Nationality and citizenship law in the UK is complex but not impossible to learn. By researching important factors of the citizenship laws, it can be a much more easy process to figure out if one is eligible to be a British national or to apply for citizenship. One might obtain British nationality in Australia with an individual’s own birth or through the birth of a person’s parent or grandparents in Australia. There are five forms of British nationalities that include: British citizens, British overseas territories citizens, British overseas citizens, British subjects and British protected persons. Finding out the kind of citizenship you may be qualified for through UK ancestry for Australians is dependent upon a specific research of your family history. This study can incorporate both birthdates and birth places for mother and father and grandparents. Nationality laws at the time or location of birth greatly influences what type of nationality an individual may be eligible for through birth records.

Australia once remained in the Crown’s Dominions as a group of independent colonies. In 1948, the status transformed to an independent commonwealth country, that granted some privileges to Australians as UK nationals. British nationality could be acquired through birth, descent, registration or this naturalisation process. An Australian citizen could submit an application for dual citizenship and get British citizenship through mother or through father if either of the parent is a British citizen. This grants the privileges of the British citizen with the exclusion that your own child a second generation from the birthright of a eligible parent is not necessarily eligible for British citizenship.

If a child is born after January 1, 1983, the child can qualify as a British citizen through father or obtain a British citizenship through mother if either of the parents has British citizenship through ways apart from ancestry. In other words, if the qualifying parent has British citizenship because their mother or father is a British citizen; the parent’s child won’t be qualified to become a citizen by descent.

An unmarried father normally will not be able to confer British citizenship automatically to children given birth to before July 1, 2006. However, if the parents get married before the child’s birth, the child usually is provided the position of a British citizen at birth. This citizenship status is only granted if the child becomes “legitimate” through wedlock and the father was qualified to confer citizenship to the child. By taking a closer look at British citizenship laws, the procedure of determining eligibility for British nationality for Australians could be simplified.

Need a visa or passport? WhatPassport is a searchable online immigration database offering web users a Do-It-Yourself visa service. WhatPassport first launched in August 2009. Visit them at http://www.whatpassport.com to know more about UK Ancestry for Australian.