76 Persons Registered as British Citizens During
Seventy-six people were formally registered as British citizens at a ceremony at Government House on Tuesday 17 March 2026, officials announced. The event included addresses from Acting Governor David D. Archer Jr. and Registrar General Tashi O’Flaherty-Maduro, the taking of the Oath of Allegiance, and guidance on rights and responsibilities under UK nationality law (Government of the Virgin Islands). An updated Government press release provides fuller remarks from the Registrar General and contact details for government services; local outlet BVI Platinum also confirmed the registrations and coverage of the ceremony.
Seventy-six persons were registered as British citizens at a ceremony held at Government House on Tuesday 17 March 2026, the Government of the Virgin Islands announced. The event marked a public celebration of the new citizens’ commitment to the Territory and their formal entry into British nationality (Government of the Virgin Islands).
Acting Governor of the Virgin Islands Mr. Archer Jr. addressed the newly registered citizens during the ceremony, urging them to take the achievement seriously and to recognise the broader responsibilities that come with citizenship. “The shared values in our community include respect and concern for others who are less fortunate, or simply those who are considered to be different,” he said, adding a biblical reminder: “you shall love the stranger, for you were once a stranger in the land” (Government of the Virgin Islands).
Tashi O’Flaherty-Maduro also spoke to the assembled guests, describing registration as more than an administrative step. In updated remarks published by the Government, she called the occasion “a moment that reflects commitment, belonging, and the start of a new chapter,” and emphasised that citizenship carries both privileges and duties, including respect for the rule of law, fairness, justice, and service to the community (Government of the Virgin Islands).
During the ceremony the new citizens took the Oath of Allegiance and a pledge of loyalty to the Virgin Islands. The Government noted that the registrations were completed under Section 2 of the British Nationality Act 1981, which can apply to people born outside the UK to a parent who is a British citizen serving abroad in a designated service; designated services are set out in the British Citizenship (Designated Service) Order 2006 (Government of the Virgin Islands).
For residents of the BVI, registration as a British citizen typically establishes entitlements such as eligibility for a British passport and access to consular assistance, though officials advised that specific rights and any administrative steps should be confirmed with the Registrar General’s office or the UK Home Office where necessary (Government of the Virgin Islands).
The Office of the Deputy Governor/Governor’s Group issued the official press release framing the registrations as recognition of the role people who choose the Virgin Islands as home play in shaping the Territory’s social and economic life. The updated Government release also provides contact details for media and public enquiries, and notes a list of the 76 newly registered citizens is included in the official document (Government of the Virgin Islands).
Local news outlet BVI Platinum confirmed the event and the registrations, reporting that officials praised the new citizens’ perseverance and reminded them of the responsibilities that accompany citizenship (BVI Platinum). Officials described the ceremony as both a celebration and a public reaffirmation of community bonds and shared responsibility.
Primary source: BVI Government