Passport Application

[coughdrop]

I know someone who was born in Malaysia 1960,s to British parents (Father was in the army) now wanting apply for a passport he has been told that he needs to prove that his father was indeed British - his birth certificate clearly gives rank of his father etc....has anyone else come across this problem???

[bhg481]

I know someone who made a point of avoiding the situation arising - he was working in France with his family but his wife came back to the UK for the birth of their children.

[Buenchico]

Plenty of people who've served in the British Army haven't been British (e.g. the Brigade of Gurkhas), so the fact that the person's father was in the Army doesn't prove his nationality.

He needs to get hold of a copy of his father's birth certificate:
https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

[Islay]

Yes I know someone born in Hong Kong to forces parents every time he renews he has hassle!

[EDDIE51]

The occupation of the father is on the birth certificate but NOT the nationality. As said there are a huge number of Non British citizens in the army. There was an even larger % of foreigners in the army back in the 1960s .
I had the same problem for my Daughter, she was born in Zambia , she needed my birth certificate for her 1st passport. Renewals are simple as the old passport confirms her nationality, you only need to prove nationality the first time.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah me ( and eddie )

the difficulty arises that someone born abroad to british parents - the parents should register the birth with the British High Commission / Embassy like pronto within a year or so. Earlier on if you didnt do that you didnt get the nationality so things have become easier and not more difficult surprisingly.

from a discusssion a few years ago - I dont think eddie had ....
I thought his daughter was Zambian to be honest ....

My parents were born in Pretoria and Bombay and I keep their passports for fambly use - both were naturalised.

and yes King George and his senior commanders did not give a toss about the nationality of people joining up in 1939 so long as they could carry a rifle and shoot Germans .....

in short it is the crappy side of the end of empire ....

[Peter Pedant]

I was told it was impossible to take my father s nationality in the seventies if he had failed to register it with his embassy at my birth
that is I had the right but I had lost it thro inaction

almost every country has varied the common law / international law position of nationality ( jus gentium, jus soli blah blah blah ) by its own legislation. And I think it is governed by the law at the time of application and not the time of birth

[EDDIE51]

I drove all the way from Kalalushi in the Copperbelt to the capital Lusaka, over 300 miles to register the birth with the British High Commission. I got the birth registered at the Zambian registrar of births deaths and marriages and had the original and 4 copy's of the birth certificate. Then took them to the High Commission and registered my daughter on my wife's passport. In those days 1976 you could do that , a child could travel on the parents passport, now of course they need their own from birth. I also lodged a copy of my daughters Zambian birth certificate with the High Commission. That turned out to be a Godsend as the Zambian registrar,which was a small wooden hut!, burnt to the ground shortly afterwards and destroyed the entire nations records of birth deaths and marriages! Zambia still has no central record of births, deaths and marriage in the country from any time before 1977 as they were all burnt! Try explaining that to a passport official!

[Peter Pedant]

oops sozza eddie
missed that in the last discussion

[EDDIE51]

No problem PP.

[malana3]

I am an ex-service man and my son was born in Malaysia in 1959. As he was born in the British Military Hospital his birth was recorded in London with no problem. His application for a passport when he was about 25 was also no problem. Have you checked if your friend was born in what was technically British territory?

[coughdrop]

Thank you all for thoughts on this topic...the birth was in a Military Hospital & a British Birth certificate was issued...the Fathers birth certificate is now being sent with yet another passport application, watch this space as they say! Thanks again.