I would like a British passport?

Question

I am a Vietnamese married to an Englishman. He has lived in Veitnam for three years and will stay here for a long time. I would like a British passport. Is this possible?

Answer 1

Reside in UK and apply for a British citizenship.

Answer 2

You need to be a British citizen yourself to be able to get a British passport. Not everything goes through the husband now you actually need to pull a bit of weight there.

Requirements for a person applying as the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen

The person applying must:

a. be aged 18 or over;

b. not be of unsound mind;

c. be of good character;

d. have sufficient knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic (see Note 1);

e. have a sufficient knowledge about life in the United Kingdom (see Note 1);

f. be the husband, wife or (from 5 December 2005) the civil partner of a British citizen on the date the application is received; and

g. meet the residential requirements set out in the next paragraph below.

The residential requirements are that:

a. the person applying was in the United Kingdom (see Note3) at the beginning of the three-year period that ended on the date the application is received;

b. on the date the application is received, the applicant's stay in the United Kingdom is not subject to any time limit under the immigration laws (see Note 5);

c. in the three-year period, he or she was not outside the United Kingdom for more than 270 days;

d. in the last 12 months of that three-year period, he or she was not outside the United Kingdom for more than 90 days; and

e. he or she was not at any time in that three-year period, in the United Kingdom in breach of the immigration laws (see Note 6).

Answer 3

In order to have a British passport, you must be a British citizen.  Here are the basic requirements - as the spouse of a British citizen, you must:

Hold indefinite leave to remain in the UK (or an equivalent such as Right of Abode or Irish citizenship); have lived legally in the UK for three years; and show sufficient knowledge of life in the UK, either by passing the Life in the United Kingdom test or by attending combined English language and citizenship classes.