- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
British Nationality Act 1981, Paragraph 1 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 25 September 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
1(1)This paragraph applies to any application—U.K.
(a)for registration under any provision of the British Nationality Acts 1948 to 1965 as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies or as a British subject; or
(b)for a certificate of naturalisation under section 10 of the 1948 Act,
which is received before commencement by a person authorised to receive it on behalf of the person to whom it is made but which at commencement has not been determined.
(2)In relation to any application to which this paragraph applies—
(a)the British Nationality Acts 1948 to 1965 and all regulations and arrangements in force under them immediately before commencement shall (so far as applicable) continue to apply; and
(b)this Act shall not apply;
but on the granting of such an application and the taking under those Acts of such other steps as are necessary for the person in question to become—
(i)a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by virtue of any provision of those Acts; or
(ii)a British subject by virtue of registration under any provision of those Acts,
that person, instead of becoming a citizen or subject of that description, shall become under this Act such a citizen or subject as he would have become at commencement if, immediately before commencement, he had been such a citizen or subject as is mentioned in paragraph (i) or (ii), as the case may be.
(3)Sub-paragraph (2) shall have effect as if the references in it to the British Nationality Acts 1948 to 1965 did, and as if the reference in paragraph (b) of it to this Act did not, include section 49 of this Act.
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including: