What determines your nationality?

Robert1986 · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:10

What determines your nationality? Your place of birth? whats on your passport? where your parents were born?

I was born in Germany and lived there for 4 years then moved to Scotland and have lived here for 20 years. My passport and license says I am German but I consider myself Scottish as my parents were both born in Scotland.

I've looked this up over the years on google and a lot of people have mixed opinions on it.

Wee Michelle · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:12

Where you were born I believe.

Although I understand why you class yourself as Scottish.

The more the merrier.

Robert1986 · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:14

I better learn some German then. Everytime I tell someone I was born in Germany they start speaking German to me and I haven't a clue what they are saying.

monkeysmith · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:27

Depends.. I go on where you are born. But can understand some people will use other factors, like parents nationality etc.

Gaidin109 · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:29

Legally you are German, culturally you are Scottish.

scorza · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:30

So you only have a German passport? Then you are German. Passports don't lie.

Don't like it? Apply for citizenship of another country, sounds like you have a good case for UK citizenship.

Nymins · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:40

Gaidin109 said:
Legally you are German, culturally you are Scottish.

This is probably the best way to look at it.

Really its where you are born.

Robert1986 · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:40

scorza said:
Don't like it? Apply for citizenship of another country, sounds like you have a good case for UK citizenship.

That sounds like too much paper work. I'll stick to what my passport says.

kthx.

xJcBx · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:44

IMO where your genetics come from.

Mr.Nick · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:46

Gaidin109 said:
Legally you are German, culturally you are Scottish.

This

Burnsy2023 · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:47

Robert1986 said:
What determines your nationality? Your place of birth? whats on your passport? where your parents were born?

I was born in Germany and lived there for 4 years then moved to Scotland and have lived here for 20 years. My passport and license says I am German but I consider myself Scottish as my parents were both born in Scotland.

I've looked this up over the years on google and a lot of people have mixed opinions on it.

Funny enough, I am in almost the same situation, only I was born in the UK too. I'd have to apply for British citizenship to get a British passport. Oh, and replace Scotland with Hampshire.

Where you're born is the end of the story to your nationality.

LOAM · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:48

xJcBx said:
IMO where your genetics come from.

So African then.

Burnsy2023 · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:50

xJcBx said:
IMO where your genetics come from.

You're not one of those BNP supporters are you?

Squark · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:55

My parents and where I've been living for all my life

pingwing · 12 Jun 2010 at 20:55

xJcBx said:
IMO where your genetics come from.

Been reading Mein Kampf recently?

My dissertation was on this (and my masters hopefully) and nationality is a weird creation of the human mind. Someone said that ultimately its the people around you that determine your nationality and you dont have much of a choice personally.

My example of living up here in NI is that by birth im English and British, but culturally in the British "identity" up here does not relate to me at all and the majority of my friends are from either back in england or are irish.

Either way nationality doesnt really matter with the EU thankfully, in the OP's example of being German but really scottish doesnt matter too much as being an EU citizen helps overall

Naffa · 12 Jun 2010 at 21:01

Your nationality is determined by your country of birth.

You may feel like you're Scottish, or Swiss, or American, etc, because you were raised in that particular country, but legally, your nationality is that of the country you were born in. End of (as far as I know

).

Burnsy2023 · 12 Jun 2010 at 21:01

naffa said:
End of (as far as I know ).

It's really not that simple. Like I said, I was born here and I'm not legally British.

JBuk · 12 Jun 2010 at 21:08

naffa said:
Your nationality is determined by your country of birth.

You may feel like you're Scottish, or Swiss, or American, etc, because you were raised in that particular country, but legally, your nationality is that of the country you were born in. End of (as far as I know ).

My mate is Scottish and his wife is Chinese, his child was born in Australia

Iirc the child could be a Brit, Aussie, Chinese or have a dual nationality between Brit/Aus ,China doesn't allow dual nationalities

Gaidin109 · 12 Jun 2010 at 21:15

Burnsy2023 said:
It's really not that simple. Like I said, I was born here and I'm not legally British.

It depends on where your birth was legally registered. You can be born in Germany for example, but still have your birth registered in the UK. If your Parents on holiday or in the Armed Forces for example.

But generally the country where you were registered at birth is your legal nationality. It gets complicated with people like myself who have dual nationality etc, but remember citizenship and nationality are different things.

Burnsy2023 · 12 Jun 2010 at 21:20

Gaidin109 said:
It depends on where your birth was legally registered. You can be born in Germany for example, but still have your birth registered in the UK. If your Parents on holiday or in the Armed Forces for example.

My legally registered place of birth is the UK, that is to say I have a UK birth certificate and not a German one.

Gaidin109 said:
But generally the country where you were registered at birth is your legal nationality. It gets complicated with people like myself who have dual nationality etc, but remember citizenship and nationality are different things,

You'll have to explain the difference between citizen and nationality to me then