UKF Query

[dylsmith8]

Hi all,

Quick query, my father was born in the UK before 1983 and my mother in South Africa. I was born in 1994 in South Africa as well but my mother and father were never married.

Is the UKF form the correct form to fill? Or can I apply for a passport directly without attempting to register as a British citizen via the UKF form? Just want to ensure I am doing the correct thing before I spend the money on the application fee and risk it being rejected.

Assistance would be much appreciated

[CR001]

Is the UKF form the correct form to fill?

Yes

Or can I apply for a passport directly without attempting to register as a British citizen via the UKF form?

As far as I understand, no you cannot as your parents were not married meaning you are not automatically British.

[dylsmith8]

Is the UKF form the correct form to fill?

Yes

Or can I apply for a passport directly without attempting to register as a British citizen via the UKF form?

As far as I understand, no you cannot as your parents were not married meaning you are not automatically British.

Awesome thanks. I see you have an SA flag on your profile but am not sure how familiar you are with South Africa's birth certificates. But as per the requirements set out in UKF, I will require a birth certificate with my father's name on it (an "unabridged certificate" in South African terms), but as you may or may not know, SA's Home Affairs are notoriously useless at doing their job and I believe the Home Office doesn't always accept the standard, printed unabridged birth certificate that SA Home Affairs issues so I have to obtain a "vaulted" cert which can take up to a year or more (horrendous, I know). Do you know if the Home Office accept apostille documents (i.e. my birth certificate) as proof of paternity?

[CR001]

Awesome thanks. I see you have an SA flag on your profile but am not sure how familiar you are with South Africa's birth certificates.

I am South African, from Joburg (but am also British, live in London)

But as per the requirements set out in UKF, I will require a birth certificate with my father's name on it (an "unabridged certificate" in South African terms), but as you may or may not know, SA's Home Affairs are notoriously useless at doing their job and I believe the Home Office doesn't always accept the standard, printed unabridged birth certificate that SA Home Affairs issues so I have to obtain a "vaulted" cert which can take up to a year or more (horrendous, I know). Do you know if the Home Office accept apostille documents (i.e. my birth certificate) as proof of paternity?

A Vault copy and unabridged birth cert should not take that long. It usually takes a few months.

The birth certificate you want to apostille, is this one issued at the time of your birth and does it list both your parents?? You do realise that Home Affairs would have to do the Apostille as far as I am aware. That is what the embassy in London told me and that I would wait for a year or more for this to be done.

[dylsmith8]

Awesome thanks. I see you have an SA flag on your profile but am not sure how familiar you are with South Africa's birth certificates.

I am South African, from Joburg (but am also British, live in London)

But as per the requirements set out in UKF, I will require a birth certificate with my father's name on it (an "unabridged certificate" in South African terms), but as you may or may not know, SA's Home Affairs are notoriously useless at doing their job and I believe the Home Office doesn't always accept the standard, printed unabridged birth certificate that SA Home Affairs issues so I have to obtain a "vaulted" cert which can take up to a year or more (horrendous, I know). Do you know if the Home Office accept apostille documents (i.e. my birth certificate) as proof of paternity?

A Vault copy and unabridged birth cert should not take that long. It usually takes a few months.

The birth certificate you want to apostille, is this one issued at the time of your birth and does it list both your parents?? You do realise that Home Affairs would have to do the Apostille as far as I am aware. That is what the embassy in London told me and that I would wait for a year or more for this to be done.

Cool thanks, always helps with a fellow saffer around do you reckon I should go to Home Affairs and request the vault copy of my unabridged birth cert? Was reading somewhere that it takes horribly long so i thought getting an apostille version at a high court would be quicker but seems not from your previous post. I'd like to wrap up my citizenship by the end of 2018, if at all possible, not how realistic this is though considering the snail pace at which Home Affairs does things. I also have concerns that the Home Office may not accept it because it wasn't issued within 12 months of my birth, as stipulated in the form.

[CR001]

do you reckon I should go to Home Affairs and request the vault copy of my unabridged birth cert?

They are two different things. A Vault copy is a certified copy of the birth register (your parents would have completed this by hand), held in Pretoria. An unabridged is a printed version on yellow HA paper stating your and your parents details.

Was reading somewhere that it takes horribly long

It can, but often doesn't, especially since your birth is not that long ago.

The birth certificate you have, what details does it show/hold etc.?

Where are you based in SA?

[dylsmith8]

They are two different things. A Vault copy is a certified copy of the birth register (your parents would have completed this by hand), held in Pretoria. An unabridged is a printed version on yellow HA paper stating your and your parents details.

Oh ok cool, I wasn't aware of that. So the vault copy is the one I need to apply using UKF?

The birth certificate you have, what details does it show/hold etc.?

Its the abridged version with only my mother's name on it.

Where are you based in SA?

In Port Elizabeth

[CR001]

They are two different things. A Vault copy is a certified copy of the birth register (your parents would have completed this by hand), held in Pretoria. An unabridged is a printed version on yellow HA paper stating your and your parents details.

Oh ok cool, I wasn't aware of that. So the vault copy is the one I need to apply using UKF?

Vault copy should suffice but no harm in getting the unabridged one too.

The birth certificate you have, what details does it show/hold etc.?

Its the abridged version with only my mother's name on it.

Are you sure it is an abridged version? Abridge only states the child's name not the parents, which is the Unabridged one. Are you sure your father's name appears on your birth records?

Where are you based in SA?

In Port Elizabeth

Oh thought you might be in Joburg as I would have suggest a particular HA office that is very good.

[dylsmith8]

They are two different things. A Vault copy is a certified copy of the birth register (your parents would have completed this by hand), held in Pretoria. An unabridged is a printed version on yellow HA paper stating your and your parents details.

Oh ok cool, I wasn't aware of that. So the vault copy is the one I need to apply using UKF?

Vault copy should suffice but no harm in getting the unabridged one too.

The birth certificate you have, what details does it show/hold etc.?

Its the abridged version with only my mother's name on it.

Are you sure it is an abridged version? Abridge only states the child's name not the parents, which is the Unabridged one. Are you sure your father's name appears on your birth records?

Where are you based in SA?

In Port Elizabeth

Oh thought you might be in Joburg as I would have suggest a particular HA office that is very good.

Cool, I'll attempt to get the vault copy and unabridged asap. I believe my certificate only has my mothers name on it, but will double check when I get home from work. Might be a subjective answer to this question but Is it worth going through a paid service to help expedite this process?

[CR001]

Might be a subjective answer to this question but Is it worth going through a paid service to help expedite this process?

Your choice but they do charge quite a bit as far as I understand.

HA is much better than they used to be I believe. When I ordered all my vault copies and birth certs for myself, my daughter and my mother in 2008, my daughters (born 1995) took 3 or 4 months. Mine (born in the 70's) took about 6 months but my mothers hadn't all arrived by the time I left SA in December 08 and I had applied in March 08. I only got my mothers unabridged printed version after 6 months but not the vault copy and assume it is still lying somewhere in Joburg