NATURALIZATION VS. REGISTRATION questions...

[humble]

can somebody PLEASE explain the difference between the 2?

i was born in the u.s to british parents and because of decent i recieved a u.k passport when i was 17 years old. ive never been to the u.k before.

i assume my parents had to register my birth at the british consulate in washington in order for me have received a passport?

anyhow, id like to renew my now expired UK passport but on section 1B im puzzled by how to answer.. the question asks:

WERE YOU NATURALIZED OR REGISTERED AS A BRITHS SUBJECT, CITIZEN OF THE UK AND COLONIES, BRITISH CITIZEN, BRITISH DEPENDENT/OVERSEAS TERRITORIES CITIZEN, BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN OR BRITISH PROTECTED PERSON?

also the last question on section 1A asks:

WERE YOU BORN IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND YOUR BIRTH REGISTERED AT A BRITISH CONSULATE?
seriously what the hell do they want from me?
these questions are EXTREMELY confusing. any help appreciated. thanks.

clueless.. and these rats want $2.10 per minute to phone them.. what a ripoff!

any help much appreciated.

[JAJ]

c
anyhow, id like to renew my now expired UK passport but on section 1B im puzzled by how to answer.. the question asks:

WERE YOU NATURALIZED OR REGISTERED AS A BRITHS SUBJECT, CITIZEN OF THE UK AND COLONIES, BRITISH CITIZEN, BRITISH DEPENDENT/OVERSEAS TERRITORIES CITIZEN, BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN OR BRITISH PROTECTED PERSON?

If you acquired British citizenship automatically at birth the answer is NO

also the last question on section 1A asks:

WERE YOU BORN IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND YOUR BIRTH REGISTERED AT A BRITISH CONSULATE?
seriously what the hell do they want from me?
these questions are EXTREMELY confusing. any help appreciated. thanks.

Registration of a birth at a consulate is not obligatory for British citizenship to be held. It just makes passport renewal easier. Just answer NO (or even "Don't know").

They will have a file for you somewhere if you have previously been issued a British passport.

[L_E_O]

ppron answered most of this question for you in your other thread - I've quoted the relevant parts below.

Box 1b asks

Were you naturalised or registered as a British subject, citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, British citizen, British Dependent / Overseas Territories citizen, British Overseas citizen or British protected person?

and gives two check-boxes, one saying

Yes

which leads to a request for details of your citizenship document, and the other saying

No

The answer to Question 1b is NO - you were British automatically, as I explained. Checking the correct box therefore means that you avoid the impossible task of giving the details of a citizenship document that doesn't exist.

[Christophe]

Just to clarify a bit further: naturalisation is the usual process by which people who are not British citizens can become British citizens (generally on the basis of having lived in the UK for the prescribed period of time plus or minus being married to a British citizen, as well as fulfilling certain other criteria, such as being of good character, having a sufficient knowledge of the language, etc). The criteria for naturalisation as a British citizen are broadly comparable to the criteria for naturalisation as a US citizen (although not, of course, identical).

Certain people are eligible to be registered as British citizens rather than to become naturalised. For example, dependent children of a person who is naturalising as a British citizen are entitled to be registered as British citizens at the same time - the difference being that the criteria are less onerous and it is not generally in the power of the Home Secretary to deny the registration - in other words, it is a right if you fulfil the necessary criteria.

Back now to your situation: neither of these processes apply to you. You were a British citizen at birth (on the basis of what you've told us!) - a British citizen by descent. Therefore, you have been neither naturalised nor registered (in the meaning of the word 'registered' above). What may have happened is that your birth might have been registered by your parents at a British consulate - that has nothing to do with your status as a British citizen: you were not registered as a British citizen because you already were one. It is not compulsory for British-born parents to register births in this way, and it has no bearing on your status.

In your case, however, the point is a bit moot at this moment anyway because you have already been issued with a British passport in the past, so all the necessary checks about your status as a British citizen will have been done when that was issued and the record of the application will still exist. Therefore, it makes little difference whether or not your birth was registered at a British consulate, so I'd put either 'no' or 'don't know' in that space and just move on.

Hope that helps a bit.

[ppron747]

For example, dependent children of a person who is naturalising as a British citizen are entitled to be registered as British citizens at the same time - the difference being that the criteria are less onerous and it is not generally in the power of the Home Secretary to deny the registration - in other words, it is a right if you fulfil the necessary criteria.

Just to nit-pick - there are instances where minor registration is an entitlement, but the specific example you cite isn't one...
cheers

[Christophe]

For example, dependent children of a person who is naturalising as a British citizen are entitled to be registered as British citizens at the same time - the difference being that the criteria are less onerous and it is not generally in the power of the Home Secretary to deny the registration - in other words, it is a right if you fulfil the necessary criteria.

Just to nit-pick - there are instances where minor registration is an entitlement, but the specific example you cite isn't one...
cheers

No, but I didn't want to cite, for example, the case of a person with a British-born mother who might be entitled to register as a British citizen because that might seem too similar to humble's circumstances and cause further confusion...

[humble]

Just to clarify a bit further: naturalisation is the usual process by which people who are not British citizens can become British citizens (generally on the basis of having lived in the UK for the prescribed period of time plus or minus being married to a British citizen, as well as fulfilling certain other criteria, such as being of good character, having a sufficient knowledge of the language, etc). The criteria for naturalisation as a British citizen are broadly comparable to the criteria for naturalisation as a US citizen (although not, of course, identical).

Certain people are eligible to be registered as British citizens rather than to become naturalised. For example, dependent children of a person who is naturalising as a British citizen are entitled to be registered as British citizens at the same time - the difference being that the criteria are less onerous and it is not generally in the power of the Home Secretary to deny the registration - in other words, it is a right if you fulfil the necessary criteria.

Back now to your situation: neither of these processes apply to you. You were a British citizen at birth (on the basis of what you've told us!) - a British citizen by descent. Therefore, you have been neither naturalised nor registered (in the meaning of the word 'registered' above). What may have happened is that your birth might have been registered by your parents at a British consulate - that has nothing to do with your status as a British citizen: you were not registered as a British citizen because you already were one. It is not compulsory for British-born parents to register births in this way, and it has no bearing on your status.

In your case, however, the point is a bit moot at this moment anyway because you have already been issued with a British passport in the past, so all the necessary checks about your status as a British citizen will have been done when that was issued and the record of the application will still exist. Therefore, it makes little difference whether or not your birth was registered at a British consulate, so I'd put either 'no' or 'don't know' in that space and just move on.

Hope that helps a bit.

that helps a HELLUVA lot!!!!

and the rest on this board really helped out alot.. thanks to EVERYBODY!!!!
ok so im off to send my application in along with the expired passport... lets see how long this takes.

thanks again for the help!!!