American With English Grandfather...

[chivo]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

[samran]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

Edited June 10, 2009 by samran

[DirectorIntegrityLegal]

You might be getting this confused with the Irish Program that allows for a person who had an Ireland-born Grandparent to obtain an Irish Passport. This would go for a UK subject as well if that subject was born in Northern Ireland, as the law apparently applies to the whole of the island not just the Republic of Ireland.

As this is not at all my area of expertise, it may be helpful to check out the Irish consulate of Thailand's website: http://www.irelandinthailand.com

Hope it was helpful

[GarryP]

I thought there were a different set of rules if you played professional football. There seem to be quite a few foreign born people claiming British citizenship through grandparents. But then I suppose you need to play at premiership level.

[Lost in LOS]

I am American with an English mother. i checked on this and unbelievable as it may seem in this day and age, I cannot get an English passport unless it was my father born in England. pretty sexist I would say. don't know about grandparents

[the scouser]

I am American with an English mother. i checked on this and unbelievable as it may seem in this day and age, I cannot get an English passport unless it was my father born in England. pretty sexist I would say. don't know about grandparents

Those born prior to 1983 can't automatically acquire British citizenship from a mother. However, you can apply for registration as British citizen through the UK Border Agency. If successful, you would be issued with a certificate of registration that you could then use to obtain a British passport. An application can be made through the British embassy in Bangkok.

[chivo]

thanks all...

[CharlieB]

thanks all...

Any particular reason you were interested in a passport from an EU country? I would have thought EU and US passports would be on a par when getting in to any other country around the world.

[moobie]

CharlieB - I'm speculating that the OP would like a UK passport as this would enable that person to work or live in either the UK or the EU which is a difficult thing to do on a USA passport due to the strict criteria which have to be met.

[Pash]

I am American with an English mother. i checked on this and unbelievable as it may seem in this day and age, I cannot get an English passport unless it was my father born in England. pretty sexist I would say. don't know about grandparents

Same with a lot of countries. Check Germany for example

[reallyok]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

Born in the UK in 1935. I became a dual UK/Australian citizen in 1973.

My 20 yr old grand daughter was recently refused an application for Euro/UK Passport.

So it appears the the old UK regulation of citizenship going back to Grandparents has now been abandoned........null & void, you are not wanted, shove off, reffo's only!

Grandad served in the armed forces from the age of 15yrs..........too bad !

[andyc2006]

thanks all...

Any particular reason you were interested in a passport from an EU country? I would have thought EU and US passports would be on a par when getting in to any other country around the world.

"On par" maybe, but not the same. A few places require actual visas for US citizens, instead of being able to just show up and enter.

There's also a number of advantages to having 2 passports, such as being able to stay indefinitely in either country, job-hunt on-the-ground, legally in either country, work without any permits in either country, etc...

And if you're playing "visa games" in places like Thailand, you can alternate passports when you enter.

[Arkady]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

Born in the UK in 1935. I became a dual UK/Australian citizen in 1973.

My 20 yr old grand daughter was recently refused an application for Euro/UK Passport.

So it appears the the old UK regulation of citizenship going back to Grandparents has now been abandoned........null & void, you are not wanted, shove off, reffo's only!

Grandad served in the armed forces from the age of 15yrs..........too bad !

Time was that British nationality could be passed on by descent through the male line indefinitely regardless of birth place. A new nationality act in the early 70s put more emphasis on being born in Britain than being British by descent. Since then British nationalilty can only be passed down one generation to those born outside the UK. I knew several people who, at the time, had to struggle to prove their right to British nationality. One of my uncles was actually a British ambassador at the time and was threatened with losing his British nationality because he and his father were both born to British colonial officially in British India which didn't count as British under the new law. Another older person I knew had been born in Ireland when it was still part of Britain to a father born in British India and had a similar problem. My uncle was technically stateless under the new law as he wouldn't have been able to get an Indian passport as a colonial brat that left as a child.

Personally I think it should continue to pass on by descent regardless of birth place. But at least your granddaughter can easily get a visa to live and work in the UK, as Samran says. Then she could eventually qualify for UK citizenship, if she stayed long enough. So it is not really too bad in her case, if she actually wants to live in the UK. If not, why would she want the passport anyway, except perhaps to work in another EU country?

Edited June 14, 2009 by Arkady

[samran]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

Born in the UK in 1935. I became a dual UK/Australian citizen in 1973.

My 20 yr old grand daughter was recently refused an application for Euro/UK Passport.

So it appears the the old UK regulation of citizenship going back to Grandparents has now been abandoned........null & void, you are not wanted, shove off, reffo's only!

Grandad served in the armed forces from the age of 15yrs..........too bad !

As a Commonwealth citizen your grandaughter will be able to get a 5 year 'ancestory' visa, allowing her to live and work in the UK without restriction. The fact that she is a commonwealth citizen as well, allows her to vote etc in UK elections (have done so myself, as an Australian). So for all intents and purposes she is treated just about equal to other British citizens, and even better than some EU citizens who have the automatic right to work in the UK.

For instance, civil service jobs are only open to UK nationals AND commonwealth nationals. Voting I've mentioned, and she can also run for parliament as an Australian there if she wishes.

Yep, there was a day when Australians and Brits moved freely between each others countries. The UK's 1971 immigration act changed or that, not too long after, Australia made it harder for brits to move to OZ.

Edited June 14, 2009 by samran

[ozsamurai]

Some ten yrs ago when I got my UK passport through my fathers UK birth certificate, I was told they were closing this avenue and it would not be long before this was no longer possible. So I guess it has closed is all.

Oz

[drewbonce]

There is no such thing as EU Citizenship.

You can only be a citizenship of one of the constituent Nations.

The EU is not (yet) a United States of Europe. Probably never will be in our lifetimes.

If your Grandfather had British Nationality through birth, or was born overseas whilst his parents were on Government business, then you can probably claim a British Passport, which would enable you to live and work throughout most of the EU.

Best check with the British Embassy in Bangkok, or try the UK Government Nationality and Immigration Dept web site for the rules

[steve187]

I am American with an English mother. i checked on this and unbelievable as it may seem in this day and age, I cannot get an English passport unless it was my father born in England. pretty sexist I would say. don't know about grandparents

Those born prior to 1983 can't automatically acquire British citizenship from a mother. However, you can apply for registration as British citizen through the UK Border Agency. If successful, you would be issued with a certificate of registration that you could then use to obtain a British passport. An application can be made through the British embassy in Bangkok.

Hi are the rules for children born after 1983 different?, would the mother have to have been a uk citizen at the time of the birth?

[LTGTR]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

That's a shame because when my gradfather emigrated to the US from Italy in the early 1900s,he passed away before renoucing his Italian citizenship and becomig a US citizen.My father never took advantage of this option,so I am eligible for a EU passport.

[Sophon]

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

That's a shame because when my gradfather emigrated to the US from Italy in the early 1900s,he passed away before renoucing his Italian citizenship and becomig a US citizen.My father never took advantage of this option,so I am eligible for a EU passport.

I am not sure if I understand your post correctly, but there is no such thing as a "EU passport". Each EU country have their own rules for when someone is eligible for citizenship, so the earlier posts have absolutely no bearing on your situation. Whether someone else can claim UK citizenship or not is irrelevant for you, since your claim would be for Italian citizenship, and Italy will have their own regulations.

Sophon

[thaicbr]

I was born in a British Military hospital in Singapore in 1966. But because the BMH has British territory status, I'm British as all BMH's and Embassies around the world are declared British territory. It's actually in my passport as BMH Singapore.

[7by7]

As already said, there is no such thing as EU citizenship (although if one is a citizen of an EU state then one could be called a citizen of the EU) nor an EU passport. Each EU state has it's own rules regarding nationality.

As far as the UK is concerned, to see whether one is British by birth or whether on can acquire British citizenship and how, see this page and the appropriate links from it.

[Electra]

I was born in a British Military hospital in Singapore in 1966. But because the BMH has British territory status, I'm British as all BMH's and Embassies around the world are declared British territory. It's actually in my passport as BMH Singapore.

As I said before this is nonsense.

Birth in a BMH does not confer British citizenship.

If a forum is to have any value it must not be used as a platform for ignorance.

Pretty obvious I would have thought but not to some, it seems.