British Nationality Selection Scheme - Consequences of Registration

Consequences of Registration

A person acquiring British citizenship under section 1(1) of the Act became a British Citizen otherwise than by descent and as a result, children born subsequently in Hong Kong (or elsewhere outside the United Kingdom) are generally entitled to British citizenship by descent.

Spouses and children registered under s1(4) of the Act acquired British citizenship by descent.

Any successful applicant who was a British Dependent Territories Citizen lost that status on acquisition of British citizenship. Consequentially, British National (Overseas) status was also lost, if it was held.

Successful applicants also became European citizens upon registration as a British Citizen.

A person acquiring British citizenship under the 1990 Act who subsequently became a citizen of another country did not lose British citizenship.

According to the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, the full British citizenship obtained by Chinese nationals (as defined by the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China) in Hong Kong through the BNSS will not be recognized. These people are still regarded as Chinese nationals by the Chinese authority and will not be entitled to British consular protection under any territory of Chinese sovereignty including Hong Kong and Macao. In practice, British Citizen passports held by those who obtained British citizenship through the BNSS are indistinguishable from other British Citizen passports.