Loss of British nationality[edit]

Renunciation and resumption of British nationality[edit]

All categories of British nationality can be renounced by a declaration made to the Home
Secretary. A person ceases to be a British national on the date the Home Secretary registers
the declaration of renunciation. If a declaration is registered in the expectation of acquiring
another citizenship but one is not acquired within six months of the registration, it does not
take effect and the person remains a British national.
Renunciations made to other authorities (such as the general renunciation made as part of the
US naturalisation ceremony) are not recognised by the UK. The forms must be sent through
the UK Border Agency's citizenship renunciation process.[70] There are provisions for the
resumption of British citizenship or British overseas territories citizenship renounced for the
purpose of gaining or retaining another citizenship. This can generally only be done once as a
matter of entitlement. Further opportunities to resume British citizenship are discretionary.
British subjects, British Overseas citizens and British Nationals (Overseas) cannot resume
their British nationality after renunciation.
Automatic loss of British nationality[edit]
British subjects (other than British subjects by virtue of a connection with the Republic of
Ireland) and British protected persons lose British nationality upon acquiring any other form
of nationality.

 These provisions do not apply to British citizens.

 British Overseas Territories citizens (BOTCs) who acquire another nationality do not lose
their BOTC status but they may be liable to lose belonger status in their home territory
under its immigration laws. Such persons are advised to contact the governor of that
territory for information.[citation needed]
 British Overseas citizens (BOCs) do not lose their BOC status upon acquisition of
another citizenship, but any entitlement to registration as a British citizen on the grounds
of having no other nationality no longer applies after acquiring another citizenship.[citation
needed]

Deprivation of British nationality[edit]

After the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 came into force British nationals
could be deprived of their citizenship if and only if the Secretary of State was satisfied they
were responsible for acts seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom or
an Overseas Territory.
This was extended under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006; people with
dual nationality who are British nationals can be deprived of their British citizenship if the
Secretary of State is satisfied that "deprivation is conducive to the public good",[71] or if
nationality was obtained by means of fraud, false representation or concealment of a material
fact.[72] There is a right of appeal. This provision has been in force since 16 June 2006 when
the Immigration, Nationality and Asylum Act 2006 (Commencement No 1) Order 2006 came
into force.[73] Loss of British nationality in this way applies also to dual nationals who are
British by birth.[71][74] The Secretary of State may not deprive a person of British nationality,
unless obtained by means of fraud, false representation or concealment of a material fact, if
they are satisfied that the order would make a person stateless. This provision was modified
by the Immigration Act 2014 so as not to require that a third country would actually grant
nationality to a person; British nationality can be revoked if "the Secretary of State has
reasonable grounds for believing that the person is able, under the law of a country or
territory outside the United Kingdom, to become a national of such a country or
territory."[75] The powers to strip citizenship were initially very rarely used. Between 2010
and 2015, 33 dual nationals had been deprived of their British citizenship.[76] In the two years
to 2013 six people were deprived of citizenship; then in 2013, 18 people were deprived,
increasing to 23 in 2014. In 2017, over 40 people had been deprived as of July (at this time
increased numbers of British citizens went to join "Islamic State" and then tried to return).[77]
The Home Office does not issue information on these cases and is resistant to answering
questions,[71] for example under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.[78] It appears that the
government usually waits until the person has left Britain, then sends a warning notice to
their British home and signs a deprivation order a day or two later.[71] Appeals are heard at
the highly secretive Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), where the
government can submit evidence that cannot be seen or challenged by the appellant.[71]
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said in 2018 that until then deprivation of nationality had been
restricted to "terrorists who are a threat to the country", but that he intended to extend it to
"those who are convicted of the most grave criminal offences". The acting director
of Liberty responded “The home secretary is taking us down a very dangerous road. ...
making our criminals someone else’s problem is ... the government washing its hands of its
responsibilities ... Banishment belongs in the dark ages."[76]

Multiple nationality and multiple citizenship[edit]

As of August 2018, there is no restriction in UK law on a British national holding in addition
citizenship of other countries; indeed the Good Friday Agreement explicitly recognises the
right of qualified residents of Northern Ireland to be British, Irish, or both.
Different rules apply to British protected persons and certain British subjects (that do not
apply to British citizens). A person who is a British subject other than by connection with the
Republic of Ireland loses that status on acquiring any other nationality or citizenship,[79] and a
British protected person ceases to be such on acquiring any other nationality or
citizenship.[citation needed] Although British Overseas citizens are not subject to loss of
citizenship, British Overseas citizens may lose an entitlement to register as a British citizen
under s4B of the 1981 Act if they acquire any other citizenship.[citation needed]
A number of other countries do not allow multiple citizenship. If a person has British
nationality and is also a national of a country that does not allow dual nationality, the
authorities of that country may regard the person as having lost that nationality or may refuse
to recognise the British nationality. British nationals who acquire the nationality of a country
that does not allow dual nationality may be required by the other country to renounce British
nationality to retain the other citizenship. None of this affects a person's national status under
UK law.[citation needed]
Under the international Master Nationality Rule a state may not give diplomatic protection to
one of its nationals with dual nationality in a country where the person also holds
citizenship.[citation needed]
A British subject who acquired foreign citizenship by naturalisation before 1949 were
deemed to have lost his or her British subject status at the time[citation needed]. No specific
provisions were made in the 1948 legislation for such former British subjects to acquire or
otherwise resume British nationality, and hence such a person would not be a British citizen
today. However, women who lost British nationality on marriage to a foreign man before
1949 were deemed to have reacquired British subject status immediately before the coming
into force of the 1948 act.[citation needed]
The UK is a signatory to the Convention on the Reduction of Cases of Multiple Nationality
and on Military Obligations in Cases of Multiple Nationality (1963 Strasbourg Convention).
Chapter 1 requires that persons naturalised by another European member country
automatically forfeit their original nationality[80] but the UK ratified only Chapter 2, so the
convention does not limit the ability of British citizens to become dual citizens of other
European countries.[81]