janet1

My husband and I are both living and working in the US on L1 visas. We've been here a couple of years and expect to be here 2 more. We're expecting a baby in June and I have a couple of questions on citizenship.

I understand the baby will be a US citizen and a British citizen automatically but came across a form on the British embassy website...
http://www.britainusa.com/consular/birthreg02.pdf
What is this for? Do I need it?

We'll be travelling back to the UK late this year. Does the baby need a passport or do I need to get mine updated?

Also my husband is an Australian citizen. Does anyone know anything about that? Will the baby have 3 citizenships? It would be nice for him to have that, but really the UK and Australian citizenships are most important to us as we intend to live either in the UK or Oz after our time here. I emailed the embassy who told me to phone, i phoned and was told to fax. I faxed and no answer! Appreciate any advice!!

Englishmum

You will be pleased to hear that yes, indeed your baby will be entitled to have three citizenships! Congrats on the forthcoming birth!

It's only been since last year that the Australian govt. allowed non-resident Australians who give birth overseas to pass on their citizenship to their children.

My Aussie friend had a baby boy and he now has two passports. However, since he was American born he must travel in and out of US soil on his American passport (but when you arrive in the US or Oz you can show his/her British or Oz passport to the immigration officials on arrival if you wish).

If you get no luck from the Australian Embassy, if you live anywhere near New York you might find it easier to get an answer....my friend arranged for her son's Aussie passport through the Australian Consulate in NYC. There are other Australian Consulates in the US eg. LA, Chicago etc. which will also issue passports - the addresses and phone nos. are on the official Embassy website.

http://www.austemb.org

http://www.americanaustralian.org (your spouse might be interested in the expat article on the home page)

You will be unable to have your baby added to your passport; this has been discontinued and all travellers need individual passports. It is strange though to think of little babies having their passport photos taken when they change so much in appearance! I can't remember how my friend did it, but she took her baby home to Sydney when he was just six weeks old. I can find out for you if you wish!

DaveC

To expand on what Englishmum wrote, I would suggest you apply for your baby's US passport as a priority in order to be able to re-enter the US when you come back from your holiday.

I'm taking my 11 week old daughter to get her US passport tomorrow. Here's the site I used to get info and to download the relevant forms.

http://travel.state.gov/specialreq.html

All the best!

janet1

Thankyou so much for your help!

From your advice and reading the links you gave me it seems that what we need to do is...
- register the baby with the British embassy here
- register the baby with the Australian dept of immigration
- apply for US passport
- apply for UK passport
- apply for Australian passport

Let's hope it all goes smoothly!

Lion in Winter

In answer to your other question, no, you don't have to get a UK birth certificate in order to get the baby a passport. (You can get one when and if you want.) You can get the baby's passport with his FULL U.S. birth certificate, showing the nationalities of his/her parents, plus your birth certificate, she the baby will be claiming British nationality through you, and it should have been issued within three months of birth. I just did this for my four-year-old son with no problems.

Englishmum

Just thought of something....

I haven't had a baby in the US, but if there is a possibility of being able to get more than one certified copy of a birth certificate (in addition to the original birth certificate of course), then I would definitely pay to have some extra copies.

With all of those passport applications to different government agencies, I think they're going to come in handy in the years ahead!

Pulaski

Applying for all those passports will be pretty expensive, and quite unnecessary, as your baby will only need one passport to travel. As long all three countries have a record of the birth getting the other two passports will be a mere formality in future, if they are ever required.

yorkshirelass

Hi!

I agree with much of what everyone has said and definitely with what Pulaski has said -- if it is your intention to reside in the US indefinitely then your baby should only use the US passport.

Do make sure that you have registered your baby's birth with the British consulate here in the US. And, when you get the form take it with you when you next enter the UK. When you present it at the gate with your baby's passport, he/she will recieve the stamp "Given leave to enter the United Kingdom for an indefinte period."

Good luck!

Englishmum

Yorkshirelass: As the lady says above, they're not intending to be in the States indefinitely. They're on L1 visas so probably work for an MNC (multi-national company) and could be posted to any country where their company/companies operate. The company may even pay for at least one non-US passport to be issued. (My husband's employer pays for our passports).If they were posted to the UK, Oz or New Zealand on their next assignment it's quicker and easier to arrange for the paperwork if the child already has a British or Australian passport.

Lion in Winter

The U.S. passport must be used to enter and leave the U.S. In any other country, you can use whatever other passports you are entitled to.

Lion in Winter

Actually, if I remember correctly, registering the birth is about as expensive as the passport, and if you want a copy of the UK certificate, it costs quite a bit more. According to the Embassy website and the person I spoke to on the phone, you do not need to register the birth to be a British Citizen or to travel. I haven't got the birth certif yet (probably will) but I got the passport with no trouble. My son is entitled to the US and UK passports, and I got him both since I didn't particularly relish the prospect of standing in a long line at Heathrow for my four-year-old son to be processed as a tourist. Four-year-old children don't queue very well.

acer rose

This may be an urban myth but I vaguely remember reading a story (perhaps in a Bill Bryson book?) about a British couple who had a child whilst living in the USA. When returning to the UK, they had problems getting the child in (in spite of the fact it was entitled to British citizenship) because it was travelling on a US passport and didn't have a visa to live in the UK! Presumably getting the passport or documentation from the UK & Oz consulates before travelling would prevent this?

yorkshirelass

Exactly! That is why you register your baby's birth with the British consulate. Then you take that form with your baby's US passport (of course, only if you are choosing to stay in the USA and have your child use the US passport)and when you fly to the UK, give it to customs and they stamp it with "GIVEN LEAVE TO ENTER THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR AN INDEFINTE PERIOD" which essentially says that your baby has rights to a UK citizenship. My siblings and I have not only gone through this, but now I have two children of my own that I have had to do this with just in case we do ever decide to move back. It also saves queueing at Manchester airport customs for ages at 6 in the morning when go on holiday as we go right through. Unless things have changed in two years since we we were back last and my youngest got that stamp???

yorkshirelass

So, let me ask you this -- do you use the UK passport when arriving in the UK and the US one when you arrive in the USA???

Lion in Winter

Yes.

At least so I've been told. I'm leaving for a long overdue and well-deserved holiday on the 20th. If I get arrested I'll try and get word out.