Citizenship for Children: Registration Routes

Automatic citizenship at birth

A child born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 is automatically British at birth if at least one parent was, under section 1(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981:

• A British citizen, or
• Settled in the UK (had ILR or was exempt from immigration control)

If neither parent was British or settled at the time of birth, the child is not automatically British, regardless of being born in the UK. See our citizenship by birth guide for the full rules. This is a common misunderstanding. Being born in the UK does not, by itself, make a child British.

For children born outside the UK, automatic citizenship depends on whether the British parent is a citizen "otherwise than by descent". See our citizenship by descent guide for details.

Registration route 1: a parent becomes British or settled (section 1(3))

Section 1(3) applies where a child was born in the UK and a parent has since become a British citizen or become settled. The child is then entitled to be registered as British, provided the application is made while they are still a minor.

This is an entitlement, not a discretionary decision. If the conditions are met, the Home Office must grant registration.

Requirements:

• The child was born in the UK after 1 January 1983
• At least one parent has, since the child’s birth, become a British citizen or obtained indefinite leave to remain. GOV.UK also accepts settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, indefinite leave to enter, and permanent residence status
• The application is made while the child is under 18. Section 1(3) requires the parent’s change of status and the application both to happen while the person is a minor. GOV.UK says: “You must have been born in the UK and be under 18 when you apply.” This route closes on the eighteenth birthday, and an adult cannot use it

Evidence needed:

• The child's UK birth certificate
• The parent's naturalisation certificate or evidence of ILR
• Evidence of the parent-child relationship (birth certificate showing the parent's name)

Registration route 2: the first 10 years in the UK (section 1(4))

A person born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 who was not automatically British, and who has lived here for the first 10 years of their life, is entitled to be registered. This does not depend on the parents’ immigration status at all.

Requirements:

• Born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983
• Lived in the UK for the first 10 years of life
• Not outside the UK for more than 90 days in any one of those 10 years. GOV.UK says to explain on the form if there are special reasons for spending longer abroad

This route has no upper age limit, unlike the section 1(3) route. An adult who was born in the UK and spent their first 10 years here can still use it. The fee differs by age: £1,000 for a child, or £1,540 plus a £130 ceremony fee, £1,670 in total, for an adult.

It matters most for children of families who remain on temporary visas or who have no settled status, because it turns on the child’s own connection to the UK rather than the parents’.

Evidence: the birth certificate, plus evidence of the 10 years of residence, such as school records, GP records and other records that span the period.

Registration route 3: children born abroad (section 3)

For children born outside the UK, registration options include:

All of these are applications made while the child is a minor.

Section 3(2): the parent’s residence before the birth

The conditions are in section 3(3), and there are three of them:

• the parent was a British citizen by descent at the time of the birth;
• that parent’s own father or mother, the child’s grandparent, was a British citizen otherwise than by descent; and
• the parent was in the UK or a qualifying territory at the beginning of a 3-year period ending no later than the birth, and was absent for no more than 270 days in that period.

The grandparent condition is the one most often left out of summaries of this route.

Section 3(5): the family’s residence after the birth

Where the residence comes after the birth rather than before it, section 3(5) applies. It requires that:

• the parent was a British citizen by descent at the time of the birth;
• the child and both parents were in the UK or a qualifying territory at the beginning of the 3-year period ending with the date of the application;
• none of them was absent for more than 270 days in that period; and
• both parents consent, in the prescribed manner.

Section 3(6) modifies the parent and consent requirements where a parent has died, or the marriage or civil partnership has ended, or the parents are legally separated.

Section 3(1): the general discretion

Section 3(1) is the discretionary power: “If while a person is a minor an application is made for his registration as a British citizen, the Secretary of State may, if he thinks fit, cause him to be registered as such a citizen.” It covers cases that do not fit sections 3(2) or 3(5), and unlike them it is not an entitlement.

Children born abroad to a citizen otherwise than by descent

If a parent is a British citizen "otherwise than by descent" (born in the UK or naturalised), their child born abroad is automatically British by descent. No registration is needed, but you will need to apply for a passport.

Registration route 4: historical provisions

Several registration routes exist to correct historical injustices:

• Section 4C: for people born before 1 January 1983 who would automatically have become British if women had been able to pass on citizenship at the time. GOV.UK says an applicant under section 4C only needs to pay the ceremony fee, currently £130, and no application fee. The paper form is UKM.
• Sections 4G, 4H and 4I: for people born before 1 July 2006 whose British father was not married to their mother, who would have been British had the parents been married.
• Section 4L: discretionary registration where a person would have become a British citizen but for historical legislative unfairness, an act or omission of a public authority, or exceptional circumstances.
• Stateless children: a child born in the UK who holds no nationality may be registered under Schedule 2 to the British Nationality Act 1981, using form S2 or S3.

The good character guidance says it does not apply to applications under the statelessness provisions in Schedule 2, nor to applications under sections 4B, 4C, 4G, 4H or 4I, among others.

The registration process

1. Identify the correct registration route and section of the BNA 1981.
2. Complete the MN1 form (or the appropriate form for your route).
3. Gather supporting documents.
4. Pay the fee. It is £1,000 for a child, with a further £130 for a ceremony only if the child turns 18 during the application. A section 4C application has no application fee.
5. Submit the application.
6. Enrol biometrics. GOV.UK says a child under 5 does not need to provide fingerprints but must have a digital photograph taken, and a child under 16 must attend with the person named as the responsible adult on the application.
7. Wait for a decision. GOV.UK says you will usually get one within 6 months, and will be told before 6 months have passed if yours will take longer. See citizenship processing times.
8. If approved, the child receives a certificate of registration. A citizenship ceremony is only required for applicants aged 18 or over.

The fee

The fee to register a child fell from £1,214 to £1,000 in the fee table in force from 8 April 2026. It is one of the few nationality fees that went down rather than up. We do not publish an estimate of what the application costs the Home Office to process, because the fee table does not give one.

Two published reliefs exist, and both are limited to under-18s:

• Looked-after children pay nothing. The fee waiver guidance says that where an application is made by or for a child looked after by a local authority, “a fee is not payable, and it is not necessary for the child’s financial circumstances to be evidenced”. GOV.UK tells such applicants not to request a fee waiver, and to give evidence of the looked-after status when applying.
• An affordability fee waiver can be requested by anyone under 18 who is eligible to register. There is no equivalent for adults: the guidance says in terms that there is no fee waiver available for citizenship applications made by adults.

If you cannot afford the fee, check whether a fee waiver is available. You may also be able to get help from charities that support families with immigration costs. See our UK visa fees guide for broader context on costs.

Good character for children

The good character requirement applies differently to children:

• Under 10: it does not apply. The guidance says it “applies to a person who is aged 10 or over at the date of application”.
• 10 to 17: it applies, but the guidance says caseworkers must take account of mitigation relevant to the child’s circumstances. It notes that sentencing guidelines adjust sentences for a child’s age and understanding, so a child is less likely to reach the refusal thresholds, and that discretion may be exercised where a child’s criminality would otherwise mean a lifetime refusal.
• Looked-after children: the guidance tells caseworkers to consider asking whether the child wishes to include additional representations made on their behalf by the local authority.

The requirement does not apply at all to some routes. The guidance lists applications under the statelessness provisions in Schedule 2, and under sections 4B, 4C, 4G, 4H and 4I, among others, as outside its scope.

Common situations

You got ILR after your child was born in the UK

Use Section 1(3). Your child is entitled to registration. Apply with the MN1 form, providing your ILR evidence and the child's birth certificate.

Your child was born in the UK and has lived here for 10 years

Use Section 1(4). The child is entitled to registration regardless of your immigration status.

You became British and want to register a child born abroad

If you are British “otherwise than by descent”, the child born abroad is already British by descent, so apply for a passport rather than registering. If you are British “by descent”, look at section 3(2), which needs your own 3-year residence before the birth plus a grandparent who was British otherwise than by descent, or section 3(5), which needs the child and both parents to have been in the UK for the 3 years before the application.

Your child has no nationality (stateless)

If your child was born in the UK and has no other nationality, they can be registered as British under Schedule 2. See our citizenship solicitor vs DIY guide to decide if you need legal help with the application.

Questions and answers