Depending on their circumstances, a child may already be a British citizen automatically, may have an entitlement to registration or may be registered at the Home Secretary’s discretion.
Children’s citizenship is one of the more technical areas of British nationality law. Families sometimes apply unnecessarily for a child who is already British or overlook a registration entitlement that is available only while the child is under 18.
There are three principal possibilities:
The correct position can depend on:
Establishing the child’s nationality position before applying avoids unnecessary fees, use of the wrong application route and the loss of an entitlement that must be exercised before the child turns 18.
Registration applications may be made for children under 18 who are not already British and who have an entitlement to registration or a basis for discretionary registration.
This can include:
A parent, guardian or another person with parental responsibility will usually make the application on the child’s behalf. A local authority may also apply for a child in its care.
A child born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 will normally be British automatically if, at the time of birth, at least one parent was:
A child born outside the UK will normally be British by descent if, at the time of birth, a parent was a British citizen otherwise than by descent. Historical rules concerning unmarried fathers and the date of birth can affect this position.
Some adopted children also acquire British citizenship automatically, depending on where and how the adoption took place and the status of the adoptive parents.
The position of children born to EEA or Swiss parents can be particularly technical because the relevant rules changed at different times. The parent may have been treated as settled under EU law even if they did not hold a document confirming that status.
Where a child is already British, a registration application should not be made. The appropriate step will normally be to apply for a first British passport or other evidence of citizenship.
A child may have a statutory entitlement to registration in several circumstances.
A child born in the UK who was not British at birth will normally be entitled to registration if, while the child is under 18, either parent:
The application must normally be made before the child turns 18. The child must also meet the good-character requirement if aged 10 or over.
A person born in the UK who lived here throughout the first ten years of their life may be entitled to registration.
The normal requirement is that the person was not absent from the UK for more than 90 days in each of those first ten years. The Home Office has discretion to overlook excess absences in appropriate circumstances.
Unlike several other child-registration routes, this entitlement does not necessarily disappear at the age of 18. An adult may still apply under this provision if the requirements are met.
A child born outside the UK to a parent who is British by descent may be entitled to registration under section 3(2) or section 3(5), depending on the family’s residence history.
These routes can involve residence requirements relating to the British parent, a British grandparent, the child and, in some cases, both parents. Registration under the different provisions can also determine whether the child becomes British by descent or otherwise than by descent.
Where a child does not have an entitlement, the Home Secretary may consider registration under section 3(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.
The child must be under 18 on the date of application. If the child is aged 10 or over, the good-character requirement also applies.
The Home Office will consider all relevant circumstances, which may include:
A child’s best interests must be treated as a primary consideration, but they are not the only consideration and do not automatically result in registration. The evidence must demonstrate why citizenship is appropriate in the child’s particular circumstances.
The requirements depend on the legal basis of the application but may include:
Parental consent is not a statutory requirement under every entitlement provision, although the Home Office will normally request it. Under some routes, including section 3(5), the required parental consent is mandatory. The precise provision must therefore be checked.
Not necessarily. A child born in the UK is normally British at birth if at least one parent was a British citizen or settled in the UK at the time of birth.
If neither parent was British or settled, the child may become entitled to registration later. For example, an entitlement can arise if a parent becomes British or settled before the child turns 18, or if the child completes the first ten years of their life in the UK and meets the residence requirements.
The position may be more complex where a parent is an EEA or Swiss national, because the parent may have acquired permanent residence under earlier EU law without holding a document confirming it.
If the child was born in the UK after you became settled, they will normally already be British automatically. A registration application should not be necessary, and you would normally apply for the child’s first British passport.
If the child was born outside the UK, the outcome depends on whether you were already a British citizen and, if so, whether you were British by descent or otherwise than by descent. Holding settlement alone does not normally make a child born abroad automatically British.
The good-character requirement applies where the child is aged 10 or over on the date of application.
The Home Office must consider the child’s age, maturity, personal circumstances and any relevant mitigation. Immigration breaches that were outside the child’s control may be treated differently from deliberate conduct by an older child.
Nevertheless, good character is a genuine legal requirement. Criminal offending, deception and immigration issues should be reviewed and disclosed properly.
Not automatically in every case, but it can be relevant, particularly in a discretionary application or where the child is aged 10 or over and subject to the good-character requirement.
Current Home Office guidance states that an application will normally be refused following illegal entry. However, decision-makers must consider whether the circumstances were outside the child’s control, the child’s age at the time, any trafficking or protection issues, and other relevant evidence.
A child should not automatically be treated as responsible for immigration decisions made by their parents. A careful assessment of the history and current Home Office guidance is required.
It depends on the registration provision.
For some entitlement routes, the absence of parental consent is not by itself a legal reason to refuse the application, although the Home Office will normally request consent from everyone with parental responsibility.
For other routes, including registration under section 3(5), the required parental consent is a statutory requirement. In discretionary cases, the Home Office will consider parental responsibility, the views of both parents, court orders and whether registration is in the child’s best interests.
It depends on where the child was born and the legal basis of the proposed application.
A UK-born child who becomes entitled to registration because a parent subsequently becomes British or settled does not normally need to obtain settlement first.
For a child born outside the UK who is applying at the Home Secretary’s discretion, the usual expectation may be that the child is settled, particularly where the application is made in line with the parents. However, the Home Office must consider each application individually, and compelling circumstances may justify a different outcome.
A discretionary application is made where the child does not have a statutory entitlement but asks the Home Secretary to exercise discretion under section 3(1).
The application must do more than show that British citizenship would be desirable. It should address the child’s residence, immigration status, family circumstances, future, connections with the UK and best interests, together with any compelling or compassionate factors.
As at 26 August 2026, the fee to register a child as a British citizen is normally £1,000.
A fee waiver may be available where a child under 18 and their parent or guardian cannot afford the fee. Eligibility must be established through a separate fee-waiver process.
There is no citizenship-ceremony fee for a child who remains under 18. If the child turns 18 while the application is under consideration, an additional £130 ceremony fee must be paid.
Fees change periodically and should always be checked before submission.
The Home Office usually aims to decide a child’s registration application within six months, although some applications can take longer where further information or checks are required.
Eligible applicants may be able to pay an additional fee for a priority decision. Availability should be checked when the application is submitted.
A child who is under 18 when the application is approved does not normally attend a citizenship ceremony.
If the child turns 18 while the application is being considered, they will be required to attend a ceremony and pay the applicable ceremony fee. Citizenship is then acquired at the ceremony.
Yes. Several important registration provisions, including registration following a parent becoming British or settled and discretionary registration under section 3(1), require the applicant to be under 18 on the date of application.
The ten-year entitlement for a person born in the UK under section 1(4) can continue after the age of 18, but many other child-registration options do not.
Where a child is approaching 18, their eligibility should be assessed and any appropriate application submitted before their birthday.
It depends on the registration provision.
Some children become British by descent, while others become British otherwise than by descent. This distinction can affect whether they will automatically pass British citizenship to their own children born outside the UK.
The effect of the proposed registration route should be confirmed before applying.
No. A child becoming British does not automatically give a parent British citizenship, settlement or permission to remain in the UK.
The child’s citizenship may be relevant to a parent’s separate immigration application, but the parent must qualify under the applicable Immigration Rules or human-rights provisions.
Registration makes the child a British citizen, but the registration certificate is not a travel document.
A separate application must be made for a British passport before the child travels as a British citizen.
