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In depth
Crown service is UK government service — including military service, diplomatic service, and overseas civil service — that can confer British citizenship by descent on children born abroad to Crown servants. Under the British Nationality Act 1981, children born abroad to Crown servants are treated as if born in the UK.
Crown service is one of the exceptions to the one-generation descent limit in the BNA 1981. A British citizen by descent who serves in Crown service can transmit British citizenship to children born abroad during that service.
Crown service claims require documentation of the parent's service (military records, Foreign Office records, Colonial Office records) and the child's birth during the service period.
Related terms
The British Nationality Act 1981 is the principal UK citizenship law, which created the current categories of British nationality and governs citizenship by descent.
Double descent is the UK citizenship path for grandchildren of British citizens, available under certain sections of the British Nationality Act 1981.
British subject is a historic UK nationality status that predates the 1948 and 1981 British Nationality Acts, still held by a small number of people.
British Overseas citizen (BOC) is a UK nationality category for people who were citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC) but did not acquire British citizen or other citizenship in 1983.
The right of abode is the right to live and work in the UK without immigration restrictions, held by British citizens and certain Commonwealth citizens.
Consular registration is the process by which a British citizen born abroad is registered at a UK consulate, which can affect citizenship transmission to the next generation.