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Hello all,

I plan on applying for a British passport 'by descent': My mother was born in London in the '50s and was a British Citizen, and I was born in '84 in the USA. As far as I can see, this entitles me to claim UK citizenship 'by descent' (correct?).

My problem: On her birth certificate her name is listed as Mary, where as on mine it's listed as Maureen. Her middle name and birthday is the same on both. Now, having Irish lineage, it is obvious to me that Maureen is the diminutive of Mary and that the two documents refer to the same person. I fear that this will be less obvious to whomever is processing the application, though.

Anyone had a similar experience? Do you think this will present an issue?

Thanks!

I did not know that Maureen was a diminutive of Mary. Well, I learnt something new today.

AnOxonian wrote:Do you think this will present an issue?

Yes. I am not of Irish (or native British) heritage and I was not aware of this. There is a reasonable chance that the person processing your application may fail to appreciate it too.

You may wish to explain this fact in a cover letter along with your application. You will also need her marriage certificate to explain the change of last name (if she changed her name after her marriage).

AnOxonian wrote:My mother was born in London in the '50s and was a British Citizen, and I was born in '84 in the USA. As far as I can see, this entitles me to claim UK citizenship 'by descent' (correct?).

Correct. You are a British citizen by descent. You will then also be aware that any children born to you outside the UK will not be British by birth.

It may well be the case that Maureen is the Irish cognate for Mary, but the fact remains, that 2 different names were on your birth certificate and your mother's birth certificate.

In the absence of an Affidavit and a DNA proof that she is indeed your mother, you will encounter difficulties.

Simply saying Maureen is the Irish cognate for Mary will not sell at all.

Thanks guys. I realise now that it's simply incorrect having 'Maureen' on any legal documents, so my plan is just to go back and have my US-issued birth certificate changed to show her name as 'Mary'. So far that seems pretty straight-forward to accomplish.

Million thanks,
Tom