I am a dual citizen!?

Question

Ok i was born in england due to my parents being in the millitary. I have never had to chose whitch one i wanted to keep and i am under the impression that i still hold both. So my question is... Say i wanted to move to england, work and live there, would i have to aply for visas or could i just show them my birth cirtificate? which by the way i have two. One us and one brittish. Another part of this is my wife. Would she be able to live there with me because i am a citizen there or would she have to fill out paper work?

Answer 1

If you were born in England on or before Dec 31, 1982 - yes you are British Citizen just by being born in the UK.  The only exception is if your parents were "diplomats" or "enemy aliens", which American military personnel were not.  If you were born on or after Jan. 1, 1983 you are not a dual citizen (your parents must either be British citizens or have Indefinite Leave to Remain in Britain, which American military personnel did not/do not have).

 

Regarding "choosing citizenship" by a certain age, neither US or UK require this.  Once a citizen, always a citizen.

 

Regarding "employment" in UK, you cannot use birth certificate issued in the year 1983 or after as eligibility for employment.  If you want to move to UK and you are indeed a British citizen, you can apply for your passport - or - you can go to the UK Embassy and ask for a "Right of Abode" stamp in your passport.  Without either of these, you will not be able to find a place to live or a place to work.