Minor adopted under UK adoption order (s.1(5) BNA) automatically becomes BC if at least one adoptive parent is BC; Hague 1993 + Adoption and Children Act 2002 for overseas adoptions.
Born in UK after 1983-01-01; at least one parent is BC or settled in UK at time of birth.
Person born in UK before 1983-01-01 was CUKC; at 1983 partition, became BC, BOTC, or BOC depending on connection.
Born in BOT (one of 14); at least one parent is BOTC or settled in that BOT.
Newborn found abandoned in UK presumed BC; stateless child born in UK with 5y residence may register.
Born outside UK to parent who is BC otherwise than by descent.
Born outside UK to BC parent serving Crown abroad in designated UK service — bypasses 'by descent' limitation.
Minor of BC-by-descent parent, with 3y UK residence, may register as BC.
Pre-1983 CUKC by descent transitioned at partition to BC, BOTC, or BOC depending on connection.
Born outside BOT to BOTC parent (analogous structure to s.2 for BC).
Pre-1997 BN(O) cohort — limited transmission via Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986; closed for new descent post-handover.
Anyone born before 1983-01-01 who would have been BC if BNA 1981 had been gender-neutral may register; broadened by NIAA 2002 → BCIA 2009 → NABA 2022.
Born outside UK to BC parent serving in HM Armed Forces; entitled to register.
Persons who were CUKC immediately before 1983-01-01 became BC, BOTC, or BOC depending on connection per Schedule 6 BNA 1981.
Persons domiciled in UK or Dominions on 1948-12-31 became British Subjects under BNA 1948 s.1; mostly closed cohort.
Commonwealth citizens UK-resident before 1973 with auto Right of Abode under IA 1971 §2(1)(d); Windrush remedial framework.
Hong Kong CUKC cohort pre-1986 → BN(O) registration window 1986-01-01 to 1997-06-30.
British Dependent Territories Citizens (BDTC) renamed to BOTC by BOTA 2002 §1; substantive status preserved.
Cross-bucket alias of GB-NAT-02; tracked as MAR for marriage-route surfacing in queries.
Pre-2002 spouse registration under BNA 1981 s.8 — REPEALED by NIAA 2002.
BC parent serving Crown abroad in designated UK service transmits BC by descent (s.2(1)(b)) without 'by descent' limitation; covers HM Forces overseas service.
Adult of full age and capacity, 5y UK residence, ILR 12+ months, good character, language test (English/Welsh/Scots Gaelic), Life in UK test.
Adult married/CP to BC, 3y UK residence (no separate post-ILR period), good character, language + Life in UK test.
Stateless person born in UK 5y residence; or stateless minor 5y residence (Sch.2 paragraphs 3-4).
BN(O) holder + dependants apply via BN(O) Visa scheme (since 2021-01-31); 5y residence → ILR; 1y ILR → BC under §6(1) standard naturalisation.
BOTC with substantial connection automatically registered as BC under BOTA 2002 §3.
BOC may be registered as BC under §4 discretionary provisions; specific measures for Hong Kong East-Asian residents 1989-1990s.
Person who renounced BC under §12 may resume status: §13(1) entitled (one resumption only) for non-by-descent; §13(3) discretionary subsequent.
Secretary of State may deprive BC of citizenship if conducive to public good (s.40(2)) or fraud (s.40(3)); Begum/Pham/2025 UKSC cluster (N3, U3, Kolicaj) defines scope.
Appeals lie to FTT (IAC) → UT (IAC); s.40A(2)(a) certified cases (national security) go to SIAC.
Bilateral UK-IE arrangement permitting freedom of movement + RoA reciprocity; preserved through Brexit; underpins §4AA Irish-citizen registration.
Irish citizen with 5y UK residence may register as BC under BNA 1981 §4AA (inserted by BN(IC) 2024 §1).
Affected Commonwealth + their families register without fee via Windrush Scheme launched 2018-05-30; Williams Lessons Learned Review 2020-03-19; NABA 2022 §11-12 expansions.
Jersey + Guernsey + Isle of Man residents may acquire BC via parental link (UK BNA applies); distinct from BOTC framework.
EU/EEA/Swiss + family members under EUSS settled status (post-2019) → 5y residence + 1y ILR-equivalent → BC under §6(1) standard naturalisation.