Certificates of British nationality, also known as registrations of citizenship, are issued under the British Nationality Act of 1948 to people from self-governing Commonwealth countries and former colonies.

1948-1987

The National Archives holds duplicate certificates of British nationality from 1948 to 1987 in HO 334.

To obtain a certified copy of a certificate:

1. Contact the UK Border Agency to obtain the certificate number.
2. Contact us to obtain the document reference number in HO 334.
3. Use our record copying service to order a certified copy of the certificate.

Name indexes are not available at The National Archives. If you do not know the certificate number, it is essential to contact the UK Border Agency first.

After 1987

For all enquiries about certificates of British nationality after 1987, contact:

Departmental Record Officer
Information and Record Management Service
4th Floor, Seacole Building
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

1844-1969

The National Archives holds duplicate naturalisation certificates from 1844 to 1969.

• Between 1844 and 1873, Home Office naturalisations were enrolled on the Close Rolls in C 54.
• Between 1870 and 1969, duplicate naturalisation certificates can be found in HO 334.

Indexes are kept at The National Archives.

After 1969

For all enquiries about naturalisation certificates after 1969, contact the UK Border Agency.

For further information, read the research guide Naturalisation and Citizenship: Grants of British Nationality.

Roger Kershaw and Mark Pearsall, Immigrants and Aliens, 2nd edition (The National Archives, 2004)