Page 1 of 1

British citizens by descent or otherwise than by descent

Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:37 am
by zeetopchoice
Hey All,

I am after some advise for a friend living in Hong Kong and hold British citizenship under section 4b.

He wants to apply British citizenship for his daughter but not sure if he falls under

- British Citizenship by descent

or

- British Citizenship otherwise than by descent

You can view his certificate here: https://ibb.co/C8mQyJt

Thanks in advance for any help.

Re: British citizens by descent or otherwise than by descent

Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:49 am
by vinny
Registration as a British citizen: other British nationals
Registration under section 4B gives British citizenship by descent.

Re: British citizens by descent or otherwise than by descent

Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 11:47 am
by zeetopchoice
vinny wrote:
Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:49 am
Registration as a British citizen: other British nationals
Registration under section 4B gives British citizenship by descent.
Thanks for your reply.

Does this mean he can't automatically apply for British Citizenship for his daughter born in Hong Kong?

Re: British citizens by descent or otherwise than by descent

Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:42 am
by secret.simon
zeetopchoice wrote:
Mon Feb 24, 2020 11:47 am
Does this mean he can't automatically apply for British Citizenship for his daughter born in Hong Kong?
It means that his daughter (and any other children not born in the UK) are not automatically British citizens.

Children under the age of 18 can be registered as British citizens, provided certain residential (in the UK) and other conditions are met.

So, how old is the daughter? Has your friend ever lived in the UK or can he relocate to the UK with his family?

As an aside, as he was born in Pakistan, your friend would have been a Pakistani citizen by birth (Pakistan being the only country in the Old World to still implement jus soli) and therefore I am not sure that he could have been validly registered as a British citizen under Section 4B.