Whats the difference between a British subject and a British citizen?
A British subject is a person who owes allegiance to the Queen but does not have a particular connection to the UK as it is today, whereas a British citizen does. In terms of rights, a only British citizenship in itself gives a right of abode in the UK. British subjects do not have this right automatically. However, those who hold this status from a connection with Southern Ireland will normally have a UK born parent (for this purpose the UK includes Southern Ireland before 1 April 1922), and this means having a UK right of abode. A British subject is entitled to register as a British citizen after living in the UK for 5 years. Do you have to have a British passport to be a British citizen? No. You need to be a British citizen (or have some other category of British nationality) to get a British passport, but the reverse is not true. There is no obligation on any British citizen to get a British passport to activate his/her British citizenship Does being born in Southern Ireland before
