#254075 - 13/04/2005 12:06
British Passport for a Yank?
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addict
Registered: 13/07/2002
Posts: 634
Loc: Jesusland
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Since my Dad was born in Oldham, England it's my understanding that I can apply for a British Passport. Would there be an advantage for me to go ahead and get one or would it more or less be a novelty item? Anyone know anything about this?
Thanks!
Jerz
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#254076 - 13/04/2005 14:20
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Jerz]
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veteran
Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
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Will the yanks lets you?
While you might be entitled to UK citizenship, getting it might require you to drop US citizenship - some countries do permit dual citizenship. Genixa should know the UK specifics as he is british, I'm from the next island west and different rules apply.
As for an advantage, you could travel to Cuba, and move around & work in the EU, other then that I can't think of anything.
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#254077 - 13/04/2005 14:28
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Phoenix42]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Quote:
While you might be entitled to UK citizenship, getting it might require you to drop US citizenship - some countries do permit dual citizenship.
A friend of mine has dual US/UK citizenship. I think he had it from birth though. They do keep changing the rules.
Peter
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#254078 - 13/04/2005 14:40
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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The current policy of the US Department of State allows dual citizenship, but I don't know if it allows acquiring it after birth. I believe it does, as the policy change had to do with whether acquiring citizenship from another country implicitly meant revoking your US citizenship, and now it doesn't.
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Bitt Faulk
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#254079 - 13/04/2005 14:45
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Here are the relevant documents:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html
http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_778.html
Specifically:
Quote:
In light of the administrative premise discussed above, a person who:
(1) is naturalized in a foreign country;
(2) takes a routine oath of allegiance or
(3) accepts non-policy level employment with a foreign government
and in so doing wishes to retain U.S. citizenship need not submit prior to the commission of a potentially expatriating act a statement or evidence of his or her intent to retain U.S. citizenship since such an intent will be presumed.
When, as the result of an individual's inquiry or an individual's application for registration or a passport it comes to the attention of a U.S. consular officer that a U.S. citizen has performed an act made potentially expatriating by Sections 349(a)(1), 349(a)(2), 349(a)(3) or 349(a)(4), the consular officer will simply ask the applicant if there was intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship when performing the act. If the answer is no, the consular officer will certify that it was not the person's intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship and, consequently, find that the person has retained U.S. citizenship.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#254080 - 13/04/2005 15:05
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Jerz]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Be honest. You just want it so you can pretend you're James Bond.
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#254081 - 13/04/2005 15:22
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: tfabris]
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addict
Registered: 13/07/2002
Posts: 634
Loc: Jesusland
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#254082 - 13/04/2005 15:24
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Phoenix42]
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addict
Registered: 13/07/2002
Posts: 634
Loc: Jesusland
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Quote:
As for an advantage, you could travel to Cuba, and move around & work in the EU, other then that I can't think of anything.
OK, I'm sold where do I sign?
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#254083 - 13/04/2005 15:29
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: wfaulk]
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addict
Registered: 13/07/2002
Posts: 634
Loc: Jesusland
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Quote:
The current policy of the US Department of State allows dual citizenship, but I don't know if it allows acquiring it after birth. I believe it does, as the policy change had to do with whether acquiring citizenship from another country implicitly meant revoking your US citizenship, and now it doesn't.
Excellent, I believe you're right! I'll have to see what else I need so far I've got my dad's birth certificate and his parents' marriage certificate.
I just need to figure out where to apply.
Jerz
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#254084 - 13/04/2005 15:40
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Jerz]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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This looks like useful information.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#254085 - 13/04/2005 15:51
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: wfaulk]
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addict
Registered: 13/07/2002
Posts: 634
Loc: Jesusland
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Quote:
This looks like useful information.
Indeed! I was just looking at that website.
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#254086 - 13/04/2005 17:24
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Jerz]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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Would you be eligible for health care in england? That could turn out to be usefull someday, though hopefully you'll never be in a position that you'd need it.
The other thing to consider might be tax disadvantages. I assume you're not liable for income tax to both countries, but you never know. Wasn't there some musician/singer who couldn't go back to england because he wouldn't pay them tax on his (quite large) earnings from abroad?
Matthew
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#254087 - 13/04/2005 17:39
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: matthew_k]
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addict
Registered: 13/07/2002
Posts: 634
Loc: Jesusland
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Quote:
Would you be eligible for health care in england? That could turn out to be usefull someday, though hopefully you'll never be in a position that you'd need it.
Another excellent point... You're right hopefully I'd never need it but it will be an option.
Quote:
The other thing to consider might be tax disadvantages. I assume you're not liable for income tax to both countries, but you never know.
Let's hope not or else my dad would be in a heap of trouble since he's been working here for quite some time and isn't even a US citizen (he's been here since he was 9) but does pay taxes to the US.
Jerz
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#254088 - 13/04/2005 19:11
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: matthew_k]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
Would you be eligible for health care in england?
Personal experience: emergency health care in Britain is free even to aliens unless you are admitted to hospital.
On the other hand, having full-on free health care might be nice if it turns out that a round trip to England costs less than a long-term medical problem under your US health insurance. Plus you'd get a free vacation out of it.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#254089 - 13/04/2005 19:27
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
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Except he'd be dead of old age by the time the NHS got to him.
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#254090 - 13/04/2005 19:29
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: wfaulk]
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old hand
Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
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Quote:
On the other hand, having full-on free health care might be nice if it turns out that a round trip to England costs less than a long-term medical problem under your US health insurance. Plus you'd get a free vacation out of it.
Depends on what the problem is.... you couldn't rely on booking a holiday and having it sorted during that period, even if you had a cast-iron guarantee that you were booked in. It is fairly common for non-emergency surgery to be cancelled anything up to five minutes prior to the surgery itself, usually due to staff shortages.
Then you have to escape MRSA! My next door neighbour went in for a pacemaker and got it all along the operation wound. He did recover after a month or so but died a month later - we all think it did knock him back substantially and must have played a part in his death.
Gareth
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#254091 - 13/04/2005 19:33
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: g_attrill]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Yeah, but having an open-ended round-trip ticket is probably still less expensive than paying tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, after insurance, for something major.
And we certainly have MRSA in the States, too.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#254092 - 14/04/2005 06:06
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Phoenix42]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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Getting a UK passport and getting UK citizenship are different things as far as I am aware. You can have a UK passport but not be a citizen. So you don't have to give up your original citizenship (not that I think you would have had to anyway).
Having the passport basically means you can live and work in the EU indefinitely. Certainly a good thing and there aren't any bad "side-effects". Just make sure you enter and leave countries on the same passport. A friend of mine entered the UK on a Swiss passport and tried to leave on an Australian passport. Their response was something like "How did you get in to the UK? You're not supposed to be here"
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)
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#254093 - 14/04/2005 08:27
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: matthew_k]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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Quote:
The other thing to consider might be tax disadvantages. I assume you're not liable for income tax to both countries, but you never know. Wasn't there some musician/singer who couldn't go back to england because he wouldn't pay them tax on his (quite large) earnings from abroad?
The tax thing won't be a problem. You only pay UK tax if you are deemed to live here. There are all sorts of rules to decide whether you actually live here or not based on how much time you spend in the country each year (which is why you do hear of rich pop stars and the like dodging UK tax by making sure they are out of the country for just the right length of time).
_________________________
Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday
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#254094 - 14/04/2005 12:01
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Cool. So if you move around enough...you could officially live nowhere....there's gotta be a tax advantage to that.
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~ John
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#254095 - 14/04/2005 12:07
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: JBjorgen]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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Quote:
Cool. So if you move around enough...you could officially live nowhere....there's gotta be a tax advantage to that.
Yes. Theoretically that is possible and in that case you don't pay any tax I think. However, where you are actually paid will assume you should pay tax there. Most places call it 6 months in a year to decide whether you live there for tax purposes. I've heard some places can get very strict and will request boarding passes, passports etc to prove you were actually out of the country.
We have a couple of guys working for us that almost fall into this category.
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)
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#254096 - 14/04/2005 13:00
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: JBjorgen]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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Quote:
Cool. So if you move around enough...you could officially live nowhere....there's gotta be a tax advantage to that.
The problem of course is to find a job which will allow you to be out of the country for most of the year 
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#254097 - 14/04/2005 14:52
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: tman]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Just for the record, my sister has dual passports acquired in her 20's.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#254098 - 15/04/2005 01:58
Re: British Passport for a Yank?
[Re: Jerz]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
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It's not always totally clear cut. I'd suggest starting at the link below, and then by phoning your local British Consulate with any further questions. http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/...tizenship.html?As for dual nationalities, yes it is possible to hold both US and UK citizenships. At some point the US used to insist on the single citizenship thing but that is no longer the case for many countries, the UK being one. The US still insists that you'd leave and re-enter the US on a US passport though. As to the pros and cons of holding dual nationalities... Pros: Can't be kicked out of either country. Entitled to settle and gain employment. Entitled to register to vote. If in a third country you have two (powerful) consulates at your back. You can use the fast citizens-only lines at immigration both ways! Cons: You can't get protection from the UK consulate whilst in the US or vice versa. You are eligible for jury duty in both. You could be called up for military service in both (again, with no protection, though neither country has the draft at the moment). Your ability to gain the highest levels of security clearance in either could be diminished, thus potentially jeopardizing some career paths. (Especially true if you choose to live in the other country - most high level clearances have residency requirements). The NHS question is interesting. Beyond emergency care, it's hard to get much without a national health number, which I don't think they issue to non-tax-paying non-residents. Of course, you could settle in the UK to get the 'free' health care. Another bonus of holding a UK passport is the right to live and work anywhere in the EC. Want to spend a couple of years living in Europe? It's a lot easier with a UK passport than a US passport. You still wouldn't be able to legally travel to Cuba though. US citizens remain subject to US Federal Law even when they are not within the USA.
_________________________
Mk2a 60GB Blue. Serial 030102962
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