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British Nationality Act 1981

Status:

This is the original version (as it was originally enacted).

  1. Introductory Text

  2. 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 Dependent Territories citizens etc.

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

      6. 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 "

  3. PART II British Dependent 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 dependent 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 Dependent Territories citizens at commencement

    4. Renunciation and resumption

      1. 24.Renunciation and resumption

    5. Supplementary

      1. 25.Meaning of British Dependent Territories citizen " by descent"

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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. 41.Regulations and Orders in Council

    7. 42.Registration and naturalisation: general provisions

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

    9. 44.Decisions involving exercise of discretion

    10. 45.Evidence

    11. 46.Offences and proceedings

    12. 47.Legitimated children

    13. 48.Posthumous children

    14. 49.Registration and naturalisation under British Nationality Acts 1948 to 1965

    15. 50.Interpretation

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

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

    18. 53.Citation, commencement and extent

  7. SCHEDULES

    1. SCHEDULE 1

      Requirements for Naturalisation

      1. Naturalisation as a British citizen under section 6(1)

        1. 1.(1) Subject to paragraph 2, the requirements for naturalisation as...

        2. 2.If in the special circumstances of any particular case the...

      2. Naturalisation as a British citizen under section 6(2)

        1. 3.Subject to paragraph 4, the requirements for naturalisation as a...

        2. 4.Paragraph 2 shall apply in relation to paragraph 3 with...

      3. Naturalisation as a British Dependent Territories citizen under section 18(1)

        1. 5.(1) Subject to paragraph 6, the requirements for naturalisation as...

        2. 6.If in the special circumstances of any particular case the...

      4. Naturalisation as a British Dependent Territories citizen under section 18(2)

        1. 7.Subject to paragraph 8, the requirements for naturalisation as a...

        2. 8.Paragraph 6 shall apply in relation to paragraph 7 with...

      5. Periods to be treated as periods of absence from U.K. or a dependent territory

        1. 9.(1) For the purposes of this Schedule a person shall...

      6. Interpretation

        1. 10.In this Schedule " the relevant territory" has the meaning...

    2. SCHEDULE 2

      Provisions for Reducing Statelessness

      1. Persons born in the United Kingdom after commencement

        1. 1.(1) Where a person born in the United Kingdom after...

      2. Persons born in a dependent territory after commencement

        1. 2.(1) Where a person born in a dependent territory after...

      3. Persons born in the United Kingdom or a dependent territory after commencement

        1. 3.(1) A person born in the United Kingdom or a...

      4. Persons born outside the United Kingdom and the dependent territories after commencement

        1. 4.(1) A person born outside the United Kingdom and the...

      5. Persons born stateless before commencement

        1. 5.(1) a person born before commencement shall be entitled, on...

      6. Supplementary

        1. 6.If in the special circumstances of any particular case the...

    3. SCHEDULE 3

      Countries Whose Citizens are Commonwealth Citizens

    4. SCHEDULE 4

      Amendments of Immigration Act 1971

      1. 1.In this Schedule "the 1971 Act" means the Immigration Act...

      2. 2.For "patrial"— (a) where it occurs in the provisions of...

      3. 3.(1) For "certificate of patriality", wherever (except in section 33(1))...

      4. 4.In section 3(7) of the 1971 Act (powers available where...

      5. 5.In section 8(5) of the 1971 Act, for the words...

      6. 6.In section 25(5) of the 1971 Act (extension of provisions...

      7. 7.In section 33 of the 1971 Act (interpretation)—

    5. SCHEDULE 5

      Form of Oath of Allegiance

      1. Oath of allegiance

    6. SCHEDULE 6

      British Dependent Territories

    7. SCHEDULE 7

      Consequential Amendments

      1. ACT OF SETTLEMENT (12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2.)

      2. LEGITIMACY DECLARATION ACT 1858 (c. 93)

      3. SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH ACT 1885 (c.49)

      4. BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT 1948 (c.56)

      5. IRELAND ACT 1949 (c.41)

        1. 1.In section 3(1)(a) (certain provisions not affected by fact that...

        2. 2.For section 7(2) (interpretation of references to protectorates etc. by...

      6. DEFAMATION ACT 1952 (c.66)

      7. DEFAMATION ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1955 (all) (N.I.)

      8. CYPRUS ACT 1960 (c.52)

      9. EMERGENCY LAWS (RE-ENACTMENTS AND REPEALS) ACT 1964 (c.60)

      10. DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES ACT 1964 (c.81)

      11. COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT ACT 1966 (c.10)

      12. WEST INDIES ACT 1967 (c.4)

        1. 1.In section 13(3) (power to make changes in nationality or...

        2. 2.In Schedule 3 (modifications of British Nationality Acts)—

      13. MARINE ETC. BROADCASTING (OFFENCES) ACT 1967 (c. 41)

      14. ANTARCTIC TREATY ACT 1967 (c.65)

      15. FUGITIVE OFFENDERS ACT 1967 (c. 68)

      16. CONSULAR RELATIONS ACT 1968 (c.18)

      17. TANZANIA ACT 1969 (c.29)

      18. INCOME AND CORPORATION TAXES ACT 1970 (c. 10)

        1. 1.For " section 1(3) of the British Nationality Act 1948...

        2. 2.In section 214, after subsection (5) insert—

      19. MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT 1970 (c.36)

        1. 1.In section 70(3) (meaning of " British seamen " in...

        2. 2.In section 93(3) (meaning of " independent Commonwealth country" in...

      20. HIJACKING ACT 1971 (c.70)

      21. CIVIL AVIATION ACT 1971 (c. 75)

      22. PROTECTION OF AIRCRAFT ACT 1973 (c.47)

      23. CHILDREN ACT 1975 (c.72)

        1. 1.In Part II of Schedule 1 (adoption orders)—

        2. 2.In Schedule 2 (status conferred in Scotland by adoption)—

      24. ADOPTION ACT 1976 (c.36)

      25. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT 1977 (c.49)

      26. SOLOMON ISLANDS ACT 1978 (c.15)

      27. ADOPTION (SCOTLAND) ACT 1978 (c.28)

      28. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (SCOTLAND) ACT 1978 (c.29)

      29. STATE IMMUNITY ACT 1978 (c.33)

      30. DEEP SEA MINING (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) ACT 1981 (c. 53)

        1. 1.In section 1 (prohibition of unlicensed deep sea mining)—

        2. 2.In section 14(3) (persons who may be guilty of offences...

    8. SCHEDULE 8

      Transitional Provisions

      1. Applications for naturalisation or registration pending at commencement

        1. 1.(1) This paragraph applies to any application—

        2. 2.Where a person who has been registered or to whom...

      2. Registration at U.K. consulate, after commencement, of certain births occurring in foreign countries less than a year before commencement

        1. 3.(1) This paragraph applies to a person born less than...

      3. Declarations by certain persons who by virtue of an Order in Council under section 4 of the Cyprus Act 1960 have ceased to be citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies

        1. 4.(1) Where— (a) a person has before commencement duly made...

      4. Applications for certificates of patriality pending at commencement

        1. 5.Any application for a certificate of patriality under the Immigration...

      5. Appeals under Part II of Immigration Act 1971

        1. 6.Where a person who has been refused a certificate of...

        2. 7.Any appeal under Part II of the Immigration Act 1971...

        3. 8.In relation to appeals against any decision taken or other...

    9. SCHEDULE 9

      Repeals

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