Apply for citizenship if you were born in the UK
Who can apply
You may be eligible to apply to ‘register’ as a British citizen if you were born in the UK. It depends on when you were born and your parents’ circumstances.
This is one way to apply for British citizenship. Check if you’re eligible to apply another way - including through the Windrush scheme.
You were born on or after 1 January 1983
You may be eligible if either:
- you’re under 18 and since your birth one of your parents became a British citizen, or got permission to stay in the UK permanently
- you lived in the UK until you were 10 or older
When you do not need to apply
You’re usually automatically a British citizen if you were both:
- born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983
- born when one of your parents was a British citizen or ‘settled’ in the UK
You can apply for a UK passport instead, or ask for a letter confirming your citizenship (your ‘immigration status’).
If you live in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory, there’s a different way to get a letter confirming your citizenship.
You were born before 1983
You’re automatically a British citizen if you were born in the UK before 1 January 1983, unless:
- your father was a diplomat working for a non-UK country
- your father was ‘an enemy alien in occupation’ and you were born in the Channel Islands during World War 2
You can apply for a UK passport instead, or ask for a letter confirming your citizenship (your ‘immigration status’).
If you live in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British overseas territory, there’s a different way to get a letter confirming your citizenship.