Please help me, I need info on UK citizenship

[belladonna84]

Hello there,

I am an Australian citizen and my father was born in the UK. My grandparents from his side are originally from Italy.

I'd like to apply for dual citizenship so that I can hold both an Australian and British passport. However, the british high commission in Australia site is not very helpful. Does anybody know a few sites which can provide information on the application process?

My main dilemma is the fact that I've lost my birth certificate which was in Indonesian and never translated and no copies exist. Hence, I'm worried that I won't be able to prove my ancestry unless its through something as dramatic as a DNA test. What are your thoughts? Will a DNA test be sufficient proof?

Thank you for your time.

[Punktlich2]

Originally Posted by belladonna84

Hello there,

I am an Australian citizen and my father was born in the UK. My grandparents from his side are originally from Italy.

I'd like to apply for dual citizenship so that I can hold both an Australian and British passport. However, the british high commission in Australia site is not very helpful. Does anybody know a few sites which can provide information on the application process?

My main dilemma is the fact that I've lost my birth certificate which was in Indonesian and never translated and no copies exist. Hence, I'm worried that I won't be able to prove my ancestry unless its through something as dramatic as a DNA test. What are your thoughts? Will a DNA test be sufficient proof?

Thank you for your time.

1. Here's how to get a copy of your Indonesian birth certificate: from
"A birth certificate (Akte Kelahiran) may be obtained the Civil Registry office (Dinas Kependudukan and Catatan Sipil) at the place within whose jurisdiction the birth took place. This certificate is available upon request throughout Indonesia."
For source Google; "reciprocity_3584" (with quotes)

The Australian foreign ministry probably also has a copy on file and you may or may not be able to get a copy; in any event the British authorities will probably want an original certified copy obtained as above. Or they might accept an Australian consular birth certificate.

2. You may qualify for (or already have) Italian nationality based Italian grandparents. This is fact-dependant, but I know non-Italian speaking grandchildren who have obtained Italian passports and thus EU rights.

3. Since your father was a British citizen by birth in the United Kingdom before 1983, you are almost certainly British by descent (there are a very few exceptions relating to diplomats and enemy military forces). Google the following (with quotes):
"If you were born outside the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory'
The problem for you is proof. You should start by getting your father's birth certificate. For info, Google the following (incl. quotes):
"Certificate ordering service"

It is astounding that the British High Commission has been unhelpful. You might complain to a British MP, especially if you have a UK mailing address you can use. The proper method for documenting your UK status is to apply for registration of an overseas birth and for a passport. There are fraud risks where the applicant is over 5 years of age so you should expect scrutiny of your application in London. Also it may be that the Indonesian birth certificate has to be filed with the British consular office in Jakarta (because only they are familiar with the document and its integrity). That may or may not be possible to do via a high commission or deputy high commission in Australia. Or you may need a certified translation. DNA tests come into it only when fraud is suspected or local birth records are unreliable.

Good luck.

[belladonna84]

Originally Posted by Punktlich2

1. Here's how to get a copy of your Indonesian birth certificate: from
"A birth certificate (Akte Kelahiran) may be obtained the Civil Registry office (Dinas Kependudukan and Catatan Sipil) at the place within whose jurisdiction the birth took place. This certificate is available upon request throughout Indonesia."
For source Google; "reciprocity_3584" (with quotes)

The Australian foreign ministry probably also has a copy on file and you may or may not be able to get a copy; in any event the British authorities will probably want an original certified copy obtained as above. Or they might accept an Australian consular birth certificate.

2. You may qualify for (or already have) Italian nationality based Italian grandparents. This is fact-dependant, but I know non-Italian speaking grandchildren who have obtained Italian passports and thus EU rights.

3. Since your father was a British citizen by birth in the United Kingdom before 1983, you are almost certainly British by descent (there are a very few exceptions relating to diplomats and enemy military forces). Google the following (with quotes):
"If you were born outside the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory'
The problem for you is proof. You should start by getting your father's birth certificate. For info, Google the following (incl. quotes):
"Certificate ordering service"

It is astounding that the British High Commission has been unhelpful. You might complain to a British MP, especially if you have a UK mailing address you can use. The proper method for documenting your UK status is to apply for registration of an overseas birth and for a passport. There are fraud risks where the applicant is over 5 years of age so you should expect scrutiny of your application in London. Also it may be that the Indonesian birth certificate has to be filed with the British consular office in Jakarta (because only they are familiar with the document and its integrity). That may or may not be possible to do via a high commission or deputy high commission in Australia. Or you may need a certified translation. DNA tests come into it only when fraud is suspected or local birth records are unreliable.

Good luck.

Thank you for your reply. I think my original birth certificate was unreliable anyway. Firstly, my mother never amended a spelling mistake of my given name. Secondly, rather than use my father's proper given name, my mother recorded his nickname as my surname. This wasn't amended either, however, local Indonesian birth records over 20 years ago may be hard to find because there was a big flood in the district I was born in. I'll ask my dad for a copy of his birth certificate and take it from there.

Cheers.

[Punktlich2]

Originally Posted by belladonna84

Thank you for your reply. I think my original birth certificate was unreliable anyway. Firstly, my mother never amended a spelling mistake of my given name. Secondly, rather than use my father's proper given name, my mother recorded his nickname as my surname. This wasn't amended either, however, local Indonesian birth records over 20 years ago may be hard to find because there was a big flood in the district I was born in. I'll ask my dad for a copy of his birth certificate and take it from there.

Cheers.

Do not worry too much about discrepancies in names, or absence of documents. If I didn't post the link before, here is the US State Dept. page on how to get Indonesian documents:
Indonesia Reciprocity Schedule

In Common Law countries, or most of them, anybody can change his/her name at will. A deed poll may or may not be needed, usually not if you have a lifetime of using a different, or differently-spelled, name. Again, officialdom will mainly be concerned with fraud.

Affidavits, family documents and photographs, and your accent, will likely resolve the issues. Those and the applicable law.