Naturalization Act 1870
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Law relating to the legal condition of Aliens and British Subjects. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 33 & 34 Vict. c. 14 |
| Introduced by | William Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 12 May 1870 |
| Commencement | 12 May 1870 |
| Repealed | 6 February 1918 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | See § Repealed enactments |
| Repeals/revokes | See § Repealed enactments |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | Representation of the People Act 1918 |
Status: Repealed | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Records of Parliamentary debate relating to the statute from Hansard | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Naturalization Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 14) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amended and consolidated enactments relating to British nationality.
The act introduced administrative procedures for naturalising non-British subjects naturalisation, but preserved the process of denization. The act also introduced the concept of renunciation of British nationality, and provided for the first time that British women who married foreign men should lose their British nationality. This was a radical break from the common law doctrine that citizenship could not be removed, renounced, or revoked.