Registering as a British Citizen and the British Overseas Territories Citizen

Referred as British dependent territories citizenship before 26 February 2002, it's now known as British overseas territories citizenship. It applies to some people depending on their date of birth and various other factors which have been mentioned in some detail below.

For all those who were born before 1st of January 1983

Any person gains a British overseas Territories citizen if they abide by the following

  • If they were a citizen of the UK or the Colonies on the last day of the year 1982
  • Due to connection with the overseas territories or Britain due to the same place as birth of parents or grandparent who already were registered for this territory
  • Also, any woman who was married to a male who had a British overseas Territories citizen on January 1 1983, automatically becomes eligible for the same

For all those who were born on or after the 1st of January 1983

The person is a British overseas Territories citizen if they abide by the following

  • The person must have been born in a British overseas Territory
  • At the time of birth, one parent must have been legally settled in a British overseas Territory or should have had the British overseas Territories citizen

Also, a person is British overseas Territories citizen, if any one of the following is applicable

  • If the person was adopted in an overseas territory by a person who possessed British overseas Territories citizen
  • Also, any person who is born outside the overseas territory but to a parent who had the British overseas Territories citizenship on their own, either naturally or by descent

Rights a person enjoys as a British overseas Territories citizen

  • They can have a passport for Britain
  • Also consular assistance and protection from diplomatic posts in the UK is available Still there are some restrictions
  • As immigration control still stays and the person does not have right to work or live in the UK automatically
  • The European Union does not consider the person to be a UK national

Another way

Any person automatically becomes a British overseas Territories citizen if the same was gained due to a collection with the qualifying territory under which many places are included, those are

  • Anguilla
  • Bermuda
  • British Antarctic Territory
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Falkland Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn Islands
  • Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Turks and Caicos Islands