Good News: New Announcement regarding Children Fathered by British Citizens to Filipino Girlfriends Fiancee's
The British Nationality and Asylum act 2006 has just come into force on the 1st July 2006.
This act is aimed at those British Fathers who obtained their nationality as a British Citizen by descent, if they now father a child with a Filipino citizen after the 1st July 2006, provided that the Fathers name is on the birth certificate before the Child reaches the age of 12 months, the child will automatically have the right of British Citizenship.
However there are further rules, the British Embassy overseas, may demand a DNA Test to establish paternity if required.
The new rules only apply to a child whose birth certificate is registered on or after the 1st July 2006.
Those Fathers who have registered there childs birth in the Philippines before this date, have 2 options.
1. They marry the mother before the child reaches the age of 18 years, and apply for registration of the child.
2. They may apply for discretionary registration if not married, however, this may be refused and is not an automatic right of entitlement.
This good news effectively means that any British man who now fathers a child in the Philippines out of wedlock, can go with the Mother to the NSO, and have the child registered with his name, they may also go to the British Embassy Manila and declare paternity, in the event of citizenship being applied for in respect of the child, the British Embassy are now duty bound to accept such an application, (with or without DNA Testing) once having been proved, the child will automatically obtain British Nationality through descent.
This new law was designed to give British Fathers, the same rights as British Mothers.
This may be of some interest to readers on this forum and may affect them.