United Kingdom - Passport & Nationality - British Overseas Citizen (BOC) - Kenya

British Overseas Citizenship (commonly referred to as a BOC) is a residual status derived from a connection with a former British Territory. This route to a BOC stems from a family connection to Kenya and arises in the following circumstances:

SITUATION 1

 - the applicant was born in the Kenya Colony before its independence on 12 December 1963; AND

 - neither of their parents were born in a territory that subsequently formed part of independent Kenya.

SITUATION 2

 - the applicant was born between 12 December 1963 and 31 December 1982;

 - the applicant's father was born in the Kenya Colony before its independence on 12 December 1963; AND

 - neither of the applicant's paternal grandparents were born in a territory that subsequently formed part of independent Kenya.

SITUATION 3

 - the applicant was born before 12 December 1963 in a place that did NOT form part of Kenya upon independence;

 - the applicant's father was born in the Kenya Protectorate before 1949; AND

 - neither of the applicant's paternal grandparents were born in a territory that subsequently formed part of independent Kenya.

The Kenyan nationality laws complicated matters as dual nationality was prohibited. In many instances, a resident in Kenya was forced to renounce their British status in favour of Kenyan citizenship to comply with the law in order to remain in Kenya legally. There are circumstances where it is possible to resume British nationality, but this will require specialist advice.

Also, it is possible, in some circumstances, to UPGRADE the BOC status to full British Citizenship, even if another nationality is held, but this would again require specialist advice.