Notes on the FCDO list of approved British English-language names and descriptive terms for countries
Updated 25 March 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
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FCDO country names
Country code
The 2-letter ISO 3166-1 code or equivalent for the country/territory.
Name
The common English name of the country/territory.
Official name
The official title used by the State itself (translated into English where appropriate).
Name for citizen
The name used for a citizen of the country/territory. This is not necessarily the formal legal name, but is rather an informal all-purpose and essentially non-legal way of referring to the inhabitants of the country concerned. The name is not designed to denote ethnicity.
Overseas Territories
Country/Territory
The 2-letter ISO 3166-1 code or equivalent for the Overseas Territory.
Name
Refers to the common English name of the Overseas Territory.
Official name
The official title used for the Overseas Territory (translated into English where appropriate).
Name for citizen
The name used for the inhabitant of the Overseas Territory. This is not regarded as the formal legal name but as an informal all-purpose and essentially non-legal way of referring to the inhabitants of the Overseas Territory concerned. In particular, it should be noted that no Overseas Territory has its own citizenship; nevertheless, those who are born or naturalised in an Overseas Territory, or who have some other relevant connection with it, will normally be British Overseas Territory Citizens under Part II of the British Nationality Act 1981. Under the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, those who held British Dependent Territories Citizenship were (other than those whose citizenship was derived solely from connection with the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus) granted British Citizenship. The same Act also changed the name “British Dependent Territories” to “British Overseas Territories” and the name “British Dependent Territories Citizenship” to “British Overseas Territories Citizenship”.
Crown Dependencies
Country/Territory
The 2-letter ISO 3166-1 code or equivalent for the Crown Dependency.
Name
The common English name of the Crown Dependency.
Official name
The official title used for the Crown Dependency (translated into English where appropriate).
Name for citizen
The name used for an inhabitant of the Crown Dependency. This is not regarded as their formal legal name or status but as an informal all-purpose and essentially non-legal way of referring to the inhabitants of the Crown Dependency concerned. In particular, it should be noted that no Crown Dependency has its own citizenship; the British Nationality Act 1981 confers British Citizenship on all those with close connections with the UK, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.