British Overseas Citizen - Kenya

[whythetorment]

Hi,

I've been researching abit, but been getting conflicting info and very confused.

My Father (born 1954), Grandmother (born 1933) as well as Great Grandfather (born 1910), was born in Kenya, which was a British Colony.

My Great Grandfather served in the British army (crown service), and he carried a UK passport when they left Kenya in 1964.

My siblings and I, were all born in South Africa (between 1977 - 1981)

I read that because my dad, and grandmother, and great grandfather were born in Kenya, they automatically became British Overseas Citizens.

Does this enable either my dad, or us to get a british passport, or also become British overseas citizens?

[CR001]

There are different types of citizenship.

BOC does not give you the right to live and work in the UK unfortunately.

Whether you qualify for it I don't know. Moderator 'secret.simon' would probaly be the best to explain as he has done extensive research on this. Hopefully he will be online soon and see your post.

[secret.simon]

Where were your great grandfather's parents born?

Do you have any ancestors born in the UK (as currently defined, but also including the whole island of Ireland before 1922)?

[whythetorment]

I'm not quite sure where they were born. Only have their Initials and Surname available so still trying to track down where they were born.

I just know my great grandfather had a UK passport, but will only know what it said in it in the next week or so.

Not sure how he got the passport, just have a photo of it, showing his details

[secret.simon]

If your great grand-father, grandmother and father had British passports only because of their birth in Kenya (i.e. no relationship to a person born in the UK as now constituted), then they would have been CUKCs (Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies) at birth, but they would have become British Overseas citizens in 1983. BOCs do not have the right to reside in the UK nor is it inheritable (i.e. you can't get it by descent).

The significant difference between the CUKCs who became British citizens (with the right to reside in the UK) on 1st January 1983 and those who became British Overseas citizens (with no right to reside in the UK) was descent from a person born in the UK (as now).

So, you will need to track down the documentary evidence of an ancestor who was born in the UK, in order to have even a remote chance of being able to claim British citizenship.