Fredmanrave

Hello All,

I am a British citizen and passport holder who currently lives in Argentina. I have two sons (1 and 5 years old) who were both born here. I am just after confirmation that they are both British Citizens due to descent and that, therefore, I do not actually need to apply for British Citizenship on their behalf, I just need to complete the process of registering them.

I'm not sure if it's too much sun or wine down here but I found myself getting more confused the more I read on the UK Border Agency site so just a clarification of the above point would be appreciated and I'll be off to start with the small matter of completing the MN1 form....

Thanks in advance.

Graham.

quoll

Were you born in UK? If so then I think you just need to complete form C2 for their passports. If you werent born in UK then it's a tad more complex

Fredmanrave

Yes I was born in the UK. But I still think it's a tad complex because I haven't registered their births officially yet which I presumably need to do before I go to the process of obtaining British passports for them.

roaringmouse

You mean they don't have birth certificates issued by Argentina?

Dashie

You just need the birth certificates from where they were born - we used our boys' Canadian ones, along with my birth certificates, and whatever else it was that they asked for and applied for their passports and that was that

Fredmanrave

They both have Argentinean birth certificates. My point and general enquiry and doubt is exactly what I need to do with regard to them obtaining British Citizanship/Passports. As I was born in England I believe that they are therefore automatically granted British Citizenship but I'm still not sure if I have to register their births with the British authorities or whether I can go straight onto the process of obtaining their British Passports.

Any confirmation would be greatly appreciated....

Thanks.

roaringmouse

Post 5.

Fredmanrave

Thanks for the reply Dashie. This is obviously my best case scenario. Presumably I'd just have to get the birth certificates officially translated and certified. I'm popping back to England in August for a month so will try and get this all done then butobviosuly wanted to check beforehand so as to know exactly what the procedure will be and what documents I will need to take.

I will obviously be calling the British embassy in Buenos Aires beforehand aswell to double check but wanted to hear other peoples opinion, advice and experiences on here also.

roaringmouse

This is the relevant starting point for UK passports in Argentina - the UKBA website is irrelevant to you in this case.

roaringmouse

Not much point in doing that, firstly there's nothing to check. Secondly Buenos Aires doesn't deal with passport applications, they're processed in Washington DC for people in Argentina.

JAJ

It appears they inherited British citizenship (by descent) at birth, as well as Argentine citizenship by birth.

It is strongly recommended to get them British-style (consular) birth certificates. These will be in English and can be used as a stand-alone proof of British citizenship. It will save them having to "re-prove" their citizenship in future, especially if their British passports are ever lost or stolen.

You haven't told us if you are married to the children's mother. If no, it seems they were born since 1 July 2006, so that's shouldn't matter normally. If by chance the older child was born before that date and you're not married, then an application for British citizenship must be made before age 18.

They should also have Argentine passports.

Fredmanrave

Thanks for the replies rm. I had no idea that passport applicatiions are dealt with in Washington. What I might try to do is start the process now via the uk with a view to finishing the process and picking up the passports whilst in England in August. Obviosuly I'll have to check if this is possible processwise and timewise...

Fredmanrave

Thanks for the reply JAJ. To confirm I am married to the childrens mother. She is Argentinean and has an Argentinean passport as do my two sons.

I am interested to know why it is "strongly recomended" to get the two boys British style birth certificates. Up until now I've been led to believe that their British citizenship is a given due to descent (the fact that I was born in England) and that as a result all I have to do next is go through the formality of applying for their British passports. Why then should I incur an additional cost and potential time delay in getting them these certificates?

JAJ

Because:

1. It may substitute as a birth certificate in English speaking countries, avoiding translation costs, etc. May also be easier to replace, not clear how easy it is to replace Argentine documents.

2. More importantly, it serves as evidence of British citizenship should their passports ever be lost. You should understand that when a passport is lost, the whole claim to citizenship has to be "re-proved" from scratch and if they have to wait to get documents re-issued, translated, etc, then that's how it would have to be. If in the meantime they miss out on a job, or other opportunity, as a result, then they'll be out of luck. Still, your children, your choice.

Bob

To add to the above, you can register the birth and not get the certificate because you can pick that up from the GRO when on holiday in the UK for a tenner, the following September.

You then also don't need to get a UK passport, unless you're moving back to the UK, because a foreign issued UK passport costs a hell of a lot more than it does getting one in the UK, which seems silly considering they are only valid for a few years when they're for a kid.