The Commonwealth citizenship is a supplementary citizenship, acquired by virtue of being a citizen of a Commonwealth member state or, in the United Kingdom, a country listed in Schedule 3 of the British Nationality Act 1981. Acquisition and loss of Commonwealth citizenship is tied to the domestic nationality regulations of each member state
The Commonwealth
Commonwealth member countries are a part of a mutually supportive community of 56 independent and sovereign states, most of them former British territories (Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon and Togo have no British colonial link). Its roots go back to the British Empire, when countries around the world were ruled by Britain. The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, supports Commonwealth member countries to achieve development, democracy and peace. The Commonwealth helps member states to advance in these areas:
- Strengthen governance,
- Build inclusive institutions
- Promote justice and human rights.
- Grow economies and boost trade, Empower young people,
- Address threats such as climate change, debt and inequality.
Commonwealth Citizen
A Commonwealth citizen is not regarded to be a foreign citizen, or alien, by another respective Commonwealth government. This tradition descends from the older ‘British subject’ designation. Today Commonwealth citizens are not British subjects or British citizens; in UK law ‘Commonwealth citizen’ is a separate status with some privileges in the UK, and they may get help from a British embassy in a country where their own country is not represented.
Citizenship by Investment (CBI)
Citizenship by investment (CBI() schemes offer a supplemental commonwealth citizenship. Further, an individual would automatically lose the status if that person is no longer a citizen of any Commonwealth country.
Which CBI countries offer Commonwealth Citizenship?
These are the seven countries that currently offer Commonwealth citizenship as a supplemental citizenship, through citizenship by investment (CBI) schemes. Malta (closed after the EU Court of Justice ruling of 29 April 2025) and Cyprus (closed in November 2020) no longer offer CBI.
| Caribbean | Pacific |
|
|
Key Benefits
Here are some of the important benefits available for commonwealth citizens.
- Consular Assistance – All Commonwealth citizens may receive consular assistance from British embassies and consulates in foreign non-Commonwealth nations where their home countries have not established diplomatic or consular posts. They are eligible to apply for British emergency passports, if their travel documents have been lost or stolen and permission has been given by their national governments.
- UK Right of Abode – Only some Commonwealth citizens have the right of abode in the UK: those who were Commonwealth citizens on 31 December 1982 and had a parent born in the UK (or, for women, were married to such a man before 1983). Right of abode means you can live and work in the UK free of immigration control. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries (such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and most Caribbean CBI countries) are exempt from the English language test when applying for a UK visa.
- UK Ancestry visa – Commonwealth citizens aged 17 or over can apply for a UK Ancestry visa (5 years, with a path to settlement) if they prove a grandparent was born in the UK
- UK Visa Free Travel – Citizens of many Commonwealth countries (including Antigua, Grenada and St Kitts) can visit the UK for up to six months without a visa, but they need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travel. Visitors cannot work. Other Commonwealth nationals need a visa, including India, Pakistan and Nigeria, and the CBI countries Dominica (since 2023), Vanuatu (since July 2023) and Saint Lucia (since March 2026).
- Travel Documents – In some member states, they may also be issued non-passport travel documents when they are unable to national passports.
- Voting Rights – Commonwealth citizens who live in the UK legally (with leave to remain, or not needing it) can vote in UK general elections and local elections.
- Immigration – Commonwealth citizens apply for UK visas under the same rules as other foreign nationals, apart from routes such as the UK Ancestry visa and the Youth Mobility Scheme for some countries.
Commonwealth Members
There are 56 members of the Commonwealth, most of them small states. Gabon and Togo joined in 2022.
| Africa | Asia | Caribbean / Americas | Pacific |
|
Europe
|
|
|
Right to Vote
The following jurisdictions allow citizens of other Commonwealth countries to vote:
|
|
* Citizenship by Investment (CBI)
