Local demand for British passports was quite high yesterday - as Bermudians had full British citizenship restored for the first time since it was removed in 1981.

Chief Immigration Officer, Dr. Martin Brewer told said some 50 people picked up application forms yesterday. "We thought there would be a number of people who would want to do this and they would be the first in," he said when asked if he was surprised by the numbers.

The department will be sending the applications off to the British Embassy in Washington D.C. after processing here and the whole process could take up to 12 weeks. But Dr. Brewer said a more precise turnaround time will be known in the next couple of weeks based on feedback from Washington D.C.

He added that much discussion had taken place between the Immigration Department, London and the British Embassy in Washington and he did not expect any problems. People with Bermuda passports and British Overseas Territories citizenship will be allowed to use the passports as proof of their British citizenship until May next year.

But Government has warned that people travelling to other European countries with a Bermuda passport may still encounter problems.

All British Overseas Territories Citizens automatically became full British citizens yesterday - the commencement day of the British Overseas Territories Act.

With citizenship comes the right to live and work in the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The Associated Press reported heavier than normal inquiries in the other Overseas Territories, with more than 100 people applying for full British passports in volcano hit Montserrat.

In the British Virgin Islands, 30 people visited the normally quiet passport offices, a clerk said.

Montserratian Sylvester Allen, 30, said he would use the passport to search for work.

In 1995, Montserrat's Soufriere Hills Volcano sprang to life and destroyed the capital, Plymouth, and the only industries. Half the 11,000 residents have left, with many facing difficulty in getting residency in the UK.

"The economy isn't so hot right now," Allen said. "All my family is in Britain so I am planning to make a big move."

AP quoted Bermudian Erika Thompson, a 19-year-old journalism student, said she was applying so she could work and travel in Europe.

British passport holders do not need work visas to work in European Union countries.

Another Bermudian, Sean Smatt hoped to broaden his experience as a financial manager.

"Now I can work in London and in the other major European cities," the 24-year-old said.

"To get a breadth of experience some time has to be spent elsewhere but I plan to bring those skills home."