Post
by JulesN19 » Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:38 pm
Someone who is a British citizen will probably want to apply for a British passport and would find practical advantages in holding a British passport, but there is no requirement that a British citizen hold a British passport.
A British citizen passport does confirm the British nationality of the bearer, but it does not create that nationality. In the case of a naturalised British citizen, the grant of British citizenship occurs immediately from participation in the naturalisation ceremony and issuance of the naturalisation certificate.
Some naturalised British citizens may choose to travel on their non-British passport and re-enter the UK by presenting that passport along with their old ILR endorsements, certificate of entitlement of a right of abode in the UK, or naturalisation certificate. However, this is obviously less convenient than entering the UK on a British passport.
The UK does not prevent its citizens from holding foreign passports or using them to travel and re-enter the UK. A naturalised citizen's country of origin may well say that UK naturalisation results in loss of the citizenship of origin. Alternatively, the country of origin may say that anyone holding its passports may not use a British passport. However, this is purely a matter of the foreign country's laws and not the laws of the UK.
