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Section 20: Registration by virtue of marriage.

British Nationality Act 1981 · 1981 c. 61View on legislation.gov.uk

This provision is repealed
It is retained for historical reference and may not reflect the law currently in force.

Part II: British overseas territories citizenship

REPEALED on 2002-11-07 by Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

The text below is the provision as originally enacted. It is historical and may not include amendments made before this status change. View the enacted source.

A woman who immediately before commencement was the wife of a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies shall be entitled, on an application for her registration as a British Dependent Territories citizen made within five years after commencement, to be registered as a British Dependent Territories citizen if—

immediately before commencement she would (if she had applied for it) have been entitled under section 6(2) of the 1948 Act to be registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by virtue of her marriage to the man who was then her husband; and
that man became a British Dependent Territories citizen at commencement and did not at any time in the period from commencement to the date of the application under this subsection cease to be such a citizen as a result of a declaration of renunciation; and
she remained married to him throughout that period.

On such an application for her registration as a British Dependent Territories citizen made within five years after commencement the Secretary of State may, if he thinks fit, cause a woman to be registered as such a citizen if—

immediately before commencement she would (if she had applied for it) have been entitled under section 6(2) of the 1948 Act to be registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by virtue of having been married to a man to whom she is no longer married on the date of the application under this subsection; and
that man became a British Dependent Territories citizen at commencement or would have done so but for his death.

On an application for her registration as a British Dependent Territories citizen made within five years after commencement by a woman who at the time of the application is married, the Secretary of State shall, if he thinks fit, cause her to be registered as such a citizen if—

immediately before commencement she would (if she had applied for it) have been entitled under section 6(2) of the 1948 Act to be registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by virtue of her being or having been married to the man who is her husband on the date of the application under this subsection ; and
that man either—
became a British Dependent Territories citizen at commencement but has ceased to be such a citizen as a result of a declaration of renunciation ; or
would have become a British Dependent Territories citizen at commencement but for his having ceased to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies as a result of a declaration of renunciation.

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This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.