Pre-2002 BDTC → BOTC Renaming

There is no eligibility filter: every person who, immediately before 26 February 2002, held British Dependent Territories citizenship under BNA 1981 automatically held British Overseas Territories citizenship from that date. The change applied universally to the entire BDTC class regardless of how the status had been acquired (birth, descent, registration, naturalisation in a dependent territory, or transition from CUKC at commencement of the BNA 1981 on 1 January 1983). Nothing was required of, and nothing was lost by, the affected persons; the same individuals retained the same status under a new name.

No requirements attach to this route. Because the relabelling operates by statute alone (BOTA 2002 ss.1-2), there is no application form, no residence, language, good-character, or knowledge-of-life requirement, no oath or ceremony, and no documentary submission. A holder's existing certificate of registration/naturalisation or passport describing 'British Dependent Territories citizen' continues to evidence the same status now styled 'British Overseas Territories citizen'; UK Visas & Immigration and HM Passport Office simply use the new terminology on documents issued from 26 February 2002 onward. Any subsequent acquisition (e.g. BOTC registration of a new applicant) proceeds under BNA 1981 Part II provisions, not under this renaming.

No fee is payable for the renaming, because it occurred automatically by statute on 26 February 2002 with no application. Fees arise only on later, separate transactions: a renewed BOTC passport carries the standard HM Passport Office fee; a discretionary BOTC-to-British-citizen registration under BNA 1981 s.4A (inserted by BOTA 2002 s.4) carries the BOTC-related registration/naturalisation fee — BOTC naturalisation is £1,140 as of 2026-06-01. Naturalisation as a British citizen under BNA 1981 s.6 is £1,709 plus £130 ceremony (£1,839 to certificate), uprated 8 April 2026; there is no biometric fee.

The renaming is effected by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c.8). Section 1 substitutes 'British overseas territory' for 'dependent territory' throughout the British Nationality Act 1981 and replaces the heading of BNA 1981 Schedule 6 from 'British Dependent Territories' to 'British Overseas Territories'. Section 2(1) renames the citizenship status 'British Dependent Territories citizenship' to 'British overseas territories citizenship', and s.2(2) requires that substitution throughout the BNA 1981; s.2(3) reads the new terms into all prior enactments retroactively. The renamed BOTC framework remains BNA 1981 Part II, ss.15-25.