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Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Old Jan 20th 2012, 2:27 am
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Default Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Well as Topic title says I am getting uk citizenship I am British by descent
My mom was Born in the uk and still is a citizen ( we live in Usa I was born in San Jose California ) So Do I just need to get a passport ? ( I am 16 years old (I have my moms uk certificate and my birth certificate)

Last edited by Thomas125; Jan 20th 2012 at 2:28 am. Reason: (Forum sry for mispelling the top lol)
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 2:35 am
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Default Re: Getting dual ctizen ship usa/uk ( if wrong froum sry)

If you're a UK citizen, you're not getting citizenship - you're getting a UK passport. All the info you need is here:

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...als/passports/
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 2:45 am
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Default Re: Getting dual ctizen ship usa/uk ( if wrong froum sry)

Ty.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 3:20 am
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Default Re: Getting dual ctizen ship usa/uk ( if wrong froum sry)

Originally Posted by MarylandNed
If you're a UK citizen, you're not getting citizenship - you're getting a UK passport. All the info you need is here:

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...als/passports/
Though the mother might want to have registered the birth with the UK embassy, no need to get the consular birth cert though.

Costs a bit, but makes it easier to prove citizenship in the future if the mother were to kipper it and you lose the UK passport or what not.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 12:34 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

As you are still classed a minor you will get a Child Passport which is only valid for 5 years. I believe you will also have to get your mum (parent/legal guardian) to sign the form. A child passport (32 pages ) is $132 and an adult passport (32 pages) is $211. So If cost is a factor it may be worth waiting a couple of years so you can get the adult passport which is valid for 10 years. Get more bang for your buck then

Follow the link that MarylandNed for info about what you need to apply for a UK passport.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 1:07 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Originally Posted by Sue
As you are still classed a minor you will get a Child Passport which is only valid for 5 years.
Adult (10 year) passports are issued to those aged 16 and over.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 1:25 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual ctizen ship usa/uk ( if wrong froum sry)

Originally Posted by Bob
Though the mother might want to have registered the birth with the UK embassy, no need to get the consular birth cert though.

Costs a bit, but makes it easier to prove citizenship in the future if the mother were to kipper it and you lose the UK passport or what not.
I know we've flogged this horse in the past but I personally don't see the need for this. It's also very expensive. UK consular birth registration isn't even available for some countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa.).

It's cheaper to obtain multiple copies (hard copies and scanned copies) of things like birth and marriage certificates and store them safely - that's what I have done. Once the passport has been obtained, passport records can also be checked if necessary in the future - although I also keep copies (hard copy and scanned images) of all passports. Never destroy expired passports - keep them in a safe place.

Also make sure that you have the full ("long form") US birth certificate that includes parental information. The "short form" birth certificate normally does not include parental information.

If you are interested in consular birth registration, read this:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...tering-a-birth

However, even here they make it clear that it is not necessary:

"There is no requirement for a consular birth registration to be done for any birth that has occurred overseas. The original birth certificate issued by the authorities in the country in which the birth took place, along with a notarised translation if necessary, is sufficient for all purposes in the UK (including passport applications)."
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 2:59 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Originally Posted by MarylandNed
Adult (10 year) passports are issued to those aged 16 and over.
That may account for why my son's last passport is only 5 years then, I think his was renewed a couple of months before his 16 birthday.

So scratch my post #5 above.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 3:27 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

I felt this might be appropiate to ask here instead of creating a new post.

What is the best way to get a US citizenship as currently I am still on the renewed visa, that I arrived with back in 2005. Is i best to get a lawyer to help to get things processed quicker and have them help me through the process or to save money to just do it by myself? At the moment I am on a permanent resident in other words I am on a green card.

Last edited by KrisL1; Jan 20th 2012 at 3:41 pm.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 3:37 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

That would depend.

Insufficient data.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 3:48 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Originally Posted by KrisL1
I felt this might be appropiate to ask here instead of creating a new post.

What is the best way to get a US citizenship as currently I am still on the renewed visa I arrived with back in 2005. Is i best to get a lawyer to help to get things processed quicker and have them help me through the process or to save money to just do it by myself?
Are you a permanent resident? If so, and you're eligible to apply for citizenship, you don't need a lawyer unless there are extenuating circumstances. It's a pretty simple process. I did it myself without the need for a lawyer. If they had turned me down, that would have been a different story.

However, if you're not yet a PR ("green card" holder), then you need to become one first and then wait to be eligible to apply for citizenship. I used a lawyer for my PR application because it was an employment-based application - and I wouldn't recommend that anyone try navigating that minefield without a good immigration lawyer.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 4:03 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual ctizen ship usa/uk ( if wrong froum sry)

Originally Posted by MarylandNed
It's cheaper
Documenting your child's citizenship for their use in later life should not be an exercise in economy, especially when we're only talking about a couple hundred of bucks. If it means not eating that month, fair enough. If it means waiting another month to buy a swanky flat screen TV, then I think priorities are are a little messed up.

My advice is to cross the i's and dot the t's and get the consular record of birth.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 4:15 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Originally Posted by KrisL1
At the moment I am on a permanent resident in other words I am on a green card.
Originally Posted by MarylandNed
Are you a permanent resident?
Using attorney will not speed things up. Unless you have any skeletons in the closet, or have a big problem filling in forms, just do it yourself.
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Old Jan 20th 2012, 4:21 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual citizenship usa/uk ( if wrong forum sorry)

Originally Posted by KrisL1
At the moment I am on a permanent resident in other words I am on a green card.
If you are a US permanent resident (PR = green card), then you are not "still on the renewed visa". If you have a GC, your visa is irrelevant.

Once you've been a PR for 5 years, you are eligible to apply for US citizenship. If, however, you are married to a US citizen, then you need only wait 3 years.

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Old Jan 20th 2012, 6:25 pm
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Default Re: Getting dual ctizen ship usa/uk ( if wrong froum sry)

Originally Posted by fatbrit
Documenting your child's citizenship for their use in later life should not be an exercise in economy, especially when we're only talking about a couple hundred of bucks. If it means not eating that month, fair enough. If it means waiting another month to buy a swanky flat screen TV, then I think priorities are are a little messed up.

My advice is to cross the i's and dot the t's and get the consular record of birth.
You're missing my point. I didn't say don't document your child's citizenship. I'm saying that you can document it without doing a consular birth registration - by simply obtaining and keeping the documents required. Keep multiple copies of each one if necessary. This is what anyone born in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland etc. has to do because UK consular birth registration isn't even available to them.
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