British Nationality Act 1981

1 Acquisition by birth or adoption. U.K.

(1) A person born in the United Kingdom after commencement [F1 , or in a qualifying territory on or after the appointed day,] shall be a British citizen if at the time of the birth his father or mother is—

(a) a British citizen; or

(b) settled in the United Kingdom [F2 or that territory].

[F3 (1A) A person born in the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory on or after the relevant day shall be a British citizen if at the time of the birth his father or mother is a member of the armed forces.]

(2) A new-born infant who, after commencement, is found abandoned in the United Kingdom [F4 , or on or after the appointed day is found abandoned in a qualifying territory,] shall, unless the contrary is shown, be deemed for the purposes of subsection (1)—

(a) to have been born in the United Kingdom after commencement [F5 or in that territory on or after the appointed day]; and

(b) to have been born to a parent who at the time of the birth was a British citizen or settled in the United Kingdom [F6 or that territory].

(3) A person born in the United Kingdom after commencement who is not a British citizen by virtue of subsection (1) [F7 , (1A)] or (2) [F8 or section 10A] shall be entitled to be registered as a British citizen if, while he is a minor—

(a) his father or mother becomes a British citizen or becomes settled in the United Kingdom; and

(b) an application is made for his registration as a British citizen.

[F9 (3A) A person born in the United Kingdom on or after the relevant day who is not a British citizen by virtue of subsection (1), (1A) or (2) [F10 or section 10A] shall be entitled to be registered as a British citizen if, while he is a minor—

(a) his father or mother becomes a member of the armed forces; and

(b) an application is made for his registration as a British citizen]

(4) A person born in the United Kingdom after commencement who is not a British citizen by virtue of subsection (1) [F11 , (1A)] or (2) [F12 or section 10A] shall be entitled, on an application for his registration as a British citizen made at any time after he has attained the age of ten years, to be registered as such a citizen if, as regards each of the first ten years of that person’s life, the number of days on which he was absent from the United Kingdom in that year does not exceed 90.

[F13 (5) Where—

(a) any court in the United Kingdom [F14 or, on or after the appointed day, any court in a qualifying territory] makes an order authorising the adoption of a minor who is not a British citizen; or

(b) a minor who is not a British citizen is adopted under a Convention adoption [F15 effected under the law of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom],

that minor shall, if the requirements of subsection (5A) are met, be a British citizen as from the date on which the order is made or the Convention adoption is effected, as the case may be.

(5A) Those requirements are that on the date on which the order is made or the Convention adoption is effected (as the case may be)—

(a) the adopter or, in the case of a joint adoption, one of the adopters is a British citizen; and

(b) in a case within subsection (5)(b), the adopter or, in the case of a joint adoption, both of the adopters are habitually resident in the United Kingdom [F16 or in a designated territory].]

(6) Where an order [F17 or a Convention adoption] in consequence of which any person became a British citizen by virtue of subsection (5) ceases to have effect, whether on annulment or otherwise, the cesser shall not affect the status of that person as a British citizen.

(7) If in the special circumstances of any particular case the Secretary of State thinks fit, he may for the purposes of subsection (4) treat the person to whom the application relates as fulfilling the requirement specified in that subsection although, as regards any one or more of the first ten years of that person’s life, the number of days on which he was absent from the United Kingdom in that year or each of the years in question exceeds 90.

(8) In this section and elsewhere in this Act “settled” has the meaning given by section 50 F18 ....

[F19 (9) The relevant day for the purposes of subsection (1A) or (3A) is the day appointed for the commencement of section 42 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (which inserted those subsections).]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 1(1) inserted (21.5.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), Sch. 1 para. 1(2)(a); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

F2 Words in s. 1(1)(b) inserted (21.5.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), Sch. 1 para. 1(2)(b); S. I. 2002/1252, art. 2

F3 S. 1(1A) inserted (13.1.2010) by Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (c. 11), ss. 42(2), 58; S.I. 2009/2731, art. 4(a)

F4 Words in s. 1(2) inserted (21.5.2002) by by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), Sch. 1 para. 1(3)(a); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

F5 Words in s. 1(2)(a) inserted (21.5.2002) by by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), Sch. 1 para. 1(3)(b); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

F6 Words in s. 1(2)(b) inserted (21.5.2002) by by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), Sch. 1 para. 1(3)(c); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

F7 Word in s. 1(3) inserted (13.1.2010) by Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (c. 11), ss. 42(3), 58; S.I. 2009/2731, art. 4(a)

F8 Words in s. 1(3) inserted (1.7.2021) by The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/743), regs. 1(1), 2(2)

F9 S. 1(3A) inserted (13.1.2010) by Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (c. 11), ss. 42(4), 58; S.I. 2009/2731, art. 4(a)

F10 Words in s. 1(3A) inserted (1.7.2021) by The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/743), regs. 1(1), 2(2)

F11 Words in s. 1(4) inserted (13.1.2010) by Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (c. 11), ss. 42(5), 58; S.I. 2009/2731, art. 4(a)

F12 Words in s. 1(4) inserted (1.7.2021) by The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/743), regs. 1(1), 2(2)

F13 S. 1(5)(5A) substituted (1.6.2003) for s. 1(5) by 1999 c. 18, ss. 7(1), 18(3); S.I. 2003/362, art. 2(a)

F14 Words in s. 1(5) inserted (21.5.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), Sch. 1 para. 1(4); S.I. 2002/1252, art. 2

F15 Words in s. 1(5)(b) inserted (30.12.2005) by Adoption and Children Act 2002 (c. 38), ss. 137(4)(a), 148 (with Sch. 4 paras. 6-8); S.I. 2005/2213, art. 2(m)

F16 Words in s. 1(5A)(b) inserted (30.12.2005) by Adoption and Children Act 2002 (c. 38), ss. 137(4)(b), 148 (with Sch. 4 paras. 6-8); S.I. 2005/2213, art. 2(m)

F17 Words in s. 1(6) inserted (1.6.2003) by 1999 c. 18, ss. 7(2), 18(3); S.I. 2003/362, art. 2(a)

F18 Words in s. 1(8) repealed (30.12.2005) by Adoption and Children Act 2002 (c. 38), ss. 137(4)(c), 139(3), 148, Sch. 5 (with Sch. 4 paras. 2, 6-8); S.I. 2005/2213, art. 2(m); S.I. 2005/2897, art. 2(b)

F19 S. 1(9) inserted (13.1.2010) by Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (c. 11), ss. 42(6), 58; S.I. 2009/2731, art. 4(a)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 1 modified (21.12.2018) by The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Parental Orders) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1412), reg. 1(2), Sch. 4 para. 10

C2 S. 1(1) explained by S.I. 1972/1613, art. 6 (as inserted by S.I. 1982/1649, art. 3)

C3 S. 1(3)(4) restricted (4.12.2006) by Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 (c. 13), ss. 58, 62; S.I. 2006/2838, art. 4(1) (subject to art. 4(2))

C4 S. 1(5)(a) modified (6.4.2010) by The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Parental Orders) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/985), regs. 1(1), 5, Sch. 4

C5 S. 1(5A)(a) modified (6.4.2010) by The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Parental Orders) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/985), regs. 1(1), 5, Sch. 4