Passport and Citizenship Planning for the Whole Family: Children, Spouses, and Multi-Generational Strategy

Citizenship planning for HNW individuals rarely exists in isolation. Decisions about a second passport, a new residency, or a citizenship programme almost always have direct and significant implications for spouses, children, and potentially grandchildren. In many cases, the real long-term value of citizenship planning is not what it delivers to the principal applicant today, but what it provides to the next generation and beyond. Getting the sequencing right — and understanding the rules on how citizenship does and does not pass through families — is essential.

How UK Citizenship Passes to Children

British citizenship can be acquired by children in several ways, each with different rules and, critically, different transmission limits.

Children born in the UK to a British citizen parent are automatically British citizens at birth in most circumstances.

Children born abroad to a British citizen parent — where that parent was born in the UK or acquired citizenship otherwise than by descent — are British citizens by descent. This is the common case for expatriate families: a British couple living in Dubai has a child born there; the child is British by descent.

The generational limit. Here is the critical planning point that many families miss: a British citizen by descent cannot automatically pass British citizenship to their own children if those children are also born outside the UK. The chain of automatic transmission breaks after one generation born abroad. The grandchildren of an original British emigrant are not automatically British simply because their parent holds a British passport (by descent).

This limitation has real consequences for British families who have been abroad for multiple generations. A grandchild born in Singapore to a British-by-descent parent living in Singapore is not automatically British. The grandchild can only become British if the parent registers them before they turn 18, under certain conditions.

Registration as a British citizen. Children who are not automatically British but have a qualifying connection to the UK — through a British citizen parent, through being born in the UK but to a parent who later acquires ILR, or through other qualifying circumstances — can be registered as British citizens. Registration is different from naturalisation: it is a statutory right for qualifying children rather than a discretionary grant. The fee is currently £1,000 per child (reduced from £1,214 on 8 April 2026), and applications are made to the Home Office (UKVI). The deadline matters: many registration provisions are only available before the child turns 18.

For expatriate families with a British connection, reviewing the citizenship status of children and grandchildren before the applicable deadlines is important and often overlooked until it is too late.

Spouses and Partners

For spouses and civil partners of British citizens, the pathway to British citizenship is expedited compared with the standard naturalisation route. Qualifying spouses require three years of lawful UK residence (reduced from the standard five) plus a period of Indefinite Leave to Remain before applying for naturalisation.

For couples where one partner is not British and residence in the UK is not planned, the citizenship planning focus often shifts to the non-British spouse's citizenship or residency — particularly in the context of CBI programmes, where the investment can include the spouse from the outset.

Caribbean CBI: Including the Family

Caribbean citizenship by investment programmes are specifically designed to accommodate family members as part of a single application. The principal applicant makes the qualifying investment, and family members are included as dependants at an additional per-person cost. Understanding who qualifies and what the costs are is an important part of programme selection.

Who typically qualifies as a dependant. Most Caribbean programmes include:

• The spouse or civil partner of the principal applicant.
• Unmarried children under a specified age — several Caribbean programmes now extend to financially dependent children up to age 30 (many having dropped the former full-time education requirement), with provisions for older children who are financially dependent due to a qualifying disability.
• Parents and grandparents of the principal applicant who are financially dependent on the applicant — minimum ages vary by programme (commonly 55, but 65 in Dominica, and no fixed minimum in Grenada).
• Some programmes include financially dependent siblings under certain conditions.

Each programme has its own specific eligibility criteria. The rules around dependent children's ages and parents' ages vary between jurisdictions and should be verified with the specific programme before submission.

Indicative additional costs per dependant. The cost structure varies significantly by programme:

• Spouse: typically USD 25,000 to USD 50,000 additional, depending on the programme.
• Each additional dependent child: typically USD 25,000 to USD 35,000.
• Dependent parents and grandparents: typically USD 25,000 to USD 75,000 each, with higher due diligence costs due to age-related checks.
• These are indicative figures only; exact costs vary by programme, change over time, and may be subject to administrative and due diligence fees on top.

Future children born after citizenship is granted. A child born after the citizenship is granted to CBI parents will not automatically acquire that Caribbean citizenship unless specific registration procedures are followed. Parents should verify the registration process for future-born children with their authorised agent and, ideally, with the government itself.

The "Jus Soli" Consideration for Grandchildren

For families taking a multi-generational view of citizenship planning, an underappreciated benefit of Caribbean CBI is the potential for future children and grandchildren to acquire citizenship automatically through birth in the CBI country.

Several Caribbean CBI jurisdictions, including Dominica and Grenada, operate birthright citizenship (jus soli) — citizenship granted to anyone born on the territory. A grandchild of a CBI citizen who happens to be born in Dominica would acquire Dominican citizenship automatically by birth, without any investment requirement. This creates a natural multi-generational pathway in families who maintain a genuine connection to the CBI country through property ownership or regular visits.

This consideration is not typically marketed by CBI programmes but is a legitimate planning consideration for families taking a 20-to-30-year view.

Education and the Passport Choice

Citizenship can have a significant and under-appreciated impact on the cost of education. This is not a trivial consideration for globally mobile families with children approaching university age.

EU citizenship and European university fees. EU citizens attending universities in EU member states typically pay domestic tuition fees rather than international fees. At many continental European universities, domestic fees are minimal or zero. At others, EU students pay fees in the hundreds of euros per year rather than tens of thousands. For a non-EU family considering an EU golden visa or citizenship pathway with school-age children, this fee differential over a university career can amount to a very substantial sum.

UK citizenship and home fees. UK citizens and those settled in the UK are entitled to "home" fees at UK universities (capped at £9,790 per year for undergraduate courses in 2026/27, rising in later years) rather than international fees (which can be £25,000 to £45,000 or more per year, and substantially higher for medicine and at the most selective universities). For non-British children of globally mobile families who might otherwise attend UK universities on international fees, establishing British citizenship or settled status before university entry can be worth over £100,000 in fees across a full degree.

US visa implications. Children who are US citizens or who have a parent with access to an E-2 treaty visa from a CBI country may have access to US education and employment pathways that would not otherwise be available.

When making citizenship planning decisions for a family, mapping the likely educational trajectory of children against the fee implications of different citizenship options is a straightforward but often overlooked step.

Children's Dual Nationality

Under UK law, children can hold multiple citizenships simultaneously. A child who is British and also Dominican, or British and also American, faces no UK legal restriction on holding both. Both passports can be applied for and used concurrently.

Practical management of multiple citizenships for children includes:

• Ensuring that each relevant country has the child's citizenship registered and that documentation is current.
• Using the correct passport for travel to and from each relevant country. A dual British-Dominican child should enter and exit the UK on their British passport.
• Registering with each country's relevant government authorities (such as a country's overseas citizen registration scheme) where applicable.
• Updating both passports regularly, as a child's photograph and biometric data change rapidly.

IHT Planning Across Generations

For UK families, the interaction between citizenship planning and inheritance tax planning deserves specific attention.

UK inheritance tax applies at 40% on estates above the nil-rate band (currently £325,000 per individual, frozen until April 2031, with the residential nil-rate band providing an additional £175,000 in qualifying cases). Since 6 April 2025 the scope of IHT is determined by long-term UK residence rather than domicile: an individual who has been UK tax resident for at least 10 of the previous 20 tax years is a "long-term resident" and is within the scope of UK IHT on their worldwide assets. Those who are not long-term residents are generally exposed to UK IHT only on UK-situs assets. (The old "domicile" and "deemed domicile" tests were abolished for IHT from that date.)

Citizenship is irrelevant to the IHT analysis — UK residence history governs. However, the planning interaction between citizenship and long-term residence matters for families with children.

A child who grows up in the UK and accumulates 10 or more UK-resident tax years will, in due course, become a long-term UK resident — even if they were born abroad and hold a non-UK citizenship. Once that status is reached, their worldwide estate becomes subject to UK IHT, and a "tail" period of continued exposure can apply for several years after they cease UK residence.

For HNW families who are globally mobile and wish to prevent children from becoming long-term UK residents for IHT purposes, the relevant steps are not about citizenship but about genuine international mobility and managing the number of UK-resident tax years a child accumulates. The citizenship the child holds does not determine IHT exposure — their UK residence history does.

Trusts established before a settlor becomes a long-term UK resident can be an important planning tool, though the IHT treatment of excluded-property trusts also now follows the settlor's long-term residence status under the post-April 2025 rules, so specialist advice is essential.

The Multi-Generational Planning Checklist

For families taking a joined-up approach to citizenship and wealth planning across generations:

1. Audit the citizenship status of every family member, including children and grandchildren, to identify any registration deadlines that are approaching.
2. Review whether any family members have citizenship claims they have not yet formally established (by descent, ancestry, or marriage).
3. Assess the educational implications of current citizenship arrangements and whether changes before university entry are worthwhile.
4. Consider CBI programme selection with the full family structure in mind, including the cost for each dependant and the per-programme eligibility rules.
5. Review the long-term UK residence position of all UK-connected family members, particularly for IHT purposes (under the residence-based rules in force since April 2025).
6. Assess whether trust structures should be established before family members become long-term UK residents.
7. Ensure estate planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, trusts) reflect the current multi-jurisdictional citizenship and residency position of all family members.

Disclaimer

Citizenship, tax, and estate planning rules are complex and jurisdiction-specific. They change regularly, and the consequences of errors in this area — particularly missed registration deadlines for children's citizenship — can be irreversible. The information in this guide reflects publicly available information as of mid-2026 and is provided for general awareness only. It does not constitute legal, tax, or immigration advice. Always seek qualified professional guidance in the relevant jurisdictions.

How Global Investments Can Help

Global Investments takes a whole-family approach to international mobility and citizenship planning. We understand that the most effective planning addresses the needs of the principal, their spouse, and their children — and considers the implications for future generations. Whether you are exploring a CBI programme, reviewing the citizenship status of your children, or considering the interaction between citizenship and estate planning, our team can help you navigate the full picture with the support of specialist legal and tax advisers.