Key Takeaways
- There a 6 types of British Nationality.
- Only 2 types are also British citizens: British Overseas Territories Citizen, and British Citizen.
- Only citizens have the additional Right of Abode, Right to vote, the right to travel visa-free to over 170 countries, and other rights as well.
- Citizenship can be acquired through: birth/adoption, descent, or naturalization.
What is the difference between British citizenship and British nationality?
“British nationality” is a broad term, encompassing at least 6 different current official meanings plus different historical meanings. British citizenship is only one type of British nationality.
Just because you are a British national, and even if you are have a British passport, doesn’t mean you are a British citizen.
Do you have a British passport but you are not sure if you are a British citizen or just a British national? Learn about The 6 Types of British Nationality.
What is British Citizenship?
Full British citizenship gives you all the rights British citizens are entitled to
- the “right of abode” in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) – that is, the right to live and work
- the right to vote in elections
- the right to run for public office
- the right to apply for occupations restricted to citizens.
- visa-free access access to over 170 countries (with a passport).
However, British citizenship no longer entitles you to European Union citizenship.
Getting British Citizenship:
There are only three ways to get full British citizenship:
- acquiring British citizenship through birth (or adoption)
- acquring British citizenship through naturalization
This website is intended to help British citizens getting their passports through descent, so taht’s what our information focuses on.
