ABSTRACT
British citizenship may be acquired by birth, adoption, descent, registration or naturalisation.
A legitimate child born in the United Kingdom, one of whose parents is a British citizen or is ‘settled’13 in the United Kingdom at the time of its birth assumes British citizenship. A child born outside marriage acquires citizenship through his or her mother, unless the child is legitimated by the subsequent marriage of his or her parents. Prior to the 1981 Act, any person (with minor exceptions) born in the United Kingdom became a British citizen.
