Baby Born Abroad, Father British citizen by Birth

[jrdx]

Hello,

i am a British Citizen by birth (many generations), i have been spending a few months of the winters for the last 5 years in west africa. i have just had a baby girl with my long term girlfriend / fiancé. my baby was born 3 months ago in the gambia, my girlfriend is Senegalese, i am named on the birth certificate.

i would very much like to know if i can apply for British Citizenship for my baby.

any information regarding this would be gratefully received.

Jack

[ozpoppy]

I'm pretty new to all this but I believe the main question is whether you are a British Citizen by descent or 'otherwise than by descent'. Were you born in the UK?

[LilyLalilu]

If you were born in the UK your baby is British by descent and you can apply directly for a British passport (i.e. no need to apply for citizenship first as she's already British).

The only difference her birth outside of the UK makes is that should she later have children herself abroad, they would not automatically be British.

[jrdx]

Hi, thanks for the fast replies.. yes i was born in the UK.

i haven't made any decisions about the future yet but it would be really great if i can get a British passport for her.

we are all in the Gambia at the moment, where she was born, how do i go about obtaining a passport for her..?
what does the process require exactly..?

again any advice / guidance much appreciated...

[ohara]

You would need to send evidence of your own British citizenship and your child's birth certificate with your name on it etc. If it is not in English you will need a certified translation.

Be aware that all passport applications are dealt with in the UK and applications from abroad can take a long time, like six months or more.

As said above, the child is automatically British by descent. Any children they have themselves outside of the UK will not acquire British citizenship through them.

[jrdx]

the Gamba is an anglophone country so the birth certificate will be in english.

would a copy of my passport and a copy of baby's birth certificate suffice and where do i send it too..? is there a form that i need to fill out to accompany it..? are there any other documents i need to supply...?

i will return to UK soon, would it be easier for me to apply once I'm back..? would it not be a problem that she was not with me but still in the Gambia..?

thanks

[ohara]

I'm not sure if they will accept your passport, you might have to send a birth certificate. Have a look at the official guidance: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

[jrdx]

...thank you