Flying to the UK after having been Registered as a British Citizen

[voyager1]

If a person has registered as a British Citizen outside of the UK, is it ok for them to fly to the UK with their foreign passport and then apply for a British Passport once they are in the UK?

Or if they fly to the UK on their foreign passport and they overstay the UK Visa stamped on their foreign passport, would that be an issue? Or wouldn't it matter at all, seeing as they are registered as a British Citizen?

[secret.simon]

Are they a visa national? Airlines may not allow them to board a plane if they are a visa national and do not have a visa stamped in their non-British passport. A registration certificate is not a travel document and airlines will likely assess them based on the passport that they are carrying.

Once the person presents themselves at the UK border, Immigration Officers can assess the situation and allow them in. British citizens have Right of Abode in the UK and don't need a British passport to enter the UK, provided that they can prove their British citizenship to the satisfaction of the Immigration Officer.

[zimba]

If a person has registered as a British Citizen outside of the UK, is it ok for them to fly to the UK with their foreign passport and then apply for a British Passport once they are in the UK?

Or if they fly to the UK on their foreign passport and they overstay the UK Visa stamped on their foreign passport, would that be an issue? Or wouldn't it matter at all, seeing as they are registered as a British Citizen?

Naturalisation/Registration certificate is NOT a travel document.
To travel to the UK you either need a British passport or a COE sticker in your foreign passport. Airlines flat out refuse boarding if you are a visa national without a visa

[voyager1]

I realise that a Registration certificate is NOT a travel document. However, if someone with this certificate, flew to the UK on his foreign passport, which had a UK visa and then overstayed his visa, would that be ok? I mean he has a British Registration certificate, so he can stay in the UK as long as he likes surely? But would he face problems if the visa on his foreign passport expired and then he tried to fly out of the UK with that same foreign passport at a later date?

[CR001]

The questions is, did the person get the visitor visa before or after they were registered as British?? A British citizen can't hold a UK visa as they are not subject to immigration control.

[voyager1]

The questions is, did the person get the visitor visa before or after they were registered as British?? A British citizen can't hold a UK visa as they are not subject to immigration control.

After they have registered as a British citizen.

I would have thought that if they were flying to the UK on their foreign passport(Non British), then a UK visa would be a requirement. Or am I mistaken?

[zimba]

I realise that a Registration certificate is NOT a travel document. However, if someone with this certificate, flew to the UK on his foreign passport, which had a UK visa and then overstayed his visa, would that be ok? I mean he has a British Registration certificate, so he can stay in the UK as long as he likes surely? But would he face problems if the visa on his foreign passport expired and then he tried to fly out of the UK with that same foreign passport at a later date?

What you are saying makes no sense. A British citizen has a right of abode in the UK and is not subject to immigration control. So a British citizen cannot have a UK visa and cannot overstay in the UK. I assume you may use the visa to get on a plane to the UK but at the border you will be admitted as a British citizen if you are British. Any visa held before becoming British will be void or such visa may be cancelled at the border.

[secret.simon]

The problem is that now that the person is a British citizen, s/he can't apply for a British visa. As both CR001 and Zimba have explained above, a British citizen cannot be subject to conditions on a visa.

So, if the person has already got a registration certificate and did not have a visa prior to that registration certificate, s/he has two choices; to apply for a British passport from overseas or to apply for a CoE-RoA in their non-British passport. The latter is much more expensive, but may be faster.

[Richard W]

I assume you may use the visa to get on a plane to the UK but at the border you will be admitted as a British citizen if you are British.

Is such admission acknowledged policy?

[zimba]

I assume you may use the visa to get on a plane to the UK but at the border you will be admitted as a British citizen if you are British.

Is such admission acknowledged policy?

Yes. As long as you arrive at the UK border, you will face no problems getting in as a British citizen as you cannot be denied entry

[Richard W]

I assume you may use the visa to get on a plane to the UK but at the border you will be admitted as a British citizen if you are British.

Is such admission acknowledged policy?

Yes. As long as you arrive at the UK border, you will face no problems getting in as a British citizen as you cannot be denied entry

What you say doesn't square with the requirement that the right of abode be demonstrated by a suitable British passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode. The whole point of that little bit of law is to enable people who claim to be British to be turned around without a prolonged enquiry as to whether or not they have right of abode. Now, it may now be policy not to use this law against arrivals, but where is it acknowledged?

Now, if one avoids a port, there is no legal problem with just entering. If one comes ashore and strolls off the beach into the high street, there is no need for a British citizen to carry a passport.

[zimba]

I assume you may use the visa to get on a plane to the UK but at the border you will be admitted as a British citizen if you are British.

Is such admission acknowledged policy?

Yes. As long as you arrive at the UK border, you will face no problems getting in as a British citizen as you cannot be denied entry

What you say doesn't square with the requirement that the right of abode be demonstrated by a suitable British passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode. The whole point of that little bit of law is to enable people who claim to be British to be turned around without a prolonged enquiry as to whether or not they have right of abode. Now, it may now be policy not to use this law against arrivals, but where is it acknowledged?

Now, if one avoids a port, there is no legal problem with just entering. If one comes ashore and strolls off the beach into the high street, there is no need for a British citizen to carry a passport.

You need it to prove that you are admissible to the UK for travel before boarding a plane/ferry/train to the UK. Airlines refuse boarding if you do NOT have a valid passport/travel document including a valid visa if you are a visa national. They do not care about your right of abode or anything like that. If you somehow manage to get to the UK border and you are British, a British passport or travel document is NOT necessary for admission. So even a certificate of registration or naturalisation will be enough to get you admitted but the point is that you will not be able to make it to the UK without a passport/travel document/visa.

So in a nutshell you must first satisfy a carrier that you can be admitted to the UK to get you here and then the border force needs to be satisfied that you have the right to be admitted. It is common for people to fly here with a valid visa and then be refused entry by the border force.

[voyager1]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

So am I correct in saying that a person only officially becomes British on the day of the British Citizenship Ceremony and after they receive their British certificate of registration?

If for example someone bought a ticket to the UK and also presumably got their visa to the UK a day or two prior to the British Citizenship Ceremony, would they then be allowed to fly to the UK on their foreign passport and with the mentioned visa, if the flight date was after the ceremony?

With the idea being they get their flight ticket and visa prior to the ceremony, then they have their ceremony and then fly to the UK on their foreign passport a few days later. Presumably once they landed at the UK airport in question, all they would have to do is show their British Citizenship of Registration Certificate and then they would be allowed into the country.

Am I correct in thinking that this is the case?

[zimba]

So am I correct in saying that a person only officially becomes British on the day of the British Citizenship Ceremony and after they receive their British certificate of registration?

Correct if you applied for naturalisation (NOT registration)

If for example someone bought a ticket to the UK and also presumably got their visa to the UK a day or two prior to the British Citizenship Ceremony, would they then be allowed to fly to the UK on their foreign passport and with the mentioned visa, if the flight date was after the ceremony?

You can get on a flight with a valid visa.
UKVI very likely reject a visa if they see you applied for citizenship and you were approved

With the idea being they get their flight ticket and visa prior to the ceremony, then they have their ceremony and then fly to the UK on their foreign passport a few days later. Presumably once they landed at the UK airport in question, all they would have to do is show their British Citizenship of Registration Certificate and then they would be allowed into the country.

If you have Registration Certificate, you are already British. Registration is NOT the same as naturalisation. You do not naturalise unless you attend the ceremony when you get your Naturalisation certificate

[voyager1]

Thanks for clarifying stuff Zimba.

Just to confirm, so does that mean that if someone has dual citizenship(both British Citizenship and Citizenship from a non EU country), they can't fly into the UK with their foreign/non British passport(If this passport requires a UK visa)?

[zimba]

Thanks for clarifying stuff Zimba.

Just to confirm, so does that mean that if someone has dual citizenship(both British Citizenship and Citizenship from a non EU country), they can't fly into the UK with their foreign/non British passport(If this passport requires a UK visa)?

This is NOT about nationality it is about proving you are allowed to travel to an airline. Because you are British, it does NOT mean an airline will allow you to travel unless you have a appropriate travel document with valid proof of admissibility !!!!

As I explained above a visa national will not be allowed to fly to the UK as an airline will not allow boarding unless:

1) They need a UK visa in their passport (if they are a British they CANNOT get a UK visa so that is NOT an option)

OR

2) They should have a certificate of entitlement COE sticker in their passport showing they have the right of abode in the UK
https://www.gov.uk/right-of-abode/apply ... ntitlement

OR

3) Have a valid British passport

[secret.simon]

So am I correct in saying that a person only officially becomes British on the day of the British Citizenship Ceremony and after they receive their British certificate of registration?

Correct if you applied for naturalisation (NOT registration)

If for example someone bought a ticket to the UK and also presumably got their visa to the UK a day or two prior to the British Citizenship Ceremony, would they then be allowed to fly to the UK on their foreign passport and with the mentioned visa, if the flight date was after the ceremony?

You can get on a flight with a valid visa.
UKVI very likely reject a visa if they see you applied for citizenship and you were approved

With the idea being they get their flight ticket and visa prior to the ceremony, then they have their ceremony and then fly to the UK on their foreign passport a few days later. Presumably once they landed at the UK airport in question, all they would have to do is show their British Citizenship of Registration Certificate and then they would be allowed into the country.

If you have Registration Certificate, you are already British. Registration is NOT the same as naturalisation. You do not naturalise unless you attend the ceremony when you get your Naturalisation certificate

Wanted to provide some clarity as regards the date of acquisition of British citizenship as some of the information above is not entirely correct.

Some broad principles of British nationality
a) British nationality is only prospective (i.e. from the date of acquisition onwards). It does not change your nationality status in the past. Thus children born before the acquisition of nationality (via either registration or naturalisation) do not become British citizens by descent, for instance.
b) The only time that British nationality is acquired automatically is at birth, generally if some conditions as regards the status of the parents is met at the time of the birth of the child.
c) If British nationality is not acquired at birth, then it can only be acquired by applying to the Home Office for the status (either registration or naturalisation) Thus, there will be a paper trail and a certificate of acquisition of British nationality).
d) While Parliament could grant British citizenship retrospectively (it is the ultimate Time Lord), it is very chary of enacting ex-post-facto/retrospective legislation. That is why, for cases such as children born abroad to British mothers before 1983, there is a procedure for registration going forward, but neither retrospective or automatic acquisition of British nationality.

In case of both registration and naturalisation, acquisition of British nationality is from the date of the certificate. See Section 42B of the British Nationality Act 1981.

The difference between the procedures (registration and naturalisation) is that registration is generally used in specified cases, where it is felt by Parliament that the candidates have some connection to the UK already. Thus children of British or settled parents or, before 1983, Commonwealth citizens,are/were registered rather than naturalised. Naturalisation was and is reserved for adults with no other immediate familial or birth connection to the UK.

So, in this case, the OP is correct, that s/he only acquired British citizenship from the date of their registration certificate.

And adults who register as British citizens (under Forms UKF, UKM or T) do need to attend a citizenship ceremony identical to the one for people who naturalise. In both cases, it is an acquisition of British nationality on the date of the ceremony, though registration as adults is due to entitlements, while naturalisation is always at discretion.

[voyager1]

Thanks again to your answers everyone.

So secret.simon, do you concur and agree that UKVI are very likely to reject a visa application, if they see that the person in question has had their British citizenship application approved, but have still not had the Citizenship Ceremony? So in essence the person in question can't fly to the UK on their non EU, UK visa requiring passport, unless they apply for a certificate of entitlement COE sticker for their passport