United Kingdom

Law, policy and practice on statelessness in the UK is mixed. Positively, a statelessness determination procedure (SDP) was introduced in 2013, and the UK is party to most relevant human rights treaties (but not the European Convention on Nationality nor the Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession). While it has incorporated the definition of a stateless person into domestic law, people recognised as stateless must fulfil additional criteria to acquire a residence permit on the grounds of statelessness, which go beyond the exclusion clauses of the 1954 Convention.

The SDP allows some people to have their statelessness recognised and acquire residence and socio-economic rights with a route to naturalisation. However, the UK considers statelessness to be an immigration matter rather than an international protection issue. There are also procedural obstacles, including a lack of legal aid in some jurisdictions, limited appeal rights, and a high standard of proof. Applicants have few rights and in practice may be detained while awaiting a decision (which may be unlawful in some cases).

Statelessness is not always considered a juridically relevant fact in decisions to detain, and the lack of sufficient procedural safeguards, including no time limit on immigration detention and limited judicial oversight, leads to repeated and/or lengthy detention in some cases.

Safeguards are in place in British nationality law to prevent statelessness in the case of most children born in the UK or to British nationals abroad, but some children born stateless in the UK are excluded from eligibility for British citizenship. There are also significant gaps in terms of prevention more broadly. The UK Government has far-reaching powers to deprive British nationals of their nationality, in some cases even if this results in statelessness.

Poslední změna:

Led 2026

Odborníci na danou zemi:

Judith Carter, Liverpool University Law Clinic

Dodatečné zdroje

HODNOTÍCÍ KLÍČ

++POZITIVNÍ

+ PONĚKUD POZITIVNÍ

+-POZITIVNÍ A NEGATIVNÍ

- PONĚKUD NEGATIVNÍ

--NEGATIVNÍ

DOPLŇUJÍCÍ INFORMACE

NORMY A OSVĚDČENÉ POSTUPY

Mezinárodní a regionální úmluvy

Assesses whether countries are State party to the relevant international and regional instruments, including whether reservations have an impact on statelessness, and whether instruments are incorporated into domestic law. The four core statelessness treaties (1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons; 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness; European Convention on Nationality; Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession) carry more weight than other relevant human rights instruments in the assessment.

The UK is State party to most relevant international treaties, including the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions. However, it is not party to key regional instruments, such as the European Convention on Nationality. Most provisions in the 1954 and 1961 conventions are enacted in domestic law (treaties do not have direct effect in the UK legal system), but the UK retains some reservations to international instruments that impact directly on stateless people.

Úmluva z roku 1954

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The UK is State party to the 1954 Convention, but it maintains several reservations and the Convention has not been fully incorporated into domestic law (treaties do not have direct effect in the UK legal system).
Although some Convention rights are implemented through the statelessness determination procedure, there are legal and/or practical barriers to the realisation of some Convention rights, for example, exceptionally high fees for British nationality applications, with no fee waivers or exemptions possible for adults.

Úmluva z roku 1961

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The UK is State party to the 1961 Convention but has reservations allowing for deprivation of nationality of a naturalised person on certain grounds. Deprivation of nationality was reintroduced to UK law in 2014 in cases where a naturalised person ‘acts in a manner which is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the Crown’.
UK nationality law enacts many of the 1961 Convention provisions, but there are gaps. For example, British nationality law includes some forms of ‘nationality’ which do not carry the right of entry and residence (‘right of abode’) to any country, creating a risk of statelessness.

Ostatní nástroje

The UK is not State party to the two core regional statelessness conventions, the European Convention on Nationality, and the Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession.
The UK maintains reservations to all the relevant international treaties, but those reservations do not have a direct impact on statelessness or stateless people, save for those stated above under the 1954 and 1961 Conventions.

Údaje o obyvatelstvu bez státní příslušnosti

Examines the availability and sources of disaggregated population data on statelessness. Provides recent figures and assesses reliability of measures countries have in place to count stateless persons, including in the census, population registries, and migration databases. Notes whether statelessness has been mapped in the country and whether there are sufficient measures in place to count stateless persons in detention.

The UK Government collects (and in some cases publishes) some data on the stateless population, including those it recognises as stateless under the statelessness determination procedure (SDP), stateless people with other types of residence permit, who were born in the UK, or who are held in immigration detention. However, the data is not analysed or presented in such a way as to enable an accurate understanding of the stateless population in the UK, and there are potentially overlapping statistical categories, such as 'unknown nationality', 'Palestine, and ‘Western Sahara’. Since September 2024, statistics no longer have detailed nationality categories and sometimes group several nationalities into one heading. Censuses in the UK do not count stateless people. A mapping study carried out by UNHCR and a national NGO in 2011 noted limitations in stateless population data at the time. Measures are in place to count recognised stateless people detained in immigration removal centres, but there are instances of people who are stateless or at risk of statelessness in detention who are not counted in the statistics.

Dostupnost a zdroje

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Censuses in the UK do not include a 'stateless' category but do include a question on passport held.
UK Government (Home Office) data includes the category ‘stateless’ in some statistics including detention, asylum, residence permit, and acquisition of nationality statistics. However, it does not publish statistics on application numbers, grants and refusals under the immigration SDP; and there are categories such as ‘Palestine and ‘Western Sahara’, which overlap with statelessness. Since September 2024, statistics no longer have detailed nationality categories and sometimes group several nationalities into one heading.
Relevant data is not analysed or presented in such a way as to enable an accurate understanding of the stateless population in the UK.
Some data on the SDP has been made available through Freedom of Information Requests between 2018 and 2022 (for example, a total of 6,226 applications were made between 1 April 2013 and 30 September 2021), and in judicial proceedings in 2025.
Between September 2024 and September 2025, 1,279 people categorised as stateless applied for asylum, and in the same period 375 were granted some form of protection. The statistics also record 900 asylum applications from people recorded as ‘Palestine’ and 1,400 Kuwaitis (a sharp rise compared to previous years). Separate figures are provided for decisions on asylum claims by people recorded as 'Occupied Palestinian Territories' (this has been changed to ‘Palestine’ as of late 2025), 'Western Sahara', 'Kuwait', and 'Other/unknown', at least some of whom are likely to be stateless. ‘Recognised Kuwait Bidoons’ are now categorised as ‘stateless’.
There is a 2011 mapping study of statelessness in the UK (by NGO Asylum Aid, and UNHCR), but it is now out of date and limitations in the availability of data were noted at the time of the study.
Based on the UK Government’s figures, UNHCR reports a total of 5,189 stateless people in the United Kingdom in 2025, including 389 (non-refugee) people recognised under the UK’s statelessness determination procedure.

Údaje o zajištěných osobách bez státní příslušnosti

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The UK Government (Home Office) counts and publishes some limited data on stateless people held in UK immigration removal centres, but this does not include people who are or may be stateless but have not been recognised as such.
Home Office statistics show that 16 people recorded as 'stateless' entered immigration detention in 2025, in addition to 12 people recorded as having nationality of ‘Kuwait’; 9 as ‘Palestine’; and 9 ‘other and unknown’. There is no disaggregated data for devolved administrations (Scottish Prison Service and Northern Ireland Prison Service) on stateless people detained under immigration powers.
Many, possibly all, of those detained were released. Data for 2025 indicate that people recorded as follows were released from detention after varying periods: 14 stateless (10 of which were returned); 11 Kuwait (four returned); 10 ‘Palestine’ (three returned) 9 other and unknown nationalities.

Určení a status osoby bez státní příslušnosti

Identifies whether countries have a definition of a stateless person in national law that aligns with the 1954 Convention, and whether they have a dedicated statelessness determination procedure (SDP) leading to a dedicated stateless status. If an SDP is not place, it assesses whether there are other procedures in which statelessness can be identified or other routes through which stateless people could regularise their stay or access their rights. Countries are subdivided in three groups to enable comparison between those with an SDP leading to protection, those with other procedures, and those with a statelessness status but no clear mechanism to access protection. The existing procedures and rights granted to stateless persons are examined and assessed against international norms and good practice. Assesses whether stateless people fleeing war have access to temporary protection.

The UK introduced a dedicated statelessness determination procedure (SDP) in the Immigration Rules in 2013, which were last revised in November 2025. The definition of a stateless person explicitly refers to the 1954 Convention. However, there are additional requirements that the applicant must fulfil to be granted a residence permit on the basis of statelessness, which go beyond what is permitted by the 1954 Convention. A centralised Statelessness Team within UK Visas and Immigration (Home Office) is responsible for examining all claims. There is some good practice relating to accessibility, procedural protections, and the rights granted to recognised stateless people; but there are significant shortcomings both in the Rules and how they are implemented. Legal aid is not generally available for the procedure in England and Wales, there is no automatic right to appeal, and there is evidence of poor decision-making. Those who are recognised and receive a residence permit as a stateless person, face further barriers to naturalisation, including prohibitively high fees. A judicial challenge in 2025 found that statelessness is a ‘protected characteristic’ under the UK's Equality Act, meaning that discrimination because of statelessness may be unlawful.

Definice osoby bez státní příslušnosti

Although it is not formally incorporated in national law, there is a definition of a stateless person in the UK Immigration Rules (last updated in November 2025). The definition is the same as and explicitly refers to the 1954 Convention, but no longer refers to its exclusion clauses. This is an improvement compared to previous versions of the Immigration Rules.
The Immigration Rules still impose additional requirements before the applicant may be granted a residence permit, including that they must have tried and failed to (re)acquire nationality of and establish permanent residence in relevant countries. Children must have tried and failed to register their birth with the authorities. These additional requirements are stricter than the exclusion clauses of the 1954 Convention.
However, the applicant should have their statelessness determined by reference to the definition in the 1954 Convention, before the additional requirements for a residence permit are assessed.

Odborná příprava

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Statelessness decision-makers have received general immigration and asylum-related training. Statelessness training is generally provided ‘on the job’. Some staff have received training from UNHCR on an ad hoc basis over the years.
A UNHCR audit of the SDP published in December 2020 recommends that decision-makers receive refresher training on interviewing; assessing evidence and credibility; and identifying and communicating casework errors.
Upper Tribunal judges in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber have received some limited training on identifying statelessness. It is not known whether judges at the Administrative Court receive training on statelessness. Civil society experts provided training for lawyers on the SDP when it was introduced in 2013, and there have been several further ad hoc trainings on statelessness for lawyers in recent years.

Existence speciálního řízení o určení statusu osoby bez státní příslušnosti

The UK has a dedicated statelessness determination procedure established in its Immigration Rules, which leads to a residence permit and most 1954 Convention rights if the applicant is determined to be eligible for residence. A residence permit is only granted to a person recognised as stateless if some refusal grounds do not apply, for example reasons of criminality.
A discretionary immigration status is sometimes available for stateless people who do not meet the full criteria.
Applications under the SDP are assessed by a centralised team (Statelessness Team) of the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Agency, which is part of the UK Government Home Office. The Home Office has different staff teams to determine statelessness in the context of child registration applications, issue of Stateless Person’s Travel Documents, deprivation, detention and deportation decision-making.
A formal determination of statelessness may not be conducted in deportation procedures unless the deportee learns of the SDP and submits a request in the proper format.

Access to the procedure

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Statelessness determination is the specific objective of the residence permit procedure. There is an online form, but it is lengthy, only available in English, and unclear and repetitive in parts. Applications must be made in English in writing and cannot be made orally to a public official. There is little flexibility in the application requirements, and the guidance explicitly mentions that applications made by email or phone will be rejected.
The applicant must provide biometric information, and must have ‘satisfactorily established their identity’, failing which the application ‘may’ be rejected. The Home Office states that providing basic information is sufficient to meet this requirement.
There is no fee for the procedure. Access is not contingent on residence status, and there is no time limit. Authorities have an obligation in law to consider the application.
There is no general obligation for the authority to initiate the procedure on its own initiative (ex officio). The authorities are not prohibited from referring to the SDP, but rarely do so. For example, there is no evidence that any detainees are referred to the SDP from immigration detention. An obligation might be inferred for children, deriving from the obligation to consider children’s best interests in any immigration decision, but the procedure is not initiated ex officio for children.
There is no formal cooperation between different government agencies specifically on statelessness or the SDP, and recent cases have been reported of lack of coordination and cooperation on statelessness cases between different authorities.
While nationality is recorded during border screening procedures, there is no clear or consistent approach to identifying and recording indications of statelessness. Records often contain obvious errors, and Palestinians are recorded either as Palestinians or stateless without clear criteria. While there is no routine identification of statelessness in asylum procedures, asylum seekers who identify themselves as stateless during their asylum claim may be recorded as stateless. There is some guidance on assessing nationality in cases of ‘doubtful’ and ‘disputed’ statelessness, but it does not link to the updated guidance on determination of statelessness. The guidance states that the risk on return is determined to the lower standard of proof applied in asylum cases, but the claimant must establish statelessness to the balance of probabilities (see below). The guidance does not mention that applicants should be referred to the SDP, meaning that subsequent applications to the SDP often rely on the initiative of the individual or their representatives.

Assessment

Applications for a resident permit are assessed by a centralised team. Practitioners have reported some cases of poor decision-making. The burden of proof is on the applicant to substantiate their application. Decision-makers are obliged by government guidance to carry out research and enquiries, particularly for child applicants, where the applicant is ‘unable’ to do so. However, this is not done consistently, as highlighted by a 2020 UNHCR audit of the procedure.
The standard of proof is ‘balance of probabilities’, which is higher than in asylum applications.
The authorities have guidance on how to determine statelessness. Some country-of-origin information produced by the Home Office focuses on stateless populations while others include issues of statelessness. A report on the quality of the Home Office’s Country Policy and Information Notes was published in February 2024 and recommended providing training to the staff preparing the guidance and liaison with experts on statelessness. Asylos, an independent organisation, produces country reports with information on statelessness.
There are some special considerations in guidance for children, women, and ethnic minorities, but practitioners have observed this guidance not being followed. The guidance acknowledges the link between statelessness and human trafficking. The Immigration Rules require separate applications by each family member who is stateless, although they may be added to an online application form under certain circumstances.

Procedural safeguards

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In contrast to provision of legal aid for asylum applicants throughout the UK, there is no legal aid generally available for advice on applications for residence permits on the grounds of statelessness in England and Wales. It is possible to apply for Exceptional Case Funding, but in practice, this is difficult to access and there are few legal advisers who will take cases funded in this way. Separated migrant children and some survivors of trafficking are eligible for legal aid for any immigration application, including a statelessness application.
Legal aid is available for statelessness applications in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and for judicial review of refusals in all jurisdictions.
Interviews are only conducted where decision-makers consider they cannot make a decision based on the written information provided. However, in some cases in which further relevant information could have been sought in an interview, the applicants were not invited for interview, and their applications refused. The requirement to interview has been watered down in successive versions of the guidance for decision-makers. UNHCR’s 2020 audit revealed that applicants were interviewed in only 2% of 530 cases audited.
Interpreters were provided free of charge for interviews with the Home Office, but the costs of interpreting for communication with legal/other representatives has to be covered by legal aid, charitable funds, or provided free by the interpreter.
There is an internal Home Office quality assurance system in place within the Statelessness Unit, whereby at least one decision per examiner is reviewed each month, but the outcomes of these reviews are not published. Separately, UNHCR’s Quality Protection Partnership has access to Home Office files with authorities’ consent and works with the UK Government to strengthen decision-making quality, including with respect to the statelessness procedure. It audited the procedure in 2020 and remains in dialogue with the Home Office regarding policy generally.
Decisions for refusals are written and reasons must be provided, but reasons are not required nor given when applications are approved.
There is no referral mechanism into the SDP from the asylum procedures or other agencies or departments. On occasion, the Home Office has referred people refused asylum to the SDP; on other occasions, the Home Office has not referred people to the SDP where this was warranted.
There is no timeframe for decisions set in law. Lengthy waiting times were highlighted in the 2020 UNHCR audit and legal representatives report that any slightly complex applications routinely take 18-24 months to decide. If the first decision is a refusal and a request for administrative review of the decision is upheld, guidance requires that a new decision be made within three months, although delays of a year have been reported.

Protection during the procedure

There is no automatic right for an applicant to remain in the UK during the procedure and no guarantee against expulsion. A statelessness leave application is not a barrier to removal where a person does not have permission to stay in any other capacity and an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) (that would enable them to leave the UK) has been issued. The ETD will be accepted as evidence that the person is re-admissible to the country of return. Whether or not they are stateless, they will not be granted a residence permit in such circumstances.
Applicants do not have the right to work and may be detained, although this is unlawful if detention is for the purposes of removal and removal is not imminent.
Applicants who have been refused asylum and are destitute (or imminently so) are potentially eligible for very basic shelter and support. Children and their parents may be eligible for support from local authorities if they are ‘in need’, but this support is also generally very basic.
There is no time limit for the procedure in law. The Government has stated it is working to reduce delays in decision-making and may introduce non-mandatory guidance on discretionary timeframes.
UNHCR recommended in its 2020 audit that applicants under the SDP should have the same access to protection and rights as asylum seekers, but the Government did not accept this recommendation.

Appeals

There is no statutory right of appeal against a decision to refuse a residence permit on the grounds of statelessness. Dependent family members may in theory lodge a human rights appeal. Administrative and judicial reviews are possible.
In its December 2020 audit report, UNHCR recommended a full statutory appeal against a refusal under the SDP, but the government did not accept this recommendation.
In all UK jurisdictions, legal aid is potentially available for judicial review, but not necessarily for administrative review (in England and Wales), and the case must meet an eligibility test on income and merits. Judicial reviews are subject to court fees, but fee waivers may be available, and fees may be covered by legal aid, where approved. Court fees may vary in different jurisdictions. There are some restrictions on legal aid for judicial review (for example, in England, legal advisers may not be paid under legal aid if the court does not grant permission for the judicial review or does not order payment of their costs). There is no fee for an administrative review because there is no fee for the statelessness residence permit application itself.
There is evidence of errors in decision-making. Cases decided at judicial review have found errors of law; errors have been identified by the Home Office through the administrative review process; and UNHCR’s 2020 audit report found a number of errors in decision-making in the cases reviewed, including failures to examine relevant evidence and failures to determine statelessness prior to refusals on grounds of criminality. The audit recommended a comprehensive revision and improvement of training for decision-makers.

Statelessness status

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People recognised as stateless may be granted permission to remain in the UK if they meet additional requirements, including having taken all reasonable steps to (re)acquire nationality or the right of permanent residence in any relevant countries. General grounds for refusal in the Immigration Rules apply to this permission procedure, but not to those in the asylum procedure nor those applying for temporary protection.
Parents of stateless children must have taken all reasonable steps to register the child’s birth with the competent authorities of their country/ies of nationality (where applicable) and have been unsuccessful.
If eligible for a residence permit on grounds of statelessness, a renewable right to reside for 60 months is granted. If not eligible, due to falling under one of the ‘general grounds for refusal’, a 30-month ‘discretionary leave’ permit may be granted to the stateless person, which has considerably stricter criteria for renewal, is shorter and has fewer rights attached.
An application for permanent residence can be made after five years of lawful residence, including at least the final year holding a statelessness residence permit.
Stateless people with any long-term residence permit may request a travel document (the cost is the same as for a British passport) but this is not issued automatically. Since 1 January 2025, the UK moved to a system of eVisas, which is a record of information on a government database, and identity cards became invalid.
Residence can be revoked on certain grounds, including if the applicant has made false representations or failed to disclose material facts, on grounds of undesirability, and criminal behaviour. A stateless person whose residence is revoked and remains unremovable will be considered for a discretionary residence permit.
Family members who are themselves stateless and already living in the UK may make their own applications for a residence permit. Family members who are not stateless or are outside the UK can apply to join a stateless person in the UK if the relationship began before a residence permit was granted to the stateless person. If the relationship only began afterwards, family members must comply with the requirements imposed on family members of British citizens and other migrants. Requirements are strict and there are fees.
In 2024, the Immigration Rules completely removed special rights of stateless people residing in the UK to family reunion, but this was reversed by a successful judicial challenge in 2025. This established that stateless people cannot be discriminated against under the UK's Equality Act, since they are protected on grounds of race because of their nationality status.
People granted statelessness residence permits have the right to work and to access primary, secondary and higher education. Students with statelessness residence permits in England and Scotland, and their family members, are eligible for student loans as well as a cap on fees in Scotland. In Wales, people with statelessness leave must meet a three-year residency requirement before starting a higher education course.
Those with a residence permit as a stateless person are eligible for social security and access to healthcare (in England and Wales, they should be treated as exempt from charges for public healthcare treatment received after applying under the SDP, but some may have incurred charges for treatment prior to applying to the SDP). Some may be exempt from the National Health Service (NHS) charges on other grounds, for example if they or a person on whom they are dependent works in public health or social care.
People granted refugee status or subsidiary protection are eligible for integration loans (England), but people granted leave to remain under the SDP are not.
'Foreign nationals with a right to reside' may vote in some elections in some parts of the UK, although none may vote in General Elections for the UK Parliament. In England and Northern Ireland stateless people may not register to vote, regardless of their residence status.
In Scotland, 'foreign nationals' (other than EEA nationals and Commonwealth citizens) who have a residence permit, or who do not need one, may vote in local and Scottish Parliament elections. In Wales, the same 'qualifying foreign nationals’ may register to vote in Welsh Parliament elections. It is not clear whether this encompasses stateless people.
An interpretation of the guidance means that stateless persons granted a travel document should have access to consular assistance, but there is no publicly available information online.

Dočasná ochrana osob prchajících před válkou

Between March 2022 and February 2024, the UK set up the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, which allowed people fleeing the war in Ukraine to join their family members in the UK or a person who offered to sponsor them. The schemes were mostly applicable to Ukrainian nationals, although some stateless people and people at risk of statelessness fleeing Ukraine could be eligible. Since then, routes have been limited, but it is possible to extend residence permits previously granted under these routes.
Stateless people ineligible for these schemes might be able to enter the UK through other routes and could claim asylum once in the UK.
Statistics show that at least one stateless person has entered the UK with an entry permit under a Ukraine scheme.
The Home Office has confirmed that Ukrainian surrogate mothers of British intended parents will be entitled to travel to the UK outside of the usual immigration rules, which may help prevent cases of statelessness among children born through surrogacy.

Zajištění

Analyses law, policy and practice relating to immigration detention generally, but focusing on protections in place to prevent the arbitrary detention of stateless people during removal and deportation procedures. Subthemes examine areas such as the identification of statelessness and assessment of whether there is a reasonable prospect of removal, procedural safeguards such as time limits, judicial oversight, and effective remedies, as well as the rights granted to stateless people upon release from detention and protection against re-detention.

In the UK, powers to detain are provided for in law and policy guidance. The Secretary of State has a discretionary power to determine the reasonable period of detention to carry out removal, even in cases where removal or deportation is not possible. There is limited judicial oversight. The law states that detention should be a last resort and detainees have recourse to legal aid and judicial review of their detention. A country of removal does not need to be identified prior to detention, and there is no mention of statelessness in guidance. There is no time limit on immigration detention and prolonged periods of detention have been found to be lawful in some cases (though unlawful in others). Many people enter detention who are later released, and in many cases re-detained; case reviews are often cursory, alternatives are not adequately considered prior to detention, and few protections are provided on release. Statelessness is not identified as giving rise to vulnerability and is not adequately considered as a juridically relevant fact in decisions to detain.

Zajištění cizinců

Powers for immigration detention are provided in law.
The Secretary of State – and not the courts – has a discretionary power to determine the length of detention necessary to carry out a removal (even if removal is not ‘imminent’) and to decide on the place of detention. There is limited judicial oversight.
The law does not state whether a country of removal must be identified prior to detention, and there is no mention of statelessness in guidance.
There are various alternatives to detention and alternative forms of detention used in the UK and these are required to be considered prior to detention, but in practice, they are not often adequately considered.
There is a clear obligation in law to release a person who is detained for the purpose of removal when there is no realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable period. However, in practice, there have been cases with lengthy periods of detention particularly if the detainee has committed serious criminal offences.

Identifikace statusu bez státní příslušnosti

Statelessness is not explicitly referred to in UK law or policy as a juridically relevant fact in relation to detention, but it can be raised by detainees and is a relevant fact according to case law. Statelessness is not included as a factor in guidance relating to people who may be at particular risk in immigration detention. In practice, there is evidence that the authorities do not always adequately consider statelessness in deciding whether to detain or maintain detention.
The authorities do not refer people in detention to the statelessness determination procedure to request a residence permit, but a detainee can apply from detention and is expected to do so themselves.
Some stateless people are detained, including some who are not acknowledged to be stateless. Practitioners report that people at risk of statelessness who are not admissible to any other country are detained as their statelessness is not determined in detention.
Individual vulnerability assessments are required under UK law and policy but are not always thorough and do not consistently prevent detention in practice. Statelessness is not identified as giving rise to vulnerability.

Procesní záruky

There is no time limit on immigration detention in the UK.
Written reasons for detention are provided to the detainee at the time of detention, but these are in tick-box form and are not individualised.
The Home Office internally reviews the need for immigration detention every 28 days, but this is often a cursory review.
Detainees can apply for bail, seek judicial review of unlawful detention or bring a habeas corpus action before a judge.
Free legal aid exists to challenge detention, but evidence suggests there are barriers to accessing free legal advice in practice (particularly for those immigration detainees held in prisons) and there are reports of poor-quality advice being provided. Detainees in immigration removal centres are usually informed of how to access legal advice and bail when detained and in monthly reviews of their detention, but not normally about the SDP. A leaflet usually given to people who apply for asylum contains information about how to access the statelessness procedure.
After the High Court found in 2021 that the lack of free advice for immigration detainees in prison is unlawful, the Ministry of Justice made changes to allow detainees 30 minutes of legal advice. Concerns remain about access to legal representation after that initial contact.

Ochrana po propuštění

A person released from detention is not routinely issued with residency documents unless they have applied for and been granted statelessness (or another) status from within detention.
If the person is released, they are normally granted Immigration Bail. They may be eligible for basic support, accommodation and healthcare (although they may be required to pay for non-urgent healthcare in England and Wales) but are generally not permitted to work. If they have applied for asylum and have not received a decision for over a year – they may apply for permission to work in specified occupations.
As there is no time limit on detention, cumulative time spent in detention does not count towards any limit. Some people are detained for very lengthy periods, and some people are detained multiple times.

Dohody o navracení a zpětném přebírání osob

Very little information is available publicly on the content of bilateral return or readmission agreements entered into by the UK Government, and there is no information as to whether stateless people are returned under such agreements in practice.
The UK is not party to EU readmission agreements since it left the EU. Government guidance states that applications for a residence permit on the grounds of statelessness will normally be decided before making arrangements for removal. It asserts that where a person holds a current passport or is issued an Emergency Travel Document then that is evidence that they are re-admissible for the purposes of permanent residence.
No cases have been reported in which the fact that a child would be unable to access their right to a nationality in a country of return has been a deciding factor in granting them a residence permit in the UK. It is likely that some children are removed from the UK without adequate consideration of their best interests, statelessness, and right to a nationality in the country of return.

Prevence a omezení

Assesses the adequacy of safeguards in nationality laws to prevent and reduce statelessness, including facilitated routes to naturalisation for stateless people, and protections for otherwise stateless children born on the territory or to nationals abroad, foundlings and adopted children. Examines law, policy, and practice on birth registration, including access to late birth registration, and reduction measures taken by States to prevent and reduce in situ statelessness. Analyses provisions on deprivation of nationality and whether there are safeguards related to renunciation and deprivation of nationality to prevent statelessness from occurring.

There are safeguards in British nationality law to prevent statelessness in most cases, but some gaps and practical barriers persist. Children born and remaining stateless in the UK can register as British nationals after five years of living in the UK, before the age of 22. There is a prohibitively high fee for registration, but children may apply for a fee waiver if their family cannot afford to pay the fee. There are partial safeguards in law for children born abroad to British nationals, children formally adopted by British nationals in most circumstances, and for foundlings. There is no statutory age limit for the acquisition of nationality by foundlings, but policy guidance is not clear about whether a foundling's nationality could later be lost should circumstances change or new facts come to light. All births must be registered in the UK irrespective of parents’ status, but health services are required to report unpaid healthcare charges (which are chargeable to many categories of migrants) to the authorities, which may deter undocumented migrants from accessing health services or registering births. The UK Government has far-reaching powers to deprive British nationals of their nationality, in some cases even if this results in statelessness.

Naturalizace

The granting of British citizenship to an adult is discretionary and there are no accelerated procedures for most stateless adults. Some children, mostly those born in the UK, have an entitlement to be registered as British.

Naturalisation of adults
Stateless people are eligible to apply for naturalisation generally after five years’ lawful residence and one additional year of permanent residence, in line with refugees and people with subsidiary protection (if they meet other criteria for naturalisation). This does not put them in a more advantageous position than most other people applying for naturalisation.
The standard naturalisation fees are prohibitively high (1,709 GBP / 1,994 EUR for adults) and there are no exemptions on grounds of statelessness.
A 'good character' requirement is imposed, creating a further barrier, especially for those with criminal convictions or 'reasonable grounds to suspect they have been involved in a crime'. Applicants who request naturalisation after 10 February 2025 and who arrived in the UK through irregular means or by a 'dangerous journey' at any time may never be able to naturalise. There is ongoing strategic litigation to challenge this.
There is no minimum income requirement, but there are citizenship and language tests, which can be waived in certain exceptional circumstances, but not on grounds of statelessness.

Registration of children
Children not born in the UK and recognised as stateless are potentially eligible to register as British nationals when their parents naturalise or become settled in the UK; or under discretionary criteria which apply to all children. There are special routes for stateless people born in British Overseas Territories. The fees applied to all these types of applications are also prohibitively high: 1,000 GBP (1,166 EUR) and increase if the child turns 18 during the application process. Children may apply for a fee waiver if they (or their family) cannot afford to pay the fee, and children in care of the state are exempt from the citizenship fee.

Osoba bez státní příslušnosti narozena na území

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Children who would otherwise be stateless and were born in the UK to a parent holding a form of British nationality (British Citizenship; British Overseas Territories Citizenship; British Overseas Citizenship; British Subject), acquire British nationality automatically.
Children born stateless in the UK with no British (or permanently resident) parent are entitled to register for British nationality on application after five years’ continuous residence prior to the age of 22. This does not need to be lawful residence, but the child must not have been absent for more than 450 days during this period.
There is a fee of 1,000 GBP (1,166 EUR) for registration of a child as a British national, which is a significant barrier for many. There is a fee waiver for children who cannot afford the fee, and an exemption for children in care of the state.
Stateless children are required to prove they cannot access another nationality, but this requirement does not apply to stateless young adults aged 18-21. The standard of proof is 'balance of probabilities' and the burden of proof is on the applicant. The UK Government has issued guidance to caseworkers on the assessment of the evidence.
There are no specific provisions to protect the right to a nationality of children born to refugees.
Applicants can challenge a refusal to register a child by requesting an administrative review (fee 513 GBP where no fee waiver was granted) and, in some circumstances, a judicial review.

Nalezenci

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Foundlings are presumed in law to have been born to a British national and acquire British nationality automatically.
There is no statutory age limit for the acquisition of nationality by foundlings. The law refers to 'new-born infants'. UK Government guidance previously indicated that the reference to new-born infants should be interpreted generously and included babies up to one year old; however, this was omitted from updated guidance.
Policy guidance is not clear about whether a foundling's nationality could later be lost should circumstances change or new facts come to light.

Adopce

An adopted child's acquisition of another foreign nationality does not result in loss of their British nationality.
A child formally adopted in the UK, in an overseas (British) territory or in a Hague Convention country by a parent who is a British national and resident in the UK becomes a British national from the moment the adoption becomes final. In other cases, registration is required.

Ius sanguinis (právo krve)

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Children born to British national parents abroad can acquire a parent’s nationality by descent (ius sanguinis) if in the first generation, and subsequent generations under certain conditions. British nationals by descent born overseas cannot in principle pass their nationality to their children also born overseas. Where a child is stateless, that child can be registered as British if the parents are resident in the UK for three years after the birth. Conditions are not discriminatory in nature.

Registrace narození

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Births must be reported to the birth registrar within 42 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and within 21 days in Scotland.
All births must be registered by law even if parents are undocumented or do not have any residence status.
There is no evidence of barriers to birth registration in practice due to lack of documentation or residence status; however, public health services are required to report certain immigration matters to the immigration authorities and some undocumented migrants are subject to charging for healthcare, which may deter them from accessing services and could discourage birth registration, though no recent cases have been reported.
Late registration is possible in law and practice in all jurisdictions although it is discretionary after a year and there is provision in law for failure to register a birth to incur a fine (no more than 200 GBP (230 EUR)).
There is a fee for the provision of birth certificates.
Nationality is not recorded on the birth registration document (neither of the parents nor the child) and there is no formal, standalone procedure for determining nationality. Most children born in the UK will only have their nationality determined at the point of requesting a travel document or British passport. Children who are subject to immigration procedures may have their nationality determined by the relevant Home Office authority dealing with their immigration application.
There is no guidance on whether a child can register their own birth.

Snižování absence státní příslušnosti in situ

There is no evidence of targeted government campaigns to promote birth registration, though information on how to register births is provided on government websites (although it is not always complete).
Hospitals advise people to register births and there is generally high awareness of the need to do so. Still, there is some anecdotal evidence of some births in very marginalised communities not being registered.
The UK Government has not taken any proactive measures to reduce the risk of statelessness in recent years, and in fact this risk has increased through implementation of deprivation of nationality provisions and the provisions of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 relating to stateless children born on the territory.

Upírání občanství

There are provisions in UK law, which permit the Secretary of State to deprive British nationals of their nationality (including on national security grounds) even if this would result in statelessness, if certain tests are met.
An order for deprivation of British nationality may be made which results in a person becoming stateless where: a) the person naturalised; and b) the Secretary of State considers that they have conducted themselves in a manner seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the state; and c) the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds for believing that the person may be able to acquire another nationality. The Home Office indicated in March 2024 that this provision has not been used since its introduction in July 2014.
The power to deprive a person of nationality without actually serving notice on them was introduced in 2018. The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 contains a safeguard that provides for judicial oversight of an order to deprive a person of British nationality on 'conducive to the public good' grounds.
A person may also be rendered stateless where a deprivation order is made in cases where nationality is found to have been acquired by fraud, false representation or concealment of a material fact. In certain types of such cases, a person’s British nationality will be nullified (and the person will be considered to never have been a British national, except for children in certain cases).
There is a safeguard in law and practice to prevent renunciation of British nationality resulting in statelessness. If a person renounces British nationality to acquire another but then does not acquire this within six months, the renunciation is revoked.
Procedural guarantees relating to deprivation provisions include the right to appeal, but in some cases if the Secretary of State considers that there is information that should not be made public, the appeal is only to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission where the appellant's right to review evidence is severely curtailed. The Secretary of State may notify the person concerned while they are abroad, and by electronic means or ‘served to file’, which means that the person is not in fact served with the notice. In February 2021, the Supreme Court rejected the request of an applicant deprived of her British nationality whilst abroad to return to the UK to appeal her case.
Deprivation of nationality provisions are applied in practice, and increasingly. Between 2010 and 2023, over 1,000 people were deprived of their British citizenship, including 222 on grounds of behaviour 'not conducive to the public good'. 1,342 people were deprived of nationality on grounds of fraud between 2012 and 2024.
The Royal Prerogative can also be used to deny passport facilities without going to the extent of depriving a person of British nationality; or where it is not legally possible to deprive them of their nationality. There is limited oversight of Royal Prerogative powers, and there is some evidence of this power having been used in recent years.
The power under s40(2) British Nationality Act 1981 can be considered discriminatory because it can be exercised against dual nationals only, and dual nationals are more likely to be naturalised citizens, migrants, or from a migrant background.
In cases where the spouse or child loses nationality, the best interests of the child must be considered, and family members must seek to regularise their immigration status. The consequences of nullification (e.g. in cases of fraud) for family members who acquired nationality as dependents are complex and have changed over time. The Supreme Court has ruled to protect the British citizenship of a child who acquired nationality through the parent, but recent legislation has overturned this.

Zdroje

Library of resources, legal instruments, publications and training materials on statelessness, specifically relevant to this country. More regional and international materials, as well as resources from other countries, are available on the Resources library. Domestic case law can be consulted in the Statelessness Case Law Database (with summaries available in English).

Please note that we are in the process of adding new resources, so check back soon.

International and regional treaties

United Nations - Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (Led 1954)

Council of Europe - European Convention on Nationality (Lis 1997)

Council of Europe - Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in relation to State Succession (Led 2006)

United Nations - Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (Led 1961)

Publications

ILPA and Liverpool Law Clinic - Statelessness and applications for leave to remain: a best practice guide (Zář 2016)

UNHCR - Statelessness Determination in the UK (Led 2020)

UNHCR & Asylum Aid - Mapping Statelessness in The United Kingdom (Led 2011)

Migrants Resource Centre, University of Liverpool Law Clinic, ENS & ISI - Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at UPR27 - UK (Zář 2016)

UNHCR - I Am Human (Dub 2021)

European Network on Statelessness - Statelessness determination and protection in Europe (Zář 2021)

Asylum Aid - Webpage on statelessness (Zář 2023)

European Network on Statelessness - Thematic briefing: Birth registration and the prevention of statelessness in Europe (Lis 2024)

ENS - Legal briefing on the rights of stateless Palestinians in the UK (Zář 2025)

European Network on Statelessness - Thematic briefing: Statelessness Determination and Protection in Europe (Říj 2025)

United Kingdom

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