Can I register as a British citizen if I was born before 1983 to a British mother?

This page provides details of how a person born before 1983 to a British mother can register as a British citizen, using application form UKM.

You should read the information in this section and the Guide UKM document before you apply. You will need to pay a fee when you apply; if your application is unsuccessful because you are not eligible for registration using form UKM, we may not refund your full fee.

You can download the form and guide from the How do I register? page.

The requirements you must meet

You may be eligible to register as a British citizen if:

1. you were born before 1 January 1983; and
2. you would have become a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by descent if women had been able to pass this citizenship on to their children in the same way as men at the time of your birth; and
3. you would have had the right of abode in the UK and have become a British citizen on 1 January 1983, if you had become a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies; and
4. you are of good character.

It is important that you meet all of these requirements. You cannot register using form UKM unless you would automatically have become a British citizen on January 1983 if women had been able to pass citizenship on before that date. Many applications using form UKM fail because the applicant meets requirement 2 but not requirement 3.

You will not qualify for registration if you would have become a British overseas citizen or a British dependent territories citizen on 1 January 1983, if women had been able to pass citizenship on before that date.