Father born in UK prior to 1983- are we citizens?

My father was born in England in 1960 to a British mother and an American father (who was not a diplomat). His parents registered him as an American citizen and moved to the US, so he's never held a British passport, but was told by British border agents several times that he could get a passport if he wanted.

My understanding is that because he was born in the UK before 1983, he is automatically a British citizen (citizen by birth). If that is true, because he was a British citizen and was married to my mother at the time of my birth in 1994, I am a British citizen by descent (as I was born in the USA). If this is true, then he and I can both apply for passports and do not have to register or naturalize, right?

Can anyone else confirm this?

164814 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 29, 2017 5:55 pm

My understanding is that because he was born in the UK before 1983, he is automatically a British citizen (citizen by birth). If that is true, because he was a British citizen and was married to my mother at the time of my birth in 1994, I am a British citizen by descent (as I was born in the USA). If this is true, then he and I can both apply for passports and do not have to register or naturalize, right?

Correct. Apply for a British passport directly.

For proof, he just needs his full British birth certificate. You will need his birth certificate, your parents' marriage certificate and your full birth certificate.

Be aware that your children born outside the UK will not acquire British citizenship unless they are born in the UK. Alternatively, if they are born outside the UK, they can be registered as British citizens if they have lived with you in the UK for three years before the age of 18.

As a British citizen, before Brexit, you can also move to any country in the EU with either your spouse or somebody you are in a durable relationship with.