A YOUNG woman has finally received her UK passport after persevering through a six-year battle for her legal right to British citizenship.

A change in law meant that Bolton-born Reyna Khosla was unable to renew her Danish passport unless she had lived in the country recently, or spoke the language.

And to obtain her British passport would involve paying “huge” fees, which she said she could not afford.

Reyna, of Captains Clough Road, Heaton, received her passport on January 23, which means she will now be able to travel abroad. Her application for citizenship was approved in November last year. She said: “Be resilient, be persistent, never give up.

“It is such a relief to get my passport, like a weight off my shoulders. I am now learning how to book a holiday as I have never had to book one my whole adult life.
“When the passport came through the post, I almost couldn’t open it in case it wasn’t real. It felt like a dream come true.”

Barriers Reyna has faced include undergoing DNA tests and “justifying who she is” when applying for jobs, as well as being unable to go on holiday and unable to move house.

The 28-year-old, who works as a crèche duty manager for Nuffield Health, said she would like to visit friends in France and also in Slovakia. She is also planning a trip to India with partner Tom.

The couple celebrated Reyna’s passport with a champagne afternoon tea.
“We want to travel to see my lovely friends in Slovakia who got married last year”, Reyna said, “It was so unfortunate I didn’t get to see them tie the knot. But we are planning to go and see them.

“My big holiday will be next year when I save some money to go to India. I’d love to see where my late grandma grew up when she was a child. Me and Tom have said one of our trips should involve seeing elephants, especially ones that have been rescued so we can help where we can.”

Reyna, was born at Royal Bolton Hospital but received a Danish passport because her mother was born in Copenhagen, and her father was not registered on her birth certificate. Aged 21, the Danish Embassy told her that a change in law meant she could not renew her passport unless she had lived in the country recently, or spoke the language.

Her parents did not marry and separated when she was aged eight. Her mother died in 2009.

“I’d obviously like to visit Denmark because it would be amazing to see where my mum grew up”, Reyna said.