Islander Status Guernsey : Immigration & Nationality Division

Organization : Immigration & Nationality Division
Type of Facility : Islander Status
Country: Guernsey

Website : https://www.gov.gg/article/119613/GOVGG

Islander Status :

Islander Status is the day to day term used to describe the status of a *Channel Islander or *Manxman who has no connection with the United Kingdom * as defined in Article 6 of Protocol 3 to the Treaty of Accession of the UK to the European Community (European Union)

Related : Environment Department Guernsey Applying For International Driving Permits : www.statusin.org/8831.html

Who has Islander Status?:
A person who is a British citizen through their connection with the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and who has no connection with the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has Islander Status.

A British citizen with Islander status does not have the same rights to live or work in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland as a British citizen who does not have that status.

Islander Status only affects British citizens.

Does Islander Status have effect everywhere?:
No, it does not have any effect in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and it is not relevant to any countries outside the EEA or Switzerland.

What does being a British citizen through a connection with the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man mean?:
A British citizen will have that citizenship through a connection with Channel Islands or the Isle of Man if they were:
born, adopted, registered or naturalised there
or
born abroad and acquired their British nationality through a parent who was born, adopted, registered or naturalised in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man

What are the connections with the UK that would mean that I do not have Islander Status?:
The connections are:
a parent or grandparent who was born, adopted, registered or naturalised in the UK;
or
residency in the UK for a period of 5 years or more.

How will an immigration authority in an EEA country know whether or not I have islander status?:
If you have islander Status, your British passport will be endorsed as follows:
‘The holder is not entitled to benefit from EU provisions relating to employment or establishment’

If you do not have Islander Status there will be no such endorsement. The absence of the endorsement in your British passport means that you are entitled to the same employment and establishment rights as, for example, a UK born British citizen.

Whether or not your passport is endorsed in this way will depend on what information you have supplied when you applied for passport:
I was born in Guernsey, I have no links with the UK but my parents were born in another European Union country. Why does my British passport show that I have Islander Status?

As a British citizen born in Guernsey, only a claim of a connection with the United Kingdom is relevant. You may, however, have a claim to the citizenship of another EU member state through your parents and may be able to apply for a passport issued by that country. This would depend on the nationality laws of that country. You could then use that passport to live and work in the EEA or Switzerland in the same way as any other EU national.

You should contact the Embassy / Consul of the country concerned for further information.

How can I apply to live or work in an EEA country or Switzerland?:
You are advised to contact the Embassy / Consulate of the country concerned for further information. This is particularly important if you have Islander Status as you may need their permission before you enter that country for the purpose of employment or residence.

Information concerning Embassies and Consulates in the UK can be obtained here: Find a foreign embassy in the UK

Immigration and Nationality Division:
Guernsey Border Agency,
New Jetty, White Rock,
St Peter Port, Guernsey,
GY1 2LL, Channel Islands

Tel: 44 1481 741420
Email: ind@gba.gov.gg