UK Act of Parliament 1981 c. c. 61 United Kingdom

British Nationality Act 1981

Enforced by
Home Office
Status
Amended (in force with amendments)
Penalty ceiling
Regulated

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Plus 5 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.

What it requires

Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1

British Citizenship

2 of 28 sections shown
s.004 Acquisition by registration: certain persons without other citizenship Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must register eligible persons as British citizensCrown / Minister / Government department
s.005 Acquisition by registration: British overseas territories citizens having connection with Gibraltar (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Home Office must register eligible Gibraltarians as British citizensCrown / Minister / Government department
26 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.004 Acquisition by registration: further provision for British overseas territories citizens
s.004 Acquisition by registration: Irish citizens
s.004 Acquisition by registration: certain persons born before 1983
s.004 Acquisition by registration: children of members of the armed forces
s.004 The general conditions
s.004 Person unable to be registered under other provisions of this Act
s.004 Person unable to become citizen automatically after commencement
s.004 Citizen of UK and colonies unable to become citizen at commencement
s.004 Other person unable to become citizen at commencement
s.004 Sections 4E to 4I: supplementary provision
s.004 Acquisition by registration: certain British overseas territories citizens
s.004 Acquisition by registration: special circumstances
s.010 Acquisition in connection with immigration rules Appendix EU
Part 2

British overseas territories citizenship

0 of 20 sections shown
20 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.017 Registration: remedying inability of mothers to transmit citizenship
s.017 Registration: unmarried fathers; the general conditions
s.017 Person unable to be registered under other provisions of this Act
s.017 Person unable to become citizen automatically after commencement
s.017 Citizen of UK and Colonies unable to become citizen at commencement
s.017 Other person unable to become citizen at commencement
s.017 Sections 17B to 17F: supplementary provision
s.017 Acquisition by registration: descendants of those born in British Indian Ocean Territory
s.017 Acquisition by registration: special circumstances
Part 3

British Overseas Citizenship

0 of 4 sections shown
Part 4

British Subjects

0 of 6 sections shown
Part 5

Miscellaneous and Supplementary

3 of 25 sections shown
s.036 Provisions for reducing statelessness. (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Home Office must implement measures to reduce statelessnessCrown / Minister / Government department
s.041 Registration: requirement to be of good character Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Home Office must ensure citizenship applicants are of good characterCrown / Minister / Government department
s.044 Decisions involving exercise of discretion. (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Government must ignore race, colour, or religion in nationality decisionsCrown / Minister / Government department
22 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.040 Deprivation of citizenship: appeal
s.040 Review of power under section 40(4A)
s.042 Registration and naturalisation: fee
s.042 Registration and naturalisation: timing
s.044 Waiver of requirement for full capacity
s.050 Meaning of references to being in breach of immigration laws
s.050 Immigration restrictions to be disregarded in certain cases
Schedules

Schedules

0 of 67 shown
67 other schedules
s.sch001 (1) Subject to paragraph 2, the requirements for naturalisation as...
s.sch001 In this Schedule “the relevant territory” has the meaning given...
s.sch001 (1) This paragraph applies for the purposes of this Schedule....
s.sch001 (1) If in the special circumstances of any particular case...
s.sch001 (1) A person has a qualifying immigration status for the...
s.sch001 Subject to paragraph 4, the requirements for naturalisation as a...
s.sch001 Paragraph 2 shall apply in relation to paragraph 3 with...
s.sch001 (1) Subject to paragraph 3(5), a person has a qualifying...
s.sch001 (1) The qualifying period for the purposes of paragraph 1...
s.sch001 (1) Subject to paragraph 6, the requirements for naturalisation as...
s.sch001 (1) If in the special circumstances of any particular case...
s.sch001 Subject to paragraph 8, the requirements for naturalisation as a...
s.sch001 Paragraph 6 shall apply in relation to paragraph 7 with...
s.sch001 (1) For the purposes of this Schedule a person shall...
s.sch002 (1) Where a person born in the United Kingdom after...
s.sch002 (1) Where a person born in a British overseas territory...
s.sch002 (1) A person born in the United Kingdom or a...
s.sch002 (1) A person born in the United Kingdom or a...
s.sch002 (1) A person born outside the United Kingdom and the...
s.sch002 (1) A person born before commencement shall be entitled, on...
s.sch002 If in the special circumstances of any particular case the...
s.sch004 In this Schedule “the 1971 Act” means the Immigration Act...
s.sch004 For “patrial”— (a) where it occurs in the provisions of...
s.sch004 (1) For “certificate of patriality”, wherever (except in section 33(1))...
s.sch004 In section 3(7) of the 1971 Act (powers available where...
s.sch004 In section 8(5) of the 1971 Act, for the words...
s.sch004 In section 25(5) of the 1971 Act (extension of provisions...
s.sch004 In section 33 of the 1971 Act (interpretation)—
s.sch004a Deprivation of Citizenship without notice: judicial oversight
s.sch004a Deprivation without notice: application to Special Immigration Appeals Commission
s.sch004a Deprivation of citizenship without notice: review
s.sch004a Interpretation
s.sch005 The form of citizenship oath and pledge is as follows...
s.sch005 The form of citizenship oath and pledge is as follows...
s.sch005 The form of citizenship oath is as follows for registration...
s.sch005 The form of citizenship oath is as follows for registration...
s.sch006 Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory Cayman...
s.sch007 In section 3(3) (persons prohibited from broadcasting whilst on or...
s.sch007 In section 1(3) (person prohibited from harming Antarctic flora and...
s.sch007 In paragraph 3 of Schedule 11 (territorial extent)— in the...
s.sch008 (1) This paragraph applies to any application—
s.sch008 Where a person who has been registered or to whom...
s.sch008 (1) This paragraph applies to a person born less than...
s.sch008 (1) Where— (a) a person has before commencement duly made...
s.sch008 Any application for a certificate of patriality under the Immigration...
s.sch008 Where a person who has been refused a certificate of...
s.sch008 Any appeal under Part II of the Immigration Act 1971...
s.sch008 In relation to appeals against any decision taken or other...
s.schedule/7/crossheading/adoption/act/1976/c/36_par In section 47(2) (nationality enactments)— (a) in paragraph (a), for...
s.schedule/7/crossheading/adoption/scotland/act/1978 In section 41(2) (nationality enactments)— (a) in paragraph (a), for...
s.schedule/7/crossheading/consular/relations/act/196 In section 1(2) (meaning of certain terms in Schedule 1),...
s.schedule/7/crossheading/diplomatic/privileges/act/ For section 3(2) (disregard, in connection with citizenship of children...
s.schedule/7/crossheading/emergency/laws/reenactment In section 9 (territorial extent of Part I), in subsection...
s.schedule/7/crossheading/fugitive/offenders/act/196 . . . .
s.schedule/7/crossheading/income/and/corporation/tax . . . .
s.schedule/7/crossheading/national/health/service/sc In paragraph 3 of Schedule 10 (territorial extent)—
s.schedule/7/crossheading/solomon/islands/act/1978/c In section 6 (construction of nationality provisions)—
s.schedule/7/crossheading/state/immunity/act/1978/c/ In section 4(5) (definition of “national of the United Kingdom”),...
14 other provisions
s.para.121 Bermuda
s.para.122 British Antarctic Territory
s.para.123 British Indian Ocean Territory
s.para.124 Cayman Islands
s.para.125 Falkland Islands ...
s.para.126 Gibraltar
s.para.128 Montserrat
s.para.129 Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
s.para.131 St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
s.para.132 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
s.para.133 The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (that is...
s.para.134 Turks and Caicos Islands
s.para.135 Virgin Islands.

Connected legislation

Instruments made under this Act. They carry the detail the Act delegates.

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.