united-kingdom immigration citizenship dual-citizenship sovereignty
Do British Overseas Territories count as United Kingdom with regards to 90 days rule when applying for British citizenship?
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen" rel="noreferrer">https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen</a></p>
<p>This one of the criteria:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months</p>
<p>Read the full guidance notes and the requirements booklet before applying.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So I've followed the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an" rel="noreferrer">guide and booklet</a>, still not sure.</p>
<h3>Guide</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>To satisfy the residence requirement you must not have been absent for more than
90 days in the last 12 months. And the total number of day’s absence for the whole 5
year period should not exceed 450.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Booklet AN</h3>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/POsuR.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/POsuR.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>Wiki image with very descriptive filenamae: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom#/media/File:United_Kingdom_(%2Boverseas_territories_and_crown_dependencies)_in_the_World_(%2BAntarctica_claims).svg" rel="noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom#/media/File:United_Kingdom_(%2Boverseas_territories_and_crown_dependencies)_in_the_World_(%2BAntarctica_claims).svg</a></p>
<hr />
<p>Here is another page: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/register-british-citizen/stateless-people" rel="noreferrer">https://www.gov.uk/register-british-citizen/stateless-people</a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tAnIg.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tAnIg.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>Phrase UK or a <code>British overseas territory</code> suggest these are different things?</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom#Dependencies" rel="noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom#Dependencies</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The United Kingdom has sovereignty over seventeen territories which do not form part of the United Kingdom itself: fourteen British Overseas Territories[22] and three Crown dependencies.</p>
<p>Three have specifically voted to remain under British sovereignty (Bermuda in 1995, Gibraltar in 2002 and the Falkland Islands in 2013).</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<h3>If overseas territories qualify - job done.</h3>
<h3>If not - there might be some loopholes.</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>An unavoidable consequence of the nature of your work. For example, if you are a merchant seaman or someone working for a UK based business which requires frequent travel abroad.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Assuming my job is disaster relief, it should justify my presence on British Virgin Islands?</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>EDIT / UPDATE:</strong> Another loophole could potentially be staying on the vessel registered in the UK?</p>

<h1>British Overseas Territories do not count as part of the UK.</h1>
<blockquote>
<p>Assuming my job is disaster relief, it should justify my presence on British Virgin Islands?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Assuming you were only on the BVI for a maximum of 179 days <em>and</em> there was a compelling work reason (e.g. you were helping out with a disaster that struck the BVI because that's your job), it's <em>possible</em> the Home Office would consider the absence justified and it wouldn't count against you.</p>
<p>This is highly fact-specific and depends on the evidence you submit, the reason you were absent, and so on.</p>
<p>If the Home Office doesn't accept the absence as justified, you would fail to satisfy the residency requirement needed to apply for citizenship.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Another loophole could potentially be staying on the vessel registered in the UK?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is not a loophole. You must be physically present in the UK to satisfy the residency requirement. Being aboard a vessel, registered in the UK, outside of the UK's territorial waters would still count as an absence from the country.</p>
