Tangram

My wife's passport is due for renewal in a few months.

She was born in a British Army hospital in Berlin. I am trying to ascertain whether she will need to gather original documents from her father ( his birth/marriage certificates etc ) as she wasn't born in the UK or a qualifying territory ( according to the forms ) or whether a British base with a British birth certificate is classed as such.

Shot in the dark, but is anyone else in a similar situation ?

Oakvillian

not for myself (born in UK), but my sister was in a similar situation a few years ago. Born in a military hospital in Malaysia, to parents who were both born in the late 1930s to military/colonial service parents "in the colonies". When she renewed (was living in France at the time, don't know if that would make a difference) she didn't submit any supplementary documentation at all.

My understanding is that a renewal doesn't require anything, regardless of what the (extraordinarily badly written) form says, because all that stuff was checked when the passport was first issued. I may be wrong, though - somebody with recent direct experience is bound to be along to tell me so soon enough!

Tangram

I may well chance it and submit 'ignorantly' putting Place Of Birth as British Army Base Berlin and see what happens; not completing the section dealing with 'Born outside UK'.

ann m

Do you really have to provide all original docs again, if it is a renewal? Surely someone already checked this out for her first time around?

I think the ignorance-is-bliss route is a good one!

Tangram

Me too Ann.

JAJ

Documents proving citizenship aren't usually needed for a straightforward renewal of a British passport, however they can be requested.

It appears that she has a British consular birth certificate, if so, this is acceptable proof of British citizenship.

As an aside, she is eligible for the US Green Card lottery if she wants to enter and claim chargeability to Germany. You can also make an entry as the spouse of someone born in an eligible territory.

Tangram

Thanks JAJ. Interesting side note.

Tangram

Before sending stuff off, we all have the three ( for 3 of us ) COPR carbon copies kept separately.

Do I need to remove the shiny crossed out Visa in the passport ?

JAJ

Visas are not normally removable. Make sure you detach the COPR (it doesn't need to be with the passport) and take a copy of the visa in case you don't get the expired passport back. In fact, you should take a copy of everything before you send it away.

kirstya

My partner was born in a arny hospital in Hanover he renewed his passport just before we came out here with out any problem as long as you have the old passport thats all you needed

Tangram

Did he not send birth and marriage certificates with it ?

How did he word the 'place of birth' ?

JAJ

Once again. Not normally needed for straightforward renewal.

"Hanover, Germany" would be expected, and quite acceptable.

Tangram

I was going to put British Army Base, Berlin. Thanks JAJ.

ddscot

I realise this is an older post but I found this browsing around for something else, I was born in Berlin or to be more accurate in those days West Berlin in 1977 at the British Military Hospital there.

Any birth to UK dependents (or at least mine was) would have been registered at the local consulate, and my birth certificate stating this was enough for a UK passport (birth certificate signed by the british vice consul at the time with name and rank of father etc)

I never had a problem acquirung a UK driving license or passport either just stating "BMH Berlin" as place of birth with maybe an explanatory note and details of parents, the authorities are well aware of the amount of children that were born to services personnel overseas in these places at the time and will not think anything of it, they seem to have plenty of records, in fact I once had to obtain copies of my UK birth certificate and was told there was a "forces return register" just for these kind of cases and obtained it without too much difficulty.