2Wabo

Hi I hope someone can help me. My daughter was born in the UK and lived here most of her life. Since June 2010 she has lived in Peru with a lovely Peruvian man and they now have a baby. My daughter has booked a holiday in UK in July and wants to bring Cleo (9 month bubba) with her. Cleo is British by descent but only has a Peruvian Passport. To get a British Passport will require my daughter to send her own passport off (she cannot get a countersignature out there saying that someone has known her two years) and that is something she is hesitant to do as it is only 9 weeks till she comes here and it's too risky.
Technically Cleo doesn't need a visa as she is a British citizen by descent but without a British passport there is a chance that they will not allow them into the UK, we think??
Has anybody got any information that will clear this problem up??


many thanks

CHristina

2Wabo

anyone anywhere have any tips or advice?

cheers

Christina

pennylessinindia

The first hurdle will be if the airline will allow the baby to board without a visa or British Passport. If they get to the UK as long as you have a birth certificate and it is clear that the child will be a British Citizen I doubt it would be turned away. However it will be the busy time so anything is possible. Really should have applied for British Passport for baby after birth, realise you state there was a problem with counter signatories but could have been sorted out I am sure if done early enough.
Is dad travelling with them, in some countries you can not leave with child without a visa and/or consent letter from father so may be worth looking at this too.

Sure someone who has done something similar will be along soon with their input.

2Wabo

many thanks for that reply . Dad isnt going but my daughter does have a consent letter. My daughter will be checking in to see what replies I had so I hope she gets some tips from you and others.

The problem with countersignatories is that the person out there has to have known her for two years and thats not possible.
Its so difficult!

Mummy in the foothills

Maybe she could look into a right of abode stamp for the baby's passport.
Is Peru part of the Visa Waiver program or do Peruvians need a visa to visit UK?

petrichor

Has your daughter contacted the British Embassy in Peru for advice?

http://ukinperu.fco.gov.uk/en/

2Wabo

HI all, I am passing all your answers on to my daughter and awaiting her feedback. The main worry for her is that she cannot get a british passport at thismoment in time for travelling. SHe is not so worried about getting through immigration in the UK, its more to do with being refused to board the British Airways flight to UK, because of the baby's Peruvian passport. We think that at Heathrow, with a birth certificate and my daughters British passport all will be ok. Its all about getting on that flight in the first case.

Many thanks all

Christina

2Wabo

Ok this is from my daughter
I have contacted the British consular in both cusco and lima and they both say its not for them to help with passport applications, they had no answer about the counter signature and are not interested in helping me at all.
Not helpful

2Wabo

this answer to mummy in the foothill from my daughter as well

to mummy in the foothills, i read somewhere that if she has a right of abode stamp she cannot then get a uk passport? also yes peruvians do need visas but i read that she cannot have one as she is a british citizen?

.

christmasoompa

I have a vague recollection that I've read of others in the same situation who have just got it countersigned and then put a note in with the application explaining that they countersigner hasn't known them for 2 years because they haven't lived there long enough. Could be worth a try?

After all, she's only going to be short of the full 2 years by a month or so.

Good luck.

2Wabo

oh its all so upsetting. I just spoke to someone at Borders Agency in uk and he said that really we have to have either a right of abode or British Passport. So now we have to maybe apply for british passport doing what christmasoompa suggested re countersignature, or this has to all be postponed. Thanks for advice guys and I will let you all know what does happen.

pennylessinindia

Right of Abode should not be too long a process
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/co...ultTableAnchor
Worth a try?

2Wabo

christmasoompa and allothers, I have now spoken to a really helpful lady at passport careline, my duaghter can get a peruvian person, who fits the criteria for countersignature, to sign and she must enclose a note explaining that this person has know her the longest and no british person there will fit the bill.
SO thanks for all your help and we will now have to cross our fingers that she gets it all in time.

Cheers

Christina

JAJ

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...ort#supporting

1. Mother does not have to send off her passport. She can send a copy of her passport plus the original of her birth certificate.

2. As you appear to have found out already, they will accept a countersignature who has known her for less than 2 years if she has only recently arrived in Peru.


As far as I know (check at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk) Peruvian passport holders need a visa to visit the United Kingdom. No British consular officer will (or should) give a visa to a person who is a British citizen. So the choice is either a British passport or a Right of Abode stamp in Peruvian passport.

Peruvian law may well mandate a consent letter from other parent (a lot of Latin American countries require this) so that is an additional requirement.

CPW

I don't think that's quite right. A right of abode certificate will not be issued to someone who has a valid British citizen passport. However, person with a right of abode certificate in another valid passport could apply for a British passport; the passport issuing authority might insist on cancelling the right of abode certificate (but then again it might not insist on doing that), but it wouldn't deny a British passport to someone who was entitled to one simply because the person already had a right of abode certificate.