To those who are allowed to enter or remain in the UK other than as students: who have some form of British nationality

1 British passports issued after 1983 show the nationality of the holder at the bottom of the first page (in an old style, navy passport) or on the inside of the back cover (in a burgundy, EU passport). This may be any of the following:

• British Citizen; or • British Dependent Territories citizen; or • British Overseas citizen; or • British Subject; or • British Protected Person; or • British National (Overseas)

Persons with the status of British Citizen automatically have the right of abode and are not subject to UK immigration controls. They therefore have no time restriction on the period for which they may stay in the UK.

On 21 May 2002, the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 extended full British Citizenship to British Dependent Territories Citizens (except those who derive their citizenship from a connection with the British Sovereign Base Area of Cyprus). Therefore people who held British Dependent Territories Citizen passports on or before 21 May 2002 now have the right of abode (subject to the exception regarding the Sovereign Base Area of Cyprus).

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 gave some British Overseas Citizens (BOCs), British Protected Persons and British Subjects the right to register as British Citizens, in certain circumstances. A person who has registered will be entitled to a British Citizen passport and may have a ‘Certificate of Registration’ similar to that in example (iv)(a). All other categories of British national are subject to immigration control and their pasports will contain stamps indicating any time limits and conditions on their stay. If they have indefinite leave to remain in the UK (also known as ‘permanent residence’) this will be endorsed in their passport with a stamp or sticker similar to those shown below.

They may also have the following stamp.

2 British passports issued before 1983 will show the nationality status of the holder as:

• British subject, citizen of the UK and colonies; or • British Protected Person; or • British subject without citizenship

If that person is a British citizen under the British Nationality Act 1981 the words reproduced below will appear in the passport.

3 Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK endorsed in a passport

4 Certificate of registration as a British citizen The date towards the bottom right hand corner shows when they became a British citizen and thereby acquired their right of abode in the UK.

(a) ‘Old style’ Certificate of registration:

(b) ‘New style’ Certificate of registration issued from February 2004:

5 Certificate of naturalisation as a British citizen

(a) ‘Old style’ Certificate of naturalisation:

‘New style’ Certificate of naturalisation issued from February 2004: