Register as a British Citizen
Register as a British Citizen
If you were born to a British mother before 1983, or you were born to a British father before 2006 but your parents never married, you can Register as a British Citizen to claim your British citizenship and get a UK passport.
| Born to a British Mother Before 1983 | Born to an Unmarried British Father Before 2006 |
Timeline for Registration and Getting Your First UK Passport
Unfortunately, it can take up to 3 months to Register as a UK citizen. Then, a first time UK passport application takes 6-10 weeks to be completed. There is no way to speed up either part of this process.
Once the application is completed, you will receive you new British passport by DHL and you will receive your original documents by a different DHL courier package.
British Citizenship
Prior to 1983, British citizenship only married fathers could transmit British citizenship to children born outside of the UK. That was changed to married fathers or mothers, and unmarried mothers. However, children born to British fathers and non-British mothers who were not married were left out.
In 2006, a change was made to allow the children of unwed British fathers to claim citizenship as well, provided you can establish paternity. The rules are a little complicated as to whether or not you have to register first. If your parents married after your birth OR your home state considers children born out of wedlock to be “legitimate,” then you may be able to skip the registration step and move straight to the passport application. Contact us for details.
| Born to a British Mother Before 1983 | Born to an Unmarried British Father Before 2006 |
Call us at 1-866-760-2623 to begin.
