Who is a British national (overseas)?

This page explains who has the status of British national (overseas).

If you are not already a British national (overseas), you cannot apply to become one. But if you have a connection with a British overseas territory, you may be a British citizen, British overseas territories citizen or British overseas citizen. See British overseas territories citizens.

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.

On 30 June 1997, when sovereignty of Hong Kong returned to China, British overseas territories citizens lost that citizenship if they were connected only with Hong Kong. Special rules were introduced in 1986 to allow British overseas territories citizens from Hong Kong to acquire the new status of British (national) overseas.

British overseas territories citizens from Hong Kong who did not register as British nationals (overseas) and had no other nationality or citizenship on 30 June 1997 became British overseas citizens on 1 July 1997.

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.