British Nationality Act 1981

4 (1) A person born outside the United Kingdom and the [F1 British overseas territories] after commencement shall be entitled, on an application for his registration under this paragraph, to be so registered if the following requirements are satisfied, namely— U.K.

(a) that that person is and always has been stateless; and

(b) that at the time of that person’s birth his father or mother was a citizen or subject of a description mentioned in sub-paragraph (4); and

(c) that that person was in the United Kingdom or a [F2 British overseas territory](no matter which) at the beginning of the period of three years ending with the date of the application and that (subject to paragraph 6) the number of days on which he was absent from both the United Kingdom and the [F1 British overseas territories] in that period does not exceed 270.

(2) A person entitled to registration under this paragraph—

(a) shall be registered under it as a citizen or subject of a description available to him in accordance with sub-paragraph (3); and

(b) if more than one description is so available to him, shall be registered under this paragraph as a citizen of whichever one or more of the descriptions so available to him is or are stated in the application under this paragraph to be wanted.

(3) For the purposes of this paragraph the descriptions of citizen or subject available to a person entitled to registration under this paragraph are—

(a) in the case of a person whose father or mother was at the time of that person’s birth a citizen of a description mentioned in sub-paragraph (4), any description of citizen so mentioned which applied to his father or mother at that time;

(b) in any other case, a British subject under this Act.

(4) The descriptions referred to in sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) are a British citizen, a [F3 British overseas territories citizen] , a British Overseas citizen and a British subject under this Act.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Sch. 2 para. 4 substituted (26.2.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), s. 1(1)(b)

F2 Words in Sch. 2 para. 4 substituted (26.2.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), s. 1(1)(b)

F3 Words in Sch. 2 para. 4(4) substituted (26.2.2002) by British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), s. 2(2)(b)