Thread: british passport

Yes
just down load the forms from the pommy embassy web site

Depends if your a ba$tard or not.

Seriously. I have a British passport and there were a couple of basic criteria. Your father has to be a british subject and your parents had to be married at the time of your birth.

I had to produce an original of my father's birth certificate and an original of my parent's marriage certificate.

The only real benefit of having it is if

a) you intend to stay for a really long time and work (12 months +)
b) you intend to do a lot of travel through Europe (the EC passport is easier to get through the member immigration points)
c) if people you are travelling with also have one, otherwise you will zip through and still have to wait ages for them to get through.

If none of these apply, then I wouldn't bother. If I travel to the UK for a short time, I just go on the Aussie passport.

HTH
Dave

You should also be able to get a "certificate of entitlement" in your Oz passport if a parent/grandparents born in UK. Used to be called Right of Abode. If you just want easier entry in the Brit passport queue then have a look at that. Forms on website.

Originally Posted by Panya

You should also be able to get a "certificate of entitlement" in your Oz passport if a parent/grandparents born in UK. Used to be called Right of Abode. If you just want easier entry in the Brit passport queue then have a look at that. Forms on website.

When I got mine in 2002 it was called an Ancestry Visa, but it didn't entitle me to use the British queue at Immigration. Has this changed?

You can get an Irish passport if you have an Irish grandparent. Several friends have them. Onus of proof is totally on you.

I got my british passport because my mum is originally from the UK, however it was much easier for me because when I was born my parents made arrangements for me to get a british birth certificate despite not being born in the UK.

If you don't have a british birth certificate you will have to prove your heritage. (sorry if this was already said in the posts above, I just quickly glossed over them )

Instead of getting a British passport, just have your Australian passport stamped with the "right of abode visa" gives you the same rights as having a British passport.

I had this when i went overseas, save jumping through hoops for another passport.

Baz.

If you don't want to work while in the UK and are not staying more than a tourist visa will allow am not sure there is any advantage in a UK passport.

Even when moving around in the EU an Australian passport can be an advantage. Check where you want to go as most places do not require a pre arranged visa so there is no UK passport advantage there.

Gone are the days when France used to require a visa a month in advance that had to be collected from the Embassy in London where they only looked at 100 applications a day all of which had to be made in person. This visa required the day and place of entry and same for leaving and it was not changeable once in the passport.

Have many times gone through immigration control in European countries faster than EU passport holders as there are only a couple of us and 100 EU passports to check. Even had this at Heathrow once on a flight back here from Australia when it seemed there were only a handfull of us foreigners on the plane. On most internal European flights I can go and collect the bags before the UK members of the party have cleared British passport / immigration control.