eligibility for british passport if mother was naturalized.?

Donna	I just wanted to throw another suggestion in the pot. If your grandparents are/were UK citizens (which Scotland is) then apply for an ancestry visa (if you aren't eligible for citizenship) This will at least get your foot in the door, and in a few yrs you could apply for citizenship in your own right. Good luck Donna

The Dark Side	Before 2002, Australia did not allow dual citizenship, but there was an exception for migrants whose former country did not revoke their citizenship. Anyway, who is British is governed by British law so for this purpose we can ignore Australian law and just concentrate on the British kind. British nationality law was radically revised with effect from 1/1/83 so it all depends whether you were born before or after that. If you were born before 1983, you are not a British citizen as under the British Nationality Act 1948, British nationality could only be passed on by a British father who was married to the mother. British mothers didn't count. After 1982, either parent counts. So if you were born in 1983 or later, you are and always have been a British citizen by descent. If you want a British passport, all you need to prove your eligibility for it is your own full birth certificate showing details of parents and your mother's full English birth certificate. If that has gone missing, you can order a replacement acceptable to the British High Commission in Canberra from http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ . There is also a retrospective provision. If you were born before 1983, you can become a British citizen by registration by virtue of having a British mother, and once you have your registration certificate you can use that to get a British passport. http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/eligibility/registration/britishmother/ So either way, you are eligible for a British passport (just rather more expensive if you were born before 1983 because of having to register as a British citizen first!) And if you have a British passport showing your national status as a British citizen, which it will, you will be able to work in the UK without a visa. And, for that matter, anywhere else in the European Union thanks to the freedom of movement rules in the EU treaties. I'm so sorry to hear that your mum passed away at such a young age. She has, however, left you with the legacy of being actually or potentially British as well as Australian and I wish you all the best for whatever you want to do with your life.

Phil	If you were born after 1 Jan 83 and your mother was a British citizen at the time, you are eligible (in fact you are a citizen and you apply for a passport). If when she naturalized she went to British High Commission and renounced her citizenship then she lost that citizenship, and if it was before you were born, then you are out of luck. However, if she did not do that, but merely swore to Australia that she renounced, Britain does not recognize that renunciation. Before 1983, as a general rule British nationality could only be transmitted from the father through one generation only, and parents were required to be married. The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act of 2009 provides that a person born outside the UK to a British mother may be entitled to register as a British citizen by descent if that person was born before 1 January 1983. Requirements for successful registration are that the applicant be of good character and attend a citizenship ceremony. http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/othernationality/Britishcitizenship/bornoverseas/ Now then, I suggest you contact the Border Agency section dealing with nationality questions. Phone: 0845 010 5200 Email: ukbanationalityenquiries@ukba.gsi.gov.uk Opening Hours: Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) 0900 - 1700. I suggest you contact the