How to give up British citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British subject status or British national (overseas) status

This page will help you decide whether you can give up (renounce) your British citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British subject status or British national (overseas) status and explains how to do it.

We call giving up your citizenship renouncing. If you successfully give up your British citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British subject status or British national (overseas) status you will receive a declaration of renunciation.

Applications in this category are made using application form RN. Before you make your application to give up your citizenship you should read guide RN - declaration of renunciation of British citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British subject status and British national (overseas) status. This guide provides full details of the requirements you need to meet and how to complete the application form.

If you have any further questions, you can contact us.

Can I give up my citizenship?

If you are a British citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, a British overseas citizen, a British subject or a British national (overseas), you may give up your citizenship or status if you:

  • already have another citizenship or nationality; or
  • are going to get another citizenship or nationality after you have given up your British citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British subject status or British national (overseas) status.

In addition to this, you must also be:

  • aged 18 or over (but if you are under 18 and have been married, we will treat you as meeting the age requirement); and
  • of sound mind (but if you are not of sound mind, you may still be allowed to give up your British citizenship or other British nationality if it would be in your best interests).

You may need to give up more than one citizenship

If you are a British citizen, you may also be a British overseas territories citizen, a British national (overseas), a British overseas citizen, or a British subject.

If you were a British overseas territories citizen, a British dependent territories citizen, a British national (overseas), or a British overseas citizen, and you then registered or were naturalised as a British citizen, you did not automatically lose your original citizenship and you should therefore check whether you need to give up any other citizenship you may have.

However, if you were a British subject, you lost that status when you gained another citizenship or nationality, unless you were a former citizen of Eire who had been a British subject before 1949.

If you were a British dependent territories citizen only because you had a connection with Hong Kong immediately before 1 July 1997, you stopped being a British dependent territories citizen on that date.

If you became a British national (overseas), you now cannot be a British overseas territories citizen solely by connection with the former dependent territory of Hong Kong. You can be a British overseas territories citizen only if you have that citizenship by connection with another British overseas territory.

(Before 26 February 2002, British overseas territories and British overseas territories citizenship were known as British dependent territories and British dependent territories citizenship.)

How to give up your citizenship

You can give up your British citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British subject status or British national (overseas) status by completing the declaration on form RN. If you hold more than one of these citizenships, you can give them up together on one form.

You will stop being a British citizen, British overseas territories citizen, British overseas citizen, British subject or British national (overseas) on the date your declaration is registered by the Home Secretary. The date will be shown on your copy of the form.

The declaration affects only your status and does not affect the status of any other member of your existing family.

If we register your declaration because you expect to gain another citizenship, you must do that within six month of the registration. If you do not, the registration will not take effect and you will remain a British citizen, British overseas territories citizen, British overseas citizen, British subject or British national (overseas).

Resuming your citizenship after giving it up

If you give up British citizenship or British overseas territories citizenship, you are allowed (only once) to resume that citizenship if it was necessary for you to give it up so that you could keep or gain some other citizenship. For details of how to do this, see resuming citizenship.

If you give up British citizenship more than once, or for another reason, the Home Secretary may allow you to resume your citizenship, depending on the circumstances.

If you give up British overseas territories citizenship more than once, or for another reason, the Governor of the British overseas territory concerned may allow you to resume your citizenship, depending on the circumstances.

If you give up British overseas citizenship, British subject status or British national (overseas) status, you cannot resume it.

Application forms

Declaration of renunciation of British citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British national (overseas) status or British subject status

  • Form RNPDF 241KB opens in a new window
  • Guide RNPDF 250KB opens in a new window
Choose a different form

See also

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Terms explained

  • British citizenship

    British citizenship is given to people who have a close connection with the United Kingdom, which includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. A close connection may be by birth, adoption, descent, marriage, registration or naturalisation.

  • British dependent territories citizenship

    Now known as a British overseas territories citizen. You will be a British overseas territories citizen if you are connected with a British overseas territory because you, your parents or your grandparents were born, registered or naturalised in that British overseas territory. (See British overseas territories.)

  • British dependent territory

    Now known as British overseas territories. The territories are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands and Dependencies, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, St Helena and Dependencies, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands. (The sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia do not count as qualifying territories for nationality purposes.)
    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were the dependencies of the Falkland Islands, but were not dependent territories between 3 October 1985 and 3 December 2001.
    Hong Kong stopped being a British dependent territory on 30 June 1997 when sovereignty returned to China. St Christopher and Nevis was a British dependent territory until 18 September 1983, when it became an independent Commonwealth country.

  • British national (overseas)

    A person who was a British overseas territories citizen by connection with Hong Kong was able to register as a British national (overseas) before 1 July 1997. It is no longer possible to become a British national (overseas).

  • British overseas citizen

    British overseas citizenship is a category of British citizenship that was gained by certain residents of Hong Kong on 30 June 1997, when sovereignty of Hong Kong returned to China.

  • British overseas territories citizen

    You will be a British overseas territories citizen if you are connected with a British overseas territory because you or your parents were born, registered or naturalised in that British overseas territory. If you were born before 1 January 1983, you may gain the citizenship through your grandparents. (See British overseas territory.)

  • British overseas territory

    These were formerly known as the British dependent territories. The territories are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands and Dependencies, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, St Helena and Dependencies, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands. (The sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia do not count as qualifying territories for nationality purposes.)

    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were the dependencies of the Falkland Islands, but were not British overseas territories between 3 October 1985 and 3 December 2001.

    Hong Kong stopped being a British overseas territory on 30 June 1997 when sovereignty returned to China. St Christopher and Nevis was a British overseas territory until 18 September 1983, when it became an independent Commonwealth country.

  • British subject

    Until 1949, nearly everyone with a close connection to the United Kingdom was called a British subject. All citizens of Commonwealth countries were British subjects until January 1983. Since that date, very few categories of people have qualified as British subjects. It is a form of British nationality.

All glossary terms