British Passport Eligibility

R

ren1909

Registered User
Hi - both my husband and I have British passport. I had it because of the govt scheme back in the 80s/90s (?) whereby my whole family got British passports. My husband got his because he has stayed in the UK for 10 years. My passport was issued in HK while his was issued in the UK. does anyone know if our child would be eligible for a British passport if he/she was born in Hong Kong? Any advice would be appreciated. :thanks
 
If you are British Citizens your child should be eligible for a British passport. My baby was born in Hong Kong but has a British passport.
 
really? I have a British passport by the same scheme back in 80/90s. My husband does not have one. but i just assumed that since i was not a 'naturalized British citizen', is that what they're called? my child will not be eligible?
in ren1909 case, would that be because her husband got it by living in UK for 10 years? i thought i read that the passport gotten through that scheme cannot be passed on through generations, e.g. i got it because my parents got it, so that stops with me, does not get passed on to my child?
 
kellyst - that's what I heard too... but now some friends said that if your passport is issued in the UK (which mine wasn't) then you maybe able to obtain that status for your child... I just want to clarify and go through the right process before trying as I don't want to affect future ability of my child to claim British citizenship...
any more help or advice out there? anyone who is in the same situation and got through??
 
ren1909, for you, my guess is also that your child should be able get it through your husband's citizenship, as he obtained 'on his own'.
 
I am not sure cos he wasn't born in the uk though... and once you are not born in the uk i am not sure whether you can pass onto the next generation...
 
Are you refering to the minority scheme in the 90s? I got my British passport then and was able to apply for D.
 
My sister-in-law was not born in the UK (she went over there when she was about 13) and her husband is from Hong Kong but their child has a British passport.
 
My husband was born in HK but lived in the UK for over 20 years, he has a British passport issued in the UK. My DD has a British passport.
 
I have a british passport as I was born in the UK. When I called the British consulate about getting a passport for my baby, this was their answer:
My baby will get a british passport even if she was born in HK, however, her children will NOT get a british passport unless she gives birth in the UK.

So I guess the first generation will be entitled a british passport but the second will not unless born in UK.

Hope this helps
 
Thanks everyone for your advice... I didn't think there was a chance before hence I didn't take much notice... Now I think maybe I should try calling them... THANKS!!
 
it depends...

not all british citizens are eligible for a british passport if they are not born in britain.

I have a british passport and am a full british citizen. this is because my father was born in the uk. however, because i claimed british citizenship through decent, my children, unless born in the UK are NOT eligible for British citizenship.
 
I am British, both my parents are British but because I was born overseas, outside of the UK, I am considered to be British by descent.

My husband is not British and my son was born in HK which means he is not entitled to a British passport.

The only way he can get a British passport is by living in the UK for more than 3 (?) years (may be 5 yrs I can't remember) before his 18th birthday.

If we wish to go to live in the UK I must apply for a settlement visa for my husband and son.

This is what the British consulate told me.
 
However had my husband been British by birth our son would have got a British passport regardless of where he was born.

Not sure what happens if two British by descent parents have a child born outside of the UK.
 
I think that's because it goes on the fathers citizenship and not the mothers. This is the reason I had both of my sons in the UK and not in HK as I am British by birth.
 
I hope this post doesn?t offend anyone by calling them either first or second class British citizens but this is, in reality, what is happening.

There are two ways to be British citizens,
  • First Class - by connection with Britain
  • Second Class - by descent (i.e. at least one parent is a first class British citizen)

The only difference between the first class and second class is that first class citizens can pass British citizenship on to their children but second class ones can?t.

There are many ways to prove a connection with Britain and thus be a first class British citizen.

The most usual way is to be born of British parents (either First Class or second class) AND born in Britain.

However there are other ways, being naturalized as a British citizen is one of them ? this means you were born with a different nationality , moved to live in Britain and after a certain number of years (different for different cases) applied and were granted British citizenship.

There are other ways, for example being born of parents serving in the British military.

In Hong Kong before 1997 the British government also granted certain groups British citizenship. If you came from a non-Chinese minority then you were given first class citizenship and can pass it on to your children (for one generation, unless they prove a connection to Britain).

The British government also granted 50,000 Chinese households British passports but these were second class because they can?t pass the British Citizenship on to their children.

If you are born by descent and thus hold a second class British passport there is nothing you can do to make it first class. The only way to get British citizenship for your children is for the children to prove connection with Britain (and thus get a first class passport). The easiest way to prove this is to be born in Britain. Another way is to spend at least five years of your childhood in Britain. If this applies to your children I would get documented evidence of all the time that the child spends in Britain (ask for chops at immigration).

I?ve also found the people at the British Consulate in Hong Kong very helpful with answering these sort of questions.

Best wishes sorting all this out,
SARAH
 
Thanks for the clarification Sarah - this is very clear. My husband got his passport through naturalisation while mine was through the govt programme back in 90s whereby the whole household got one and i am Chineses. However I have stayed in the UK for over 10 years for school and work... I think it is worth looking into. Thank you everyone for your advice!
 
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