Can you lose your British Citizenship if you live abroad?

How Long Can You Stay Outside of the UK as a British Citizen?

British citizens can stay outside of the UK for as long as they wish without worrying about it affecting their citizenship status.

This is because British citizens are under no obligation to live in, or even visit, the UK in order to retain their citizenship and their UK passport. British citizens can even live permanently in other countries around the world for indefinite periods of time and still retain their citizenship.

However, there are two potential situations where a British citizen may have their citizenship status removed whilst abroad.

The first is if they voluntarily renounce their citizenship.

The second is if they have their citizenship forcibly revoked by the UK government, which can only happen in certain exceptional circumstances.

These two circumstances are expanded upon below.

Renouncing British Citizenship While Abroad

An individual may voluntary renounce their British citizenship and give up their British passport if they no longer wish to be a citizen of the United Kingdom.

The most common reason for this is if an individual wishes to become a citizen of another country that does not allow dual citizenship.

As previously stated, British citizens can live abroad for indefinite periods of time without their status being affected, so individuals should not renounce their British citizenship if the only thing they wish to do is live outside of the UK in a foreign country for extended periods of time.

In order to renounce citizenship status, an individual must fulfil all of the following criteria. They must:

• Be 18 or over
• Be of sound mind (unless it is decided for them that it’s in their best interests)
• Either already possess another citizenship or nationality, or plan to get another after renouncing British citizenship

Applications to renounce a person’s British citizenship can either be made online through the gov.uk website or by post.

British Citizenship Revoked While Abroad

It is possible to have your UK citizenship revoked under Section 40 of the British Nationality act 1981, with the Home Secretary having the power to take away your citizenship either through nullity or deprivation.

Nullity is when the individual has been granted citizenship but was never the intended person. For example, if the applicant provided false information – such as providing the wrong name, place of birth, date of birth, and nationality – or if the applicant used someone else’s identity or a false identity when applying for citizenship and it should never have been granted in the first place.

Deprivation of citizenship when the applicant has committed fraud, made false representations or concealed facts.

UK citizens can also have their citizenship revoked by the government if the government believes it will be in the public interest to do so. This can often involve a person who is involved with terrorism, espionage, have committed war crimes, are involved in serious organised crime or unacceptable behaviours.

As long as an individual abides by British and international law and has not engaged in any deceptive or fraudulent behaviour when obtaining citizenship, they can safely live anywhere in the world without worrying about their citizenship status being affected.

Appealing against losing British Citizenship

If you do have your British citizenship status revoked you may be given the chance to appeal the decision under section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981 via a first-tier tribunal.

However, the Act also confirms the right to appeal is not available if the decision by the UK government was done so for national security reasons and is based on information that should remain secret. Although you may still appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

How Can IAS Help?

A certificate of British Citizenship is an important document that proves your right to live and work in the UK indefinitely without being subject to any immigration restrictions.

If you have any questions or concerns about British citizenship status, IAS can help. We are expert legal advisers specialising in UK immigration law, with years’ worth of experience helping individuals with their immigration issues. We can help establish your eligibility for a certificate of entitlement, assist you throughout the application process, and even liaise with the Home Office to keep track of your application as it gets processed.

For more information about the services we offer and how we can help you, get in touch with us today on 0333 305 9375, or talk to us online today.