Is dual citizenship available to me?

Question

My father was born and raised in England. He moved to America when he married my mother and was a still a British citizen when I was born. Years later he went through the process of getting his American citizenship.

My mother and father both tell my sister and I that we could apply for dual citizenship if we wanted. I am wondering if this is true and how I would go about doing this?

Thanks.

Answer 1

depends on when you were born. After 1983 yes. before 1983 no. If you wish to pursue this see below.

Answer 2

For children wanting UK citizenship via the father through descent there is no time frame (the time frame is mainly for adopted children or those born out of wedlock). You just need to be legitimate (born in wedlock to obtain dad's citizenship) and you get it automatically.

To confirm this status what you need to do is you get your dad's and your birth certificate, your parents marriage certificate (which shows your right to UK citizenship) and apply for the passport.

There is no other confirmation of citizenship available in your name but the passport (you can't get the child's birth registered if they're over a year old at the UK embassy).

The first link goes to the UK embassy in Canada (which is always easier to determine if you're born British or have the right to determine if you are eligible for a UK passport) and the second is to the UK embassy in the USA. Just download all the forms and fill them out.

Answer 3

Yes, you can have dual citizenship by descent, says Wikipedia.  To go about doing that, I'd imagine step one would be contacting the British Embassy.