TNAG-1125-FCO40-1400-British-Nationality-Act-1981-and-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 162

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CONFIDENTIAL

Officers Administering Governments

нка 340/1

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

15 February 1982

UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE NATIONALITY OF MARRIED WOMEN

Sir

I have the honour to notify you that on 22 December 1981

Her Majesty's Government deposited a Note with the Secretary-

General of the United Nations denouncing, on behalf of the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the

Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the territories listed in the fourth paragraph of this Despatch, the 1957 Convention on the Nationality of Married Women. The denunciation will take effect one year after the deposit of our

Note.

Ministers decided that denunciation was necessary because certain of the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981, dealing with acquisition of citizenship by marriage are in

conflict with the provisions of the Convention. The BNA 1981 comes into force on 1 January 1983. The problem is not with British citizenship or British Dependent Territories citizenship (the two main citizenships created by the Act) but with the minor categories under the Act British Overseas citizens, British

Subjects Without Citizenship, British Subjects under Section 2 of the British Nationality Act, 1948 (Irish citizens who elected to remain British Subjects), and British Protected Persons. Since these categories are considered to be transitory, there is no provision for acquisition of any of these statuses by virtue of marriage.

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CONFIDENTIAL

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