Who recives British citizenship automatically?
All BOTCs except for those whose British overseas territories (BOT) citizenship derived solely from a connection with the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus (hereafter abbreviated to ‘SBAs’) became British citizens automatically on 21 May 2002. They can transmit their British citizenship to their children automatically, in the same way as they can transmit BOT citizenship (subject to certain limitations if they are born overseas). (If you are not sure whether you or your relatives are or were BOTCs, please contact the authorities in your Territory who handle enquiries about BOTC status.) British citizenship was also acquired automatically on 21 May 2002 by persons born between 26 April 1969 and 1 January 1983 to mothers who, at the time, were citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies through birth in the British Indian Ocean Territory.
