Hi I was wondering if anyone could help. We have a baby not yet one year old. A friend told me that in order to have the possibility of dual nationality later down the line, I need to register her at the british embassy. I am british my wife is thai. If so other than my passport and the birth certificate, do I need anything else? Is there a fee to pay for this?

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There are basically two forms of British citizenship; British by descent or British otherwise than by descent.

British by descent means that you inherited your British nationality from one or both of your parents; usually because you were born outside the UK or a qualifying territory.

British nationality can only descend one generation, so if you are British by descent then your children will only be British if they qualify in their own right by being born in the UK or a qualifying territory; unless their other parent is British otherwise than by descent, in which case see below.

British otherwise than by descent means that you are British in your own right; usually because you were born in the UK or a qualifying territory and at least one of your parents is British or is legally settled in the UK or the qualifying territory where you were born, or by some other means such as naturalisation.

If you are British otherwise than by descent then your children will be British no matter where they are born and no matter the nationality of the other parent.

That is the basics, there are variations depending on when you were born etc. For the full picture see Who already has British citizenship?

If your child is born in Thailand and is British you may wish to register the birth at the British embassy. This is not compulsory and does not replace registration in Thailand nor their Thai birth certificate. Their Thai certificate, plus a notarised translation, should be used whenever their birth certificate is required in the UK; including in British passport applications. See How to register a birth.

To obtain your child's first British passport, see How to apply from Thailand (First time applications) and Steps to apply for a child passport

Taken from British Citizenship Basics.

Thanks, I should clarify that she was born in thailand but a friend has said that she could obtain a british passport if I register her at the british embassy. If he has informed incorrectly, I would be grateful if someone could tell me. My daughter already has a thai passport, which is why I am a little confused.

The question is your status according to post 2. For most born in UK believe child has UK citizenship but there are exceptions as noted in that post.

so if you are British by descent then your children will only be British if they qualify in their own right by being born in the UK or a qualifying territory

If you are British otherwise than by descent she is British and can obtain a British passport.

If you are British by descent she is not British and so cannot obtain a British passport.

Registering her birth at the British embassy is not compulsory and will not change this.

Note that, assuming you are British otherwise than by descent, that in order to obtain her British passport you will need your long form birth certificate, which can be obtained from the General Register Office in the UK if you don't already have it.

(Link takes you to the GRO for England and Wales, but their are links from there to the appropriate office for Scotland and Northern Ireland if required.)

I should add that if you are British by descent, whilst she is not British at present, it is possible to register her as British if certain conditions are met.

See Children born abroad to parents who are British by descent and who have lived in the United Kingdom in the past

Register birth here:

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth

Apply for passport information and fees:

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y/thailand/applying/child

Hi, I want to do the same thing, but my daughter's mother is now out of the picture. Any advice??

Contact the embassy for advise on how to proceed.

Thank you 7by7 and Lopburi3. Excellent and comprehensive information and links. This is really helpful and useful.

Im British, Ex Wife is Thai. My Daughter has a UK Passport and Thai one. Just went to the UK Embassy after daughter was 6 months old and filled in the papers.

Had to have my daughters Birth certificate translated to English, a couple of pictures of her on white background and my UK original birth Certificate .....

Daughters UK passport arrived one week later. No poblem :-)

Edited April 12, 201313 yr by DDuval

i was recently at the passport office in london and was told without registration 'they will not look at the application'

has anyone experienced this or something contradictory recently?

i'd prefer to not spend 10k that isnt required but cant really afford a rejected or ignored application for a passport.

its straight forward at the UK embassy so long as you have all your paperwork translated ,takes a week .

thx giggles,

was that the pp itself or the registration though?

i was recently at the passport office in london and was told without registration 'they will not look at the application'

has anyone experienced this or something contradictory recently?

i'd prefer to not spend 10k that isnt required but cant really afford a rejected or ignored application for a passport.

From Register a birth abroad

A locally-issued birth certificate should be accepted in the UK for all purposes, eg applying for a passport, registering with a school or doctor etc. It might need to be translated and certified if it’s not in English.

thx giggles,

was that the pp itself or the registration though?

i did it all in 1 go ,then went back a week later for PP. 1/2 hour each time

there was another guy there who lost contact with wife and was asking about a DNA test for his kids

If you are British otherwise than by descent she is British and can obtain a British passport.

If you are British by descent she is not British and so cannot obtain a British passport.

Registering her birth at the British embassy is not compulsory and will not change this.

Note that, assuming you are British otherwise than by descent, that in order to obtain her British passport you will need your long form birth certificate, which can be obtained from the General Register Office in the UK if you don't already have it.

(Link takes you to the GRO for England and Wales, but their are links from there to the appropriate office for Scotland and Northern Ireland if required.)

There is an exception to the rule that children of British citizens by descent born abroad are not British. That is the case of a child born abroad to a British parent who is British by descent who can prove that he or she lived full time in the UK for at least 3 years at some time prior to the birth of their child overseas. This involves registering the child as a British citizen and there is a fee of about GBP 700 pounds. Evidence of UK residence would include things like social security payment records.

Indeed, Arkady; I should have said that the child would not automatically be British.

But at least one of the child's British grandparents must be British otherwise than by descent.

See Children born abroad to parents who are British by descent and who have lived in the United Kingdom in the past.

Even if they do not qualify for the above, the parents can apply to register the child if they and the child live in the UK together for at least three years.

See Children born abroad to parents who are British by descent and who are now living in the United Kingdom - section 3(5) application.

In both circumstances registration will be by entitlement, not discretion.

Just had a look back through the topic, Arkady.

You've quoted post 5, see post 6.