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Revised Statute from The UK Statute Law Database

British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61)

This version of this statute is extracted from the UK Statute Law Database (SLD). It is not necessarily in the form in which it was originally enacted but is a revised version, which means that any subsequent amendments to the text and other effects are incorporated with annotations.

There are effects on this legislation that have not yet been applied to SLD for the following year: 2009. See the Tables of Legislative effects and the Update status of legislation page on the SLD website.

Royal arms

British Nationality Act 1981

1981 CHAPTER 61

Contents

Go to Preamble

  1. Part I

    British Citizenship

    1. Acquisition after commencement

      1. 1. Acquisition by birth or adoption

      2. 2. Acquisition by descent

      3. 3. Acquisition by registration: minors

      4. 4. Acquisition by registration: British overseas territories citizens etc

      5. 4A. Acquisition by registration: further provision for British overseas territories citizens

      6. 4B. Acquisition by registration: certain persons without other citizenship

      7. 4C. Acquisition by registration: certain persons born between 1961 and 1983

      8. 5. Acquisition by registration: nationals for purposes of the Community Treaties

      9. 6. Acquisition by naturalisation

    2. Acquisition after commencement: special cases

      1. 7. Right to registration by virtue of residence in U.K. or relevant employment

      2. 8. Registration by virtue of marriage

      3. 9. Right to registration by virtue of father’s citizenship etc

      4. 10. Registration following renunciation of citizenship of U.K. and Colonies

    3. Acquisition at commencement

      1. 11. Citizens of U.K. and Colonies who are to become British citizens at commencement

    4. Renunciation and resumption

      1. 12. Renunciation

      2. 13. Resumption

    5. Supplementary

      1. 14. Meaning of British citizen (by descent)

  2. Part II

    British overseas territories citizenship

    1. Acquisition after commencement

      1. 15. Acquisition by birth or adoption

      2. 16. Acquisition by descent

      3. 17. Acquisition by registration: minors

      4. 18. Acquisition by naturalisation

    2. Acquisition after commencement: special cases

      1. 19. Right to registration by virtue of residence in British overseas territory

      2. 20. Registration by virtue of marriage

      3. 21. Right to registration by virtue of father’s citizenship etc

      4. 22. Right to registration replacing right to resume citizenship of U.K. and Colonies

    3. Acquisition at commencement

      1. 23. Citizens of U.K. and Colonies who are to become British overseas territories citizens at commencement

    4. Renunciation and resumption

      1. 24. Renunciation and resumption

    5. Supplementary

      1. 25. Meaning of British overseas territories citizen“by descent”

  3. Part III

    British Overseas Citizenship

    1. 26. Citizens of U.K. and Colonies who are to become British Overseas citizens at commencement

    2. 27. Registration of minors

    3. 28. Registration by virtue of marriage

    4. 29. Renunciation

  4. Part IV

    British Subjects

    1. 30. Continuance as British subjects of existing British subjects of certain descriptions

    2. 31. Continuance as British subjects of certain former citizens of Eire

    3. 32. Registration of minors

    4. 33. Registration of certain alien women entitled to registration as British subjects immediately before commencement

    5. 34. Renunciation

    6. 35. Circumstances in which British subjects are to lose that status

  5. Part V

    Miscellaneous and Supplementary

    1. 36. Provisions for reducing statelessness

    2. 37. Commonwealth citizenship

    3. 38. British protected persons

    4. 39. Amendment of Immigration Act 1971

    5. 40. Deprivation of citizenship

    6. 40A. Deprivation of citizenship: appeal

    7. 41. Regulations and Orders in Council

    8. 42. Registration and naturalisation: citizenship ceremony, oath and pledge

    9. 42A. Registration and naturalisation: fee

    10. 42B. Registration and naturalisation: timing

    11. 43. Exercise of functions of Secretary of State by Governors and others

    12. 44. Decisions involving exercise of discretion

    13. 44A.Waiver of requirement for full capacity

    14. 45. Evidence

    15. 46. Offences and proceedings

    16. 47. Legitimated children

    17. 48. Posthumous children

    18. 49.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    19. 50. Interpretation

    20. 51. Meaning of certain expressions relating to nationality in other Acts and instruments

    21. 52. Consequential amendments, transitional provisions, repeals and savings

    22. 53. Citation, commencement and extent

  6. SCHEDULE 1

    Requirements for Naturalisation

  7. SCHEDULE 2

    Provisions for Reducing Statelessness

  8. SCHEDULE 3

    Countries Whose Citizens are Commonwealth Citizens

  9. SCHEDULE 4

    Amendments of Immigration Act 1971

  10. SCHEDULE 5

    Citizenship Oath and Pledge

  11. SCHEDULE 6

    British Overseas Territories

  12. SCHEDULE 7

    Consequential Amendments

  13. SCHEDULE 8

    Transitional Provisions

  14. SCHEDULE 9

    REPEALS

An Act to make fresh provision about citizenship and nationality, and to amend the Immigration Act 1971 as regards the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

[30th October 1981]

Annotations:

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1Act extended by British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983 (c. 6, SIF 87), s. 3(1); restricted by British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983 (c. 6, SIF 87), s. 3(2); amended by S.I. 1983/1699, art. 2(1) and amended by British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 (c. 34, SIF 87), s. 2(1)

C2Act modified: (18.7.1996) by 1996 c. 41, s. 2(1); (19.3.1997) by 1997 c. 20, s. 2(1)

C3Act applied (19.3.1997) by 1997 c. 20, s. 1(8)

C4Act amended (2.10.2000) by S.I. 2000/2326, art. 8

C5Act modified (21.5.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), s. 3(3); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

C6Act modified (21.5.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), s. 6(2); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

Act modified (21.5.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), s. 6(4); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

Act modified (1.1.2004) by Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c. 41), ss. 14, 162 (with s. 159); S.I. 2003/3156, art. 2(b) (with arts. 3, 4)

Commencement Information

I1Act partly in force at Royal Assent, see s. 53(2)(3); Act wholly in force at 1.1.1983, see S.I. 1982/933

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