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[bio]

Hi There

I am currently applying for my wifes first UK passport via descent. She falls under born: Before 01/01/1983 outside the UK...Her father was British born, married to her Mother at the time of birth, so she was legitimate and a UK citizen at birth, though born in NZ. Her father absconded when she was a baby ..

We have these documents...

Her fathers Birth Certificate,

her parents marriage certificate,

her mothers old black UK passport gained from the marriage showing her mother as a UK citizen. It was issued after my wifes birth, the children section is blank and the photo is missing.

We have all my wifes documentation,birth certificate showing her fathers details, Nursing ID, Commonwealth passport, Drivers licence, Statuatory declaration of name change..

My problem is that as we are applying through Wellington and the website lists documents you "MUST HAVE" as "Fathers UK Passport". We don't have it and can't get it, her father is long gone..

Will this be enough ? I rang the UK passport careline, they told me It wasn't necessary, but every British passport office has a different list. US yes, South Africa no. NZ yes. It is a legitimate claim to British Citizenship, though if it won't succeed we will use the spousal route.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. What a nightmare to get all that together and fall at thew last hurdle!

Here is the documents required link.

http://ukinnewzealand.fco.gov.uk/en/hel ... supporting

Thanks again

[Christophe]

The father's passport can't be completely necessary, because not every father in such a situation would have even have had a passport. The fact that the child was born overseas and that the child's mother was married to the child's British-born father doesn't, after all, preclude the fact that the child could have been born outside the United Kingdom without the father being there at the time.

I realise that this situation doesn't apply in this case, but its possibility does mean that it must be possible to apply successfully for a British passport without the father's passport.

[Jambo]

I agree.

A passport can't be a MUST document as the father can be British without holding a British passport.

If applied from the UK, father's passport is not needed. You can provide the father's birth certificate (See Table B on page 15 of the passport guidance notes). I can't see a reason for it to be different if applied from abroad.