nz101

Just curious to see if anyone knows as i've had mixed answers to this question. If one holds a British Passport does it mean that person can go anywhere, work and live in Europe if they wish without restriction?

I'm thinking of my kids, daughter in particular, who plans to work and travel once she finishes university.

hetismij

You can love and work anywhere in the EU with a British Passport. You must still meet the local requirements for registration - getting a residence permit etc, and must have a job or the means to support yourself.

SAB

An EU passport holder, such as one from the UK, can live and work in any EU country.

nz101

Wow, fantastic, thanks for that. Im going to get her a passport as soon as possible, she currently just has a NZ one. Her father was born in UK.

Alec

Yes, get her one before she leaves for Europe. Her NZ passport is still needed for leaving and re-entering NZ, and for trips to Australia where no visa is required of Kiwis.
A British passport will enable her to live and work in all EEA countries (EU, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland. Other micro states like Andorra, San Marino and Monaco allow entry, but there may be specific residence requirements for non-nationals (e.g. only the rich can live in Monaco where there is no income tax).

Just remember for the future that your daughter is a British citizen by descent (if she was born in NZ), so any children born to her outside of UK will not be British. But if she lives in UK for three years, any subsequent children born outside of UK can be registered as British before they are 18.

hetismij

You need to check whether she qualifies. She probably does, though her children won't, but it is something you should look into before getting too excited.

The rules are set out here:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/

nz101

Its complicated alright, and it gives me a headache just reading about what info we need to provide for the UK passport. My husband tells me he has never given up his british citizenship, so hopefully he is right about that. We have his british birth certificate.

I myself have the 'entitlement of abode' for the Uk (mother Scottish), but I guess this doesn't make a difference for my daughter's application for a passport? By the way, does anyone know if having entitlement of abode mean I could live in Europe (I am guessing the answer is no)?

Alec

If your husband was born in UK, then your daughter is British by birth. You will need to provide his birth certicate, your marriage certificate and your daughter's birth certificate naming both parents.
Your entitlement to right of abode doesn't give you the right to live and work in Europe - for that you need British citizenship. You are what is called a Commonwealth citizen with the right of abode, because your mother was British and you were presumably born before 1st Jan 1983. You would have been British if your father had been British. This anomaly has now been rectified so it looks likely that you can register as British citizen under Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. Ask at the British High Commission. Procedure is fairly straightforward, though you must undergo background check for being of 'good character' (basically no unspent criminal convictions) and have to attend a citizenship ceremony and pay a fee of £80.
Also see http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britis...britishmother/

Alec

Just to add that all applications for registration are processed in Liverpool, where they have a faily long backlog. So be prepared to wait for several months (typically 5-6 months) for your application to be processed.

KayF

As far as I'm aware, you can live and work in the UK for the rest of your life on your Certificate of Entitlement to Right of Abode visa but cannot live in Europe.

If your daughter can get a British passport she will find travelling in Europe and the UK much easier than on a NZ passport. I would definitely recommend it, even though I'm guessing the paperwork is onerous. We've been through a similar process and it was worth it in the end. It can also be quite expensive.

Your daughter could apply for an Ancestry Visa because of her grandmother being born in the UK but I think this only lasts for a few years and she will not be able to work in Europe.

The rules may have changed since we lived there so double check all the facts on the UK official websites. Good luck with it all, the British excel in bureaucracy but it will open doors for your daughter that would not be available to her on a NZ passport.

Kay

Alec

As your daughter is British from birth, all you need is to apply for her British passport. The cost for an adult passport (over 16) is NZ$334.
No need for an ancestry visa. Just get her British passport. It should be quite straightforward application, provided you have the documents I've listed.
As I stated, you too can get a British passport, but you must first register as British.

nz101

Thank you so much everyone. Three of her four grandparents were British born so she could get the ancestry visa, but having a British passport would definitely be the ultimate and open up more doors.
Thank you Alec for the informatin and the link, I'm going to have a look into it, as didn't realise I could even apply for citizenship myself unless I had been living in the Uk for a certain number of years.

avalon

I've tried to read the requirements on that website but they are so confusing and "wordy". My Dh's mother was British born and his father acquired British citizenship when he left the US in 1914 to join the Canadian army. He came back to the US with his British bride under a UK passport.
I think I'll just take all this stuff to the local consulate ad le them tell me what to do

jamikins

I went through this process as my dad was born in Britain. I had to provide my mothers birth certificate, my fathers birth certificate, my birth certificate, my parents marriage certificate to prove they were married before I was born. She cant just apply for a normal UK passport as she has to prove her right through her fathers birth in Britain.

I applied in 2004 and it was processed at the British Embassy in Canada (where I sent my paperwork as I am CDN). It was back to me within 1 week. I think you would send it to wherever the British Embassy is in New Zealand unless things have changed.

jamikins

This is from the following website:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAn...port/DG_174145

How to tell if you are a British citizen

If you were born before 1 January 1983
On 1 January 1983, you became a British citizen if both of these applied:
you were a citizen of the UK and Colonies on 31 December 1982
you had the 'right of abode' in the UK
'Right of abode' means you:
are entirely free from UK Immigration Control and don’t need to get permission from an Immigration Officer to enter the UK
can live and work in the UK without restriction
This includes people who:
were born in the UK
were born in a British colony and had the right of abode in the UK
have been naturalised in the UK
had registered as a citizen of the UK and Colonies
could prove legitimate descent from a father to whom one of these applies
People who had the right to live in the UK but not the 'right of abode' did not become British citizens.
If you were born after 31 December 1982
Being born in the UK does not automatically give you British citizenship.
If you were born after 31 December 1982, you will be a British citizen if either your mother or father* was either:
a British citizen when you were born
'settled' in the UK when you were born
In most cases you will be a British citizen if your mother or father* was born or naturalised in the UK.
There are other situations in which a mother or father’s* British nationality can pass to their children born abroad. Please call the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000 if you think this may apply to you.
*A note on fathers
Until July 2006, unmarried British fathers could not pass on their British nationality.
If you were born before then, your father’s British nationality will pass to you only if he was married to your mother. It does not matter if they were married before or after you were born.

jamikins

Sorry, I meant to say she might not be able to just apply for a normal UK passport as she may have to prove her right through her fathers birth in Britain.

PatrickLondon

Bear in mind that other EU countries don't necessarily make it easy for people to settle and work there, even for citizens of other EU countries. They have their bureaucracies too.

merce44

I acquired my british citizenship in the year 2006, I am planning to work in UAE. Will I loose my british Citizenship? What are the rules on how will I maintain my citizenship as a British? I would like to continue to pay my pension if ever, will that still be possible if I will work in UAE?

bilboburgler

Merce you've started another thread asking the same question, chill.