C1 Passport Application??

I would be endlessly grateful if anyone would be able to assist me in regard to this matter.

I was born December 11th 1986 to a father who was a British citizen and married to my Canadian born mother. I believe this makes me a British citizen by descent however I am having a hell of a time figuring out what the proper process is to apply for my citizenship. I've heard from some that I need to apply for my passport and after that I'll be a citizen but I've also heard and read various places that you need to register yourself before applying for the passport. I was wondering if anyone could shed light on the situation because I'm finding the British passport website kinda disheveled. They have information strewn all over various pages none of which seems to agree with what is elsewhere posted.

Currently I have all the documentation and my c1 forms filled out but I'm a recent university graduate who doesn't have a job as of yet and taking a 200 dollar hit only to find out that I improperly applied doesn't seem that appealing. Thanks a lot for any assistance you can offer.

If your father was british otherwise than by descent (ie. if he was born in UK, or he naturalised in UK) you are a UK citizen. If he got his citizenship by descent (ie. he was born outside UK to a UK father), then you are not.

Pre-registration does not apply to you.

You file C1 with all the required documentation and you get a passport. You might have to interview.

Make sure you are using the USA website:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-b ... w-to-apply

Yeah my dad was born in Liverpool so that is great news. The only thing I was having difficulty with was finding out what documents I needed to send along with my c-1.

There is a sheet on the usa website:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-b ... -documents

Look down the righthand column for born after 1983.

All below are originals:
[*]Your full-length birt cert from your province of birth
[*]Your father's full-length birth cert from UK
[*]Your parents' official marriage certificate from province of marriage
[*]The marriage declaration (off website) signed by your living parent(s).
[*]Your Cdn passport (they will send it back) if you have one. I don't remember if I was able to send a copy of my passport photo page.
[*]copy of driver's license
You might be able to get by with one or the other of the last 2, but might as well send it all, as it needs to be signed by guarantor, like your application.

Strange question that I'm not sure that anyone will be able to answer in relation to this. I got my dad's birth certificate and it is this waxy like computer print out looking thing. Is this actually what a British birth certificate looks like or is this a photo copy? I just don't wanna lose 200 dollars applying with what looks like a photocopy.

Well, you are getting an actual photocopy of the registry, but it should have some form of authentication (stamp, embossing, etc).

If any document is unacceptable you don't "lose" your application fee, they keep your file open until you simply get the correct document and submit it, then they complete the processing.