Check if you're a British citizen

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Born in the UK from 1 July 2021 onwards

Whether you’re a British citizen depends on where your parents were from and their circumstances. There are different rules if when you were born:

  • at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen
  • at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country
  • neither of your parents was a British, Irish, EU or EEA citizen

You’re a British citizen automatically if you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court.

If at least one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen when you were born

You’ll be a British citizen if when you were born at least one of your parents was either:

  • a British citizen
  • an Irish citizen living in the UK

If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born

You’re a British citizen automatically if when you were born all the following applied to at least one of your parents:

If your parent had ‘permanent residence’ status

‘Permanent residence’ status stopped being valid on 1 July 2021.

This means that if you were born on or after 1 July 2021 you did not automatically have British citizenship, in most cases.

You will still be a British citizen automatically if both of the following are true:

  • your parent with permanent residence status had applied for settled status on or before 30 June 2021
  • you were born before they got a decision on their application

If your parent was granted settled status after 30 June 2021

If you’re not a British citizen already, you will become a British citizen automatically if you were born before your parent got settled status if they applied either:

  • on or before 30 June, and did not have permanent residence status
  • after 30 June, but had ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying before this date, and would have met the settled status criteria if they’d been able to apply by this date

In either case, you will become a British citizen automatically from the date they were granted settled status.

Countries that are in the EU or the EEA, or have equal status (other than the UK and Ireland)

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden were in the EEA by 30 April 2006.

Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but it is part of the single market.

Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on 1 January 2007.

Croatia joined the EU on 1 January 2013.

If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born

You’re a British citizen automatically if when you were born at least one of your parents was living in the UK and had any of the following:

  • indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
  • right to re-admission
  • right of abode

You’re also a British citizen automatically if at least one of your parents was in the UK armed forces and you were born after 12 January 2010.

You can check if your parents had ILR, right of abode or right to re-admission.

If your parents were exempt from immigration control when you were born

Some workers are exempt from immigration control - for example, foreign diplomats posted in the UK, members of NATO, or certain European organisations. You’ll have been told if you’re exempt from immigration control.

People who are exempt from immigration control do not need to apply for settled status, but they can do if they want to.

You’ll be a British citizen automatically if both of the following are true:

  • your parent chose to apply for settled status while they were exempt from immigration control (or within 90 days of stopping being exempt)
  • you were born after they were granted settled status

You’ll become a British citizen automatically from the day your parent is granted settled status if all of the following are true:

  • you were born before your parent was granted settled status
  • your parent would have been eligible for settled status on 30 June 2021, but did not apply because they were exempt from immigration control
View a printable version of the whole guide

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