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Guidance

Form MN1: guidance

Guidance to register a child under 18 as a British citizen.

Updates to this page

From:
UK Visas and Immigration
Published:
22 March 2019
Last updated:
20 August 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated the Citizenship-related queries section.

  2. Updated guidance to reflect that the priority service is live.

  3. A new section 'when will the child become British?' has been added. The section on returning your BRP has been updated and renamed 'destroy your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)'.

  4. Updated the section on travelling to and from the UK after becoming a British citizen.

  5. Updated the sections on Documents, Children born to EEA nationals, Automatic acquisition of British citizenship and Good character.

  6. Updates made to the good character section of the guidance to reflect policy changes.

  7. This guidance has been updated to reflect Office of the Immigration Services (OISC) name change to Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). New sections added: 'Will I get digital status showing I am a British citizen?' and 'Returning your Biometric Resident Permit'. Section updated: 'Citizenship-related queries'. Section removed: 'Citizenship ban'.

  8. Update to travel advice after becoming British and information regarding the citizenship ban.

  9. Updated the document to include a section on Referees.

  10. Updated information about who qualifies for a section 4D application.

  11. Guidance updated to reflect changes introduced by the Illegal Migration Act 2023, revisions to the sections on good character, and how a parent can demonstrate settlement for the purposes of a 1(3) application.

  12. Updated the guidance to clarify the definition of “qualifying territories” in the context of applicable provisions for British citizenship, update the information on the good character requirement and update the age requirement for biometric enrolment.

  13. Updated version added to reflect current guidance.

  14. Added accessible version of guide.

  15. Minor correction to section 3(2) to make it easier for those who qualify for citizenship under this section to understand how they qualify.

  16. First published.

Documents

Form MN1: guidance (accessible version)

HTML

Form MN1: guidance

PDF, 437 KB, 35 pages

Details

Read the MN1 guidance to find out if you can register a child under 18 as a British citizen if they qualify through birth or adoption.

It is also for children whose parents gave up British citizenship and then got it back, and for some other cases.

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