Scottish Passport

[Ancient Mariner]

If Jaba the Hutt gets his way and Scotland becomes independent, what happens to all those British Passports? How long will we be able to use them and how much will new ones cost? If you are a family of 4 for example, will that mean 4 new passports at approx. cost of £85 each?

[ducati]

I wonder if you'll need to get them straight away. The Brits won't want a lot of forners swanning around the world with their passports will they?

[annemarie482]

You can buy a Scottish passport in the gift house for a couple quid lol

[laguna2]

Can you imagine the chaos this will cause! Huge queues at passport offices, long delays because the passport office staff can't keep up with demand - oh yes, and the expense of having to retrain them to ensure that they know what the new rules are!

On the plus side Scottish tourist board could have a great year with stay at home holidays ... cos no one will be able to leave the country!

[Ancient Mariner]

You can buy a Scottish passport in the gift house for a couple quid lol

Probably be as good as the one Jaba's mob will give us.

[colingel]

Love it !! Because I have read this thread I get adverts advising they can help with my UK Visa application

[Corrie 3]

If the Tories stay in power much longer no one will be able to afford a holiday anyway so wheres the problem?

C3.

[squidge]

In an independent Scotland you will all get to keep your British Passport.... for life!!!! That's until you die!
There is no provision within the law for the UK to remove the passport of anyone who is a law abiding British Citizen. If you become a citizen of another country then you can give up your British Citizenship but it will not be removed from you unless the country that you are becoming a citizen of does not allow dual nationality.

Its here for you http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...alnationality/

You and I and anyone else will be able to apply for a Scottish Passport but will unlikely to be required to do so - there is no point - as a British Subject and an EU citizen you will have the right to live and work here and anywhere else in the EU. The Idea that either the Government of an Independent Scotland or of the United Kingdom would force citizenship on people is not a sensible one and scaremongering at its worst.

[piratelassie]

Well said. It would appear those opposed to an independent Scotland only have scare mongering to present to the argument.

In an independent Scotland you will all get to keep your British Passport.... for life!!!! That's until you die!
There is no provision within the law for the UK to remove the passport of anyone who is a laqw abiding British Citizen. If you become a citizen of another country then you can give up your British Citizenship but it will not be removed from you unless the country that you are becoming a citizen of does not allow dual nationality.

Its here for you http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...alnationality/

You and I and anyone else will be able to apply for a Scottish Passport but will unlikely to be required to do so - there is no point - as a British Subject and an EU citizen you will have the right to live and work here and anywhere else in the EU. The Idea that either the Government of an Independent Scotland or of the United Kingdom would force citizenship on people is not a sensible one and scaremongering at its worst.

[golach]

In an independent Scotland you will all get to keep your British Passport.... for life!!!! That's until you die!
There is no provision within the law for the UK to remove the passport of anyone who is a laqw abiding British Citizen. If you become a citizen of another country then you can give up your British Citizenship but it will not be removed from you unless the country that you are becoming a citizen of does not allow dual nationality.

Its here for you http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...alnationality/

You and I and anyone else will be able to apply for a Scottish Passport but will unlikely to be required to do so - there is no point - as a British Subject and an EU citizen you will have the right to live and work here and anywhere else in the EU. The Idea that either the Government of an Independent Scotland or of the United Kingdom would force citizenship on people is not a sensible one and scaremongering at its worst.

I am confused Squidge. If and when Scotland gets independence, we will still carry United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland passports, as we do at the moment?

[squidge]

Golach you are a british citizen it doesnt matter where you LIVE! It will be YOUR choice to take or not take Scottish citizenship - there is no legal way to remove your citizenship from you. Full stop. There are no grey areas on this - it is clearly defined in law. What nationality do my parents have? They are British - they live in France but they are still British and hold British Passports. The UK may need to design new covers to reflect their new status as the United Kingdom of England Wales and Northern Ireland but they are likely to replace existing ones as and when a passport expires. The important point is that YOU have british citizenship - YOU are a british subject and that cannot be taken away from you as the law stands. If you are going to argue that the law will need to be redrafted then you might be right, but the British Government will not remove British Citizenship from British Citizens - that would damage their international reputation and be completely unworkable.

[golach]

Golach you are a british citizen it doesnt matter where you LIVE! It will be YOUR choice to take or not take Scottish citizenship

Thanks Squidge for clearing that up. So no matter what the result of Eck's neverendum, we will still be British Citizens? I now know for definate how I will vote.

Oh dear, I have just noticed my UK passport is now out of date............am I now a stateless person, or will I be by 2014?

[rich62_uk]

If we are English living in Scotland can we apply for Scottish citizenship and passports ?

[Flynn]

In an independent Scotland you will all get to keep your British Passport.... for life!!!! That's until you die!
There is no provision within the law for the UK to remove the passport of anyone who is a law abiding British Citizen. If you become a citizen of another country then you can give up your British Citizenship but it will not be removed from you unless the country that you are becoming a citizen of does not allow dual nationality.

Its here for you http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...alnationality/

You and I and anyone else will be able to apply for a Scottish Passport but will unlikely to be required to do so - there is no point - as a British Subject and an EU citizen you will have the right to live and work here and anywhere else in the EU. The Idea that either the Government of an Independent Scotland or of the United Kingdom would force citizenship on people is not a sensible one and scaremongering at its worst.

Given the current rhetoric issuing from Westminster about 'mass immigration, porous borders' etc. Don't be surprised to see border controls appear if Scotland secedes from the United Kingdom. The remaining UK will not want an open door in the north. And if the loons of UKIP were to have their way we would see a new wall built.

[M Swanson]

Golach you are a british citizen it doesnt matter where you LIVE! It will be YOUR choice to take or not take Scottish citizenship - there is no legal way to remove your citizenship from you. Full stop. There are no grey areas on this - it is clearly defined in law. What nationality do my parents have? They are British - they live in France but they are still British and hold British Passports. The UK may need to design new covers to reflect their new status as the United Kingdom of England Wales and Northern Ireland but they are likely to replace existing ones as and when a passport expires. The important point is that YOU have british citizenship - YOU are a british subject and that cannot be taken away from you as the law stands. If you are going to argue that the law will need to be redrafted then you might be right, but the British Government will not remove British Citizenship from British Citizens - that would damage their international reputation and be completely unworkable.

Has there recently been a decision made about this Squidge? According to Miliband, the Scots will no longer be British if they vote for Independence. Perhaps you can link us to the proof that what you state is correct, because I think this information needs to be known.

Scots will not be British if they vote for independence, says Miliband | Politics | guardian.co.uk

[laguna2]

Squidge said:

"as a British Subject and an EU citizen you will have the right to live and work here and anywhere else in the EU."

Can someone show me where it says that an independent Scotland will definitely still be a member of the EU? As far as I am aware there is still a debate ongoing about this!

Squidge also said:

"What nationality do my parents have? They are British - they live in France but they are still British and hold British Passports."

The fact that they choose to live in France is entirely different. France has not been part of Britain, French people have never been required to hold British Passports in order to travel abroad nor have they voted to sever such ties with Britain.

[M Swanson]

Yes, quite right L. According to the latest information from Brussels, Scotland will have to apply for membership to the EU, as a country in its own right. Barosso has stated this very clearly. It will then be up to the other EU member states to decide if Scotland is admitted.

[Gronnuck]

For all the SNP’s rhetoric and bluster they have not been able to answer any questions put to them. As I see it all of these outstanding questions can only be answered after extensive negotiations which take place after the referendum. For many of us this will be too late. IMO Salmond and Sturgeon are deluding themselves if they think the population are going to back the pipedream they are peddling.

[Bobinovich]

This is exactly the problem I have with the whole thing. We are going to be asked if we want independence without having any (or enough) of the details on which to base a decision. As much as I feel that independence could be a good thing, I am sure that neither I or the majority of Scots people are that foolhardy to say Yes blindly.

For all we know, if we vote Yes, then both the EU & UK Government could simply say 'Here's our terms...if you want independence then take them, otherwise we've got you by the short & curlies for life'. What bargaining chips do the Scottish Government hold to negotiate changes to those terms? I very much doubt either the EU or UK Government will allow us to cherry pick the best parts & leave the rest...i.e. yes to all the oil, yes to the European market but no to the Euro, to name a few...

[squidge]

Ok

You are British by birth - there is not provision to remove british citizenship from law abiding British Citizens - the only way you can "lose" your British citizenship is if you CHOOSE to give it up or you CHOOSE to take the nationality of a country which does not allow you to keep it.

So Golach - you may not have a passport but you still are a British Citizen. You are not a British Citizen because you have a passport - you get a passport because you are a British Ctizen. You can be a british citizen even if you are born abroad.

So without a passport you are not stateless - you are a British Citizen without a passport

Alex Salmond said as far back at 2009 that in an Independent Scotland people would be able to hold dual nationality so you will able to hold a Scottish Pasport if you are english and live in Scotland - Im English and Live in Scotland too - I may apply for one but I may not. There has been nothing said since to change that.

M Swanson - Ed Miliband very carefully said that in an Independent Scotland Scots would lose their British Identity - he did not say they would lose their British Citizenship because he couldnt. People live all over the world and retain their British Citizenship

Laguna - you are right the debate continues over the EU - however my point was not about Scotland's membership of the EU it was that As a British citizen you are also an EU citizen. That also may change - David Cameron's referendum may or may not happen and if it does then the rest of the UK may not be EU citizens - there is uncertainty across the board as far as the whole EU issue is concerned.

As for my parents - you are right the CHOOSE to live in France - an Independent Country which is not part of the UK - it could be Norway, Ireland, Australie, Brazil or any other country which is not part of the UK - just like and Independent Scotland would not be part of the UK. France doesnt make them take French citizenship and the UK doesnt make them give up their British Citizenship.

The Euro issue is dead and buried. Bulgaria who had signed up to take the Euro as part of their agreement when joining the EU have said no thanks and aren't doing it. They havent been chucked out of the EU for changing their minds.

This passport issue raises its head every now and again and it is just nonsense . the rules on British citizenship are there for everyone to read, you can make enquiries with experts like I have done and make your own decision based on the evidence. The referendum is not about making everyone Scottish - it is not about changing the nationality of polish people, pakistanis, french. swedish, english and other nationalities who work and live in Scotland - it is about the way that the Country we live in is governed and where the decisions affecting our society are made. Whether you believe that decisions are better made in Scotland by a scottish Government based on the Priorities of Scotland and its people or not.