Registering for citizenship

[NoahH]

Hi,

I was born in the UK in 1997, I've recently turned 18. My mum is a British citizen, born in Morocco, who lived in the UK for over 30 years. My dad is from NZ. When I was born my dad made me a NZ citizen, not a British one. When I was four my family moved to Australia, where I live now. As far as I can tell on the government website, I do not need to register for British citizenship—I was born after 1983 to a British citizen.

So my question is: I know I'm not a British citizen, so how do I become one? What other avenue is there for me to become formally recognised as a citizen? On my birth certificate it says I'm a NZ citizen, I've only ever had a NZ passport (I've never lived there, it's ridiculous), so what is the process to change this. It seems it would be pretty straightforward comparatively, but the fact that I "don't need to register" has stumped me.

Thanks for the help!

[CR001]

Was your mother British Citizen at the time of your birth?

If the answer is yes to the above question, you would automatically British and could apply for a passport directly.

You can't 'change' your citizenship. You would simply be a citizen of two countries (UK and NZ).

[NoahH]

Really? Fantastic, thanks!

[secret.simon]

If your mother was a British citizen (presumably through descent, as she was born in Morocco) at the time of your birth and you were born in the UK, you are a British citizen "otherwise than by descent" by operation of the law. You needn't have exercised your citizenship in the past for it to come into existence.

As you are a British citizen "otherwise than by descent", your children will be British by descent wherever in the world they are born (the same case as your mother), but your grandchildren will be British only if born in the UK (like you).

You have two choices;
a) You can apply for a British passport, which will also allow you to stay and work or study in any EEA country (EU+Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).
b) You can apply for a Certificate of Entitlement-Right of Abode, which is a sticker in your passport that allows you to stay in the UK, but is internal to the UK only.

As you have turned 18 recently, being a British citizen, you can apply as a home student and are eligible for student loans in the UK (provided you have stayed anywhere in the EEA in the preceding three years). You could also look at universities in the Netherlands and Germany that conduct courses in English and the Erasmus EU programme. Welcome on board.