies in a British Overseas Territory, or

• a person who became a British subject by reason of the annexation of any territory now included in a British Overseas Territory

Do you have the right to registration?

You have a right (once only) to be registered as a British Overseas Territories citizen if you renounced British Overseas Territories citizenship or British Dependent Territories citizenship in order to keep or acquire another citizenship.

You have a separate right (once only) to be registered as a British Overseas Territories citizen if you renounced citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies:

• in order to keep or acquire the citizenship of a Commonwealth country, or

• because you had reasonable cause to believe that you would be deprived of your citizenship of a Commonwealth country if you did not renounce

If you renounced citizenship for any other reason, or if you have already renounced and resumed British Overseas Territories citizenship or British Dependent Territories citizenship (as a right), registration is at the discretion of the Home Secretary. (Registration will be granted if they think fit).

The citizenship you will acquire

In general terms you will become a British Overseas Territories citizen by descent if, before renouncing, you were a British Overseas Territories citizen or British Dependent Territories citizen by descent.

If you had renounced citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies you will become a British Overseas Territories citizen by descent if you would have become a British Overseas Territories citizen by descent had you not renounced.

Effect of registration on present citizenship

You do not have to give up your present citizenship or nationality to become a British Overseas Territories citizen, but under the nationality laws of some countries a person automatically loses his or her existing nationality if he or she becomes a citizen of another country. Before you apply for British Overseas Territories citizenship you should consider checking what your position would be with the authorities of the country of which you are a citizen.

Further Information

Further information about British Overseas Territories citizenship is available here.

You can also email the Citizenship and Nationality Enquiries team at nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

• If you are in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man you should contact the Lieutenant Governor’s office

• If you are in a British Overseas Territory, contact the Governor’s office

• If you are elsewhere overseas, contact the nearest British consulate or High Commission

Notes

The Home Secretary/Governor has discretion to waive the requirement to be of sound mind if they think that would be the right thing to do in any particular case (see page 6 for details about completing the application form).

The British Overseas Territories are currently:

• Anguilla

• Bermuda

• British Antarctic Territory

• British Indian Ocean Territory

• Cayman Islands

• Ducie and Oeno Islands

• Falkland Islands

• Gibraltar

• Henderson

• Montserrat

• Pitcairn

• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

• St. Helena and Dependencies

• The Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

• Turks and Caicos Islands and Virgin Islands

NB/ South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were not British Overseas Territories between 3 October 1985 and 3 December 2001.

The list below shows the Commonwealth countries before 1 January 1983. The dates in brackets are the dates that the country became independent.

Antigua and Barbuda (01/11/1981)

Nauru (31/01/1980)

Australia (01/01/1949)

New Zealand (01/01/1949)

The Bahamas (10/07/1973)

Nigeria (01/10/1960)

Bangladesh (04/02/1972)

Papua New Guinea (31/01/1980)

Barbados (30/11/1966)

Pakistan (01/01/1949 until 31/08/1973)

Belize (21/09/1981)

St Lucia (22/02/1979)

Botswana (30/09/1966)

St Vincent & the Grenadines (27/10/1979)

Canada (01/01/1949)

Seychelles (29/06/1976)

Republic of Cyprus (16/08/1960)

Sierra Leone (27/04/1961)

Dominica (03/11/1978)

Singapore (16/09/1963)

Fiji (10/10/1970)

Solomon Islands (07/07/1978)

The Gambia (18/02/1965)

South Africa (01/01/1949 until 30/05/1962)

Ghana (06/03/1957)

Sri Lanka (22/05/1972)

Grenada (07/02/1974)

Swaziland (06/09/1968)

Guyana (26/05/1966)

Tanzania (29/10/1964)

India (01/01/1949)

Tonga (04/06/1970)

Jamaica (06/08/1962)

Trinidad and Tobago (31/08/1962)

Kenya (12/12/1963)

Tuvalu (01/10/1978)

Kiribati (12/07/1979)

Uganda (09/10/1962)

Lesotho (04/10/1966)

Vanuatu (30/07/1980)

Malawi (06/07/1964)

Western Samoa (31/01/1980)

Malaysia (15/09/1963)*

Zambia (24/10/1964)

Malta (21/09/1964)

Zimbabwe (as S. Rhodesia – 01/01/1949)

Mauritius (12/03/1968)

* Parts of Malaysia, i.e. Penang, Malacca and the Malay States became independent on 31/8/1957

How to fill in the application form

Please ensure that your names and other particulars on the form are written clearly and in BLOCK LETTERS using black or blue-black ink. Problems can arise if the information you give is difficult to read or is incorrect. Also, please make sure that the information you give on the application form is correct before you make the application. (It is a criminal offence to give false information knowingly or recklessly). If your application is successful, your names and some other particulars will go on your certificate of registration and can only be changed in exceptional circumstances.

Information you give us will be treated in confidence, but may be disclosed to other Government Departments and agencies, local authorities and the police to enable them to carry out their functions. We may also consult some of these organisations with the information when carrying out enquiries concerning your application.

Section 1: Personal Information

These sections must be completed in all cases as fully as possible. If you are applying at the same time as your husband or wife or civil partner, you should each complete separate application forms.

Your name at birth must be given on the application form, for identity purposes, but may be omitted from your certificate of registration if you have a special reason for requesting this – for example because you were adopted or are no longer living in the gender you were considered to have at the time of your birth.

NB – Place and country of birth names shown on the certificate will be names in current acceptable use (and will be in English where an English version exists.)

If an agent (e.g. solicitor) is representing you, and you wish all correspondence to go through your agent, please put the name, address and telephone number in Part 1.14 to 1.16. Unless you are being represented by a private individual, it is the agent’s business name, telephone number, etc., which you should put here.

OISC and Immigration Advice

Immigration or nationality advisors acting in the course of business (whether paid or unpaid) are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), an independent body. The provision of such advice is prohibited unless a person works for an organisation registered with, or exempted by, the OISC or is authorised to practise (like solicitors and barristers) by a designated professional body.

Certain categories (e.g. public health bodies) are exempted from the regulatory scheme by Ministerial Order. It is a criminal offence to provide advice or services in contravention of the regulatory scheme.

Further information about the regulatory scheme, and a full list of OISC regulated advisors, is available on the OISC website.

Section 2: Good Character

The British Nationality Act 1981 contains a statutory requirement that those seeking to register as British under these provisions must be of good character. This means you must observe UK laws and show respect for the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

Before you complete this section, you are advised to refer to the good character policy guidance which caseworkers use to decide your application. This is available on the GOV.UK website.

Checks will be carried out to ensure that the information you provide is correct. This may include checks with other government departments such as HM Revenue and Customs. If you are not honest about the information you provide, and you are registered on the basis of incorrect or fraudulent information you will be liable to have your British citizenship taken away (deprivation) and you may be prosecuted. It is a criminal offence to make a false declaration knowing that it is untrue.

Criminality

You must give details of all criminal convictions in the UK and overseas. This includes if you went to prison, or you received a non-custodial sentence such as a suspended sentence. You should also include any out-of-court disposal such as a fine, a caution, a warning or reprimand, a community sentence, a civil order, a civil penalty, a civil judgment, a hospital order or a restriction order. All fiscal fines must also be disclosed. If you are not sure, you should declare all penalties or orders.

Fixed penalty notices such as those issued under the coronavirus Regulations, or for traffic offences such as speeding or parking tickets must also be disclosed, although will not normally be taken into account unless you have failed to pay and there were criminal proceedings as a result, or you have received multiple fixed penalty notices in a short space of time.

Where a fixed penalty notice or fiscal fine in Scotland has been referred to a court due to non-payment, or the notice has been unsuccessfully challenged by the person in court, we will consider it as a conviction and assess it in line with the new sentence imposed.

Drink driving must also be declared. If you have any endorsements on your driving licence you must access the DVLA website to download and print a summary of your record and send it with your application, or provide the paper counterpart.

Criminal record checks will be carried out in all cases. If you have been charged with a criminal offence and are awaiting trial or sentencing, you are advised not to make any application for registration until the outcome is known.

You must give details of all civil judgments which have resulted in a court order being made against you, as well as any civil penalties under the UK Immigration Acts. For applicants from Scotland any recent civil penalties must also be declared. If you have been declared bankrupt at any time you should give details of the bankruptcy proceedings. (Your application is unlikely to succeed if you are an undischarged bankrupt).

You do not need to give details of family law proceedings such as divorce decrees, dissolved civil partnerships, guardianship orders, and parental responsibility orders.

You must also tell us if you have any children who have been convicted of an offence or who have received a court order.

You must say if your details have been recorded by the police as a result of certain sexual offences, or if you are subject to one of the following orders: notification order, sexual offences prevention order, foreign travel order, risk of sexual harm order (or equivalent order made in a British overseas territory or any other country).

You must say if there is any offence for which you may go to court, or which is awaiting hearing in court. This includes having been arrested for an offence and waiting to hear if you will be formally charged. If you have been arrested and not told that charges have been dropped, or that you will not have to appear in court, you may wish to confirm the position with the police. You must tell us if you are arrested or charged with an offence after you make your application and while the application is under consideration. You risk prosecution under section 46 of the British Nationality Act 1981 if you do not do so.

Terrorism and International Crimes

You must say whether you have had any involvement in terrorism or whether you have been involved in any crimes in the course of armed conflict, including crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide, or if you are the subject of an international travel ban. If you are in any doubt as to whether something should be mentioned, you should mention it.

This guidance is not exhaustive. Before you answer these questions, you should consider the full definitions of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide which can be found in Schedule 8 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001.

Alternatively, copies can be purchased from: The Stationery Office (TSO).

It is your responsibility to satisfy yourself that you are familiar with the definitions and can answer the questions accurately.

Genocide - acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

Crimes against humanity - acts committed at any time (not just during armed conflict) as part of a widespread or systematic attack, directed against any civilian population with knowledge of the attack. This would include offences such as murder, torture, rape, severe deprivation of liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law and enforced disappearance of persons.

War Crimes - grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions committed during an armed conflict. This includes an internal armed conflict and an international armed conflict. The types of acts that may constitute a war crime include wilful killing, torture, extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity, unlawful deportation, the intentional targeting of civilians and the taking of hostages.

Travel bans - travel bans restrict the movement of individuals associated with regimes or groups whose behaviour is considered unacceptable by the international community.

Terrorist Activities - any act committed, or the threat of action, designed to influence a government or intimidate the public and made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause and which involves serious violence against a person or which may endanger another person’s life; creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public; involves serious damage to property; is designed to seriously disrupt or interfere with an electronic system.

Organisations concerned with terrorism - an organisation is concerned with terrorism if it:

• commits or participates in acts of terrorism,

• prepares for terrorism,

• promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism), or

• is otherwise concerned with terrorism.

Financial soundness

You must tell us if you have ever been declared bankrupt, found to have unreasonably failed to pay your council tax, engaged in fraud in relation to public funds (including claiming public funds to which you were not entitled or were prohibited from accessing, or failing to declare your full circumstances), or have an unpaid NHS debt of £500 or more.

Deception

You must tell us if you have practised deception in your dealings with the Home Office or other government departments (for example, by providing false information or fraudulent documents).

What if you haven’t been convicted but your character may be in doubt?

You must say if there is any offence for which you may go to court, or which is awaiting hearing in court. This includes having been arrested for an offence and waiting to hear if you will be formally charged. If you have been arrested and not told that charges have been dropped, or that you will not have to appear in court, you may wish to confirm the position with the police. You must tell us if you are arrested or charged with an offence after you make your application and while the application is under consideration. You risk prosecution under section 46 of the British Nationality Act 1981 if you do not do so.

You must say whether you have been involved in anything which might indicate that you are not of good character. You must give information about any of these activities no matter how long ago it was. Checks will be made in all cases and your application may fail and your fee will not be refunded if you make an untruthful declaration. If you are in any doubt about whether you have done something, or it has been alleged that you have done something, which might lead us to think that you are not of good character, you should say so.

What if you consider that you have mitigating factors?

You can also tell us about any genuine, meaningful attempts to change your behaviour and comply with the law. For example, any voluntary or charity work you participate in, or where you have engaged with programmes or activities aimed at addressing the cause of your offending such as treatments aimed at reduction of alcohol consumption, drug dependency or anger management courses.

You can tell us about this in the further details box on your application.

Section 3: Referees and Identity

You must include a recent passport size photograph of yourself with your application. You must write your name and date of birth on the back of the photograph and this should then be glued or pasted into the space provided on the application form. The photograph must show the whole of the front of your face in reasonable light. It should not show your face wholly or partly concealed by your hair (beards, sideburns and moustaches excepted) or by a scarf or traditional dress. It should not show you wearing dark glasses or a hat, hood, cap or scarf.

Your application must be endorsed by two referees.

Each referee should have known you personally for at least 3 years.

One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a doctor, a minister of religion, civil servant or a member of a professional body, e.g. accountant or solicitor (but not representing you with this application). A list of acceptable professional persons can be found on our website.

The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

Each referee should be:

• not related to you

• not related to the other referee

• not your solicitor or agent representing you with this application

• not employed by the Home Office

We will not accept a referee who has been convicted of an imprisonable offence.

If you are living abroad and do not know a British citizen who is qualified to act as one of your referees, a Commonwealth citizen or citizen of the country or territory in which you are residing may complete and sign the form, provided he/she has professional standing in that country, has known you for three years and the Consul considers his/her signature to be acceptable.

Checks may be carried out to ensure that the referees do not have unspent convictions (see page 8) and are qualified to act for you and that their signatures are genuine. It is a criminal offence to provide false information knowingly or recklessly, punishable with up to 3 months imprisonment or by a fine not exceeding £5,000 or both under section 46(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

Once you have two referees and they have completed Section 3 you should recheck the information you have provided and go to Section 4.

Section 4: Declaration by Applicant

Read this section carefully before inserting your name clearly in box 4.1 and ticking each box at 4.2 – 4.6 to confirm the points raised.

If you meet the requirements described in this guide please sign and date the form in box 4.7. You are advised to read this guide carefully to ensure that you do satisfy all the requirements.

You must normally sign the form yourself. If you cannot sign the form you must make a mark or a fingerprint and ask one of your referees to sign saying that it is your mark or fingerprint. If the applicant is not of sound mind and you are acting on his or her behalf you should sign to indicate your responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. You must support this by explaining, in a covering letter, who you are and why the applicant cannot act on their own behalf. Confirmation from the applicant’s medical practitioner or consultant should also be provided.

If the declaration in section 4 of the form is not completed, the application will be invalid.

What you should send in with the form

PLEASE NOTE: It is our policy to return valuable documents by secure post. If you wish your documents to be returned by other postal service or courier you will need to supply a pre-paid delivery envelope ensuring that the full postage stamps or fees are included.

This section tells you the sort of documents you will need to send to us to consider your application. We cannot consider your application unless we have supporting documents. If you do not submit your application with supporting documents and the correct fee then the application will be returned to you unprocessed.

With your application you should also send:

• your copy of your Declaration of Renunciation (ie form RN2, RN or R6)

Evidence of your present citizenship or nationality

• your passport or certificate of naturalisation or registration

If you renounced citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies – evidence of your connection with a British Overseas Territory

• the birth, naturalisation or registration certificate of the person through whom you have the connection

• evidence of your relationship to him or her e.g. birth, marriage or civil partnership certificates

Evidence that if you had not made a declaration of renunciation you would have lost or failed to acquire the citizenship or nationality of another country

(This applies if you renounced British Overseas Territories citizenship or British Dependent Territories citizenship for another citizenship, or if you renounced citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies for the citizenship of a Commonwealth country)

• A letter or statement confirming this from the authorities of the country concerned.

• If you renounced citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies because you believed you would be deprived of your citizenship of a Commonwealth country unless you did so, please include with your application form a separate piece of paper explaining why you believed this. If you have any documentary evidence, such as a letter, please send it.

Where to send your application form

Once you have completed and signed the application form and enclosed the documents, you must arrange to pay the correct fee. If you are paying by debit/credit card you should complete the payment slip attached to the fee leaflet. If you are paying by cheque you should ensure that funds are available in your account. Only cheques issued in sterling and drawn from a bank which has a UK based presence will be accepted. Those applying from overseas who wish to pay by cheque should therefore ensure that the issuing bank has a branch in the UK where the cheque can be cashed. Cash, transcash or postal orders are not accepted.

If your fee is paid through an account which belongs to someone else, please give their details in the space provided on the payment slip attached to the fee leaflet in case it is necessary to refund all or part of the fee.

If you are currently in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland (or elsewhere, including a Commonwealth country) send the form with the fee and supporting documents to:

Department 1
UK Visas and Immigration The Capital Building
New Hall Place
Liverpool
L3 9PP

If you are currently in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you should send them to the Lieutenant Governor.

If you are currently in a British Overseas Territory, you should send them to the Governor.

If you are currently in Hong Kong, you should send them to the nearest British diplomatic post.

You must submit your application as explained above. The date of application will be the date your form is received by the Home Office or the local British government representative as shown above. It is not the date on which you send it.

What happens next?

Your application will be referred to the Governor of the British Overseas Territory with which you are connected. They will be in touch with you about the final decision.

It is important that you take care in completing the form and in making sure that you satisfy the requirements for registration. You also need to make sure that you have paid the correct fee. If you pay by cheque you should ensure that you have sufficient funds available. We will also accept credit/debit card payment. Cash, transcash or postal orders cannot be accepted. If you do not pay the correct fee your application will be invalid and returned to you unprocessed.

Your application will be checked against the documents you have sent in and a number of enquiries will be made. The documents may be checked to ensure their authenticity. If you need to provide more documents, the Governor will write and ask you for them.

If you provide forged or fraudulently obtained documents you may be investigated with a view to possible prosecution.

Citizenship Oath and Pledge

If your application is successful, you will be asked to take an oath of allegiance and citizenship pledge. Full instructions on taking the oath and pledge will be sent to you.

What We Expect From You

While the application is under consideration, you should tell the Governor of the territory with which you are connected about anything which alters the information you have given us. This will include changes of marital or civil partnership status or home address or agents acting on your behalf. It also includes police investigation or anything that may result in charges or indictment.

Citizenship-related queries

If, having read the information set out in this guidance, you have questions about applying for BOT citizenship, you can email the Citizenship and Nationality Enquiries team at nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

You should also contact them to let them know if you have made an application and your circumstances change (for example, you move house, get married or are arrested).

If you’ve not had a response, we recommend checking your email’s spam or junk folder before contacting UKVI again.

Alternatively, you can also write to:

Department 1
UK Visas and Immigration The Capital Building
New Hall Place
Liverpool
L3 9PP

Or you can get in touch via telephone on 0300 790 6268. You will need to select option 2, then option 2 again. You can get in touch Monday to Thursday from 9am to 4:45pm, or Friday, 9am to 4:30pm. Information about call charges can be found here.

Please quote any Home Office reference number from a previous application or correspondence.