grahamw

My wife (USC) and I (GBC) live in Scottsdale and are expecting our first baby to arrive in March 2011. We have a trip to the UK planned next September and I would like to get the baby a British passport for the trip rather than a US passport.

Is it necessary to register the birth with the consulate or can we simply apply for the passport? It seems like a waste of money to register the birth. Please let me know if you have any better insight. All advice is appreciated...

Bink

If the baby is born in the US, then they are a USC at birth. They therefore should travel to/from USA on an American passport. I.e the checking in passport should be American. I am dual US/UK citizen (born in US to British parents) and I enter the UK on a UK PP but have to use my US PP when booking the flights and entering or leaving the US.

I believe it will be simpler for you if you register the birth with the British Consulate. There are rules regarding British Citizens born abroad and having a British Birth certificate (albeit one from a consulate) makes life much easier for the child in the long run.

Jerseygirl

Bink is correct...your baby is a USC therefore must leave and enter the US using a US PP. It doesn't matter what PP you enter the UK with if you're visiting.

Bink

I travelled to/from the US on a UK PP for years unbeknown that a) I should have a US PP or b) that I HAD to travel into the US on it!

Also be aware that if you ever move back to the UK with your child (or anywhere other than the US for that matter) that there are certain requirements for US citizens (tax filiing, reporting of foreign bank accounts and selective service sign up (only if male) that must be met.
This is coming from experience of not knowing these requirements and it catching up with me later in life...

Dan725

Did anyone ever query you? Just curious...was it the authorities that put you straight on that score, or did you just realize the requirement at some point?

Bink

Nope, never queried. I was investigating my right to a US passport last year as my work was looking to relocate me (never actually realised I was automatically a US citizen as I'd never held a US PP from 0-27 and had only lived in the US for the first 6 months of my life).

Found out when getting a US PP for the first time at the US consulate in London.

Dan725

Ha, brilliant!

Confused1

You can simply apply for a passport, provided you have a US birth certificate dated within 3 months of the baby's birth - if it is dated after that, you need additional paperwork such as medical insurance bills, hospital admission stuff etc. to prove the baby is yours and was not adopted.

We have kids and just used the birth certificate in one case, and needed the additional paperwork for the other. Both kids now have UK passports.

Bink

+1 in my case, I had to provide 27 years of doctors, school, university records to get my US PP...
Best to get it done early.

penguinsix

Your child will be a US citizen and has others have remarked will be a US citizen at birth automatically. As such they are required to do a number of things such as taxes and military registration and travel on a US passport, but they also have the right to run for President one day so call it even ;-)

If you wish to renounce their citizenship, basically you cannot. Parents cannot renounce on behalf of their children, and if a child (under 18) wishes to do so they have to convince a US embassy official that they do so without undue influence or duress from their family. Needless to say for very young kids this isn't going to happen.

So basically, your kid is an American unless you have the baby somewhere else or are here on a diplomatic visa.

AZ_Alba

You should definitely get the US passport otherwise when you return to US you will have to prove his right to residence. As long as you get a birth certificate with in three months of his birth you do not have to get a consular birth registration in order to get a passport for him as he will be born after 1 July 2006 outside the UK.

The hospital should advise about registering the birth and assume that the baby is delivered in Scottsdale you can get certified copies of the Birth Certificate from

Maricopa County Office of Vital Registration
Department of Public Health
3221 N. 16th Street, Suite 100
Phoenix, Arizona 85016
(mail to): P.O. Box 2111 Phoenix, Arizona 85001

Tel 602-506-6805

I got our copies ten days after our sons birth in Gilbert last December

shorrock

As an FYI.

It took 1 week to get my daughters US passport last month (sept) and she's only 3 months old.

It also only took 2 weeks to get her UK passport. I was expecting it to take 10+ weeks, but it didn't.

JAJ

You still need a consular birth certificate in case the US birth certificate is lost - a replacement will NOT be acceptable for British nationality purposes and future passport renewal, especially first adult passport, is likely to require a birth certificate copy.

The 1 July 2006 date is irrelevant in this context.

stuarthenryjames

Small 'update' for anyone interested ...

Details
Father is British, born in London.
Baby boy was born in early October 2010 (in City Hospital by Dr. Amir - who I can absolutely recommend)

Hospital Birth Notification
The hospital called me after about 5 days to say that 'their' birth notification form was ready - I went and collected that.

U.A.E. Birth Certificate
Early morning visit to Al Baraha Hospital (well signposted in Deira, after the Sheraton). This is probably the same hospital you went to for the pre-residency medical. Working hours are 8-12. Early is quieter, but not too bad (these days) at any time.
Parking: go RIGHT after you enter and either park opposite the main entrance in one of the free bays, or go through the grounds and out the other side and park in the nearly-always-completely-empty pay and display lot.
Walk 'all the way' to the 'top' of the hospital grounds (about 5 minutes!) and find the two-storey building. You'll wait about 10 minutes to submit the documents. 2 x passports, wedding licence (whatever translation you used for the RP will be find), birth notification form.
Whilst on your five-minute 'trek', laugh at all the people circling in their cars for 20 minutes trying to find a free parking spot which is 50 yards closer!
Go back the next day, collect the Arabic birth certificate (from the right-hand window), go the Typing Office (just outside) and go into the 'right hand' small office. They will prepare the English version of the birth certificate. Go back to the right-hand window, where they stamp it. Go behind to 'Room No. 11' where the guy-in-charge attests, and go back to the right-hand-window for a bunch of stamps and pay about AED 130.
This may sound a bit complicated, but it is actually very simple and every tells you which way to go if you're not sure.
Would I have paid the AED 385 for MediWhatsIt? Yeah, if I hadn't been able to face the Shindigah tunnel, or it was 2007-2008 (when all government departments were insanely busy).
You may be 'helpfully' told to go the Foreign Consular Office, however this is absolutely NOT necessary for British birth certificates (but it is necessary for some other countries).

UK Birth Certificate
Go the consulate in the morning with both parents' birth certificates, passports and marriage licence, and the baby's birth certificate.
They check the documents and take their own photocopies, and collect AED 1,025 ... 995 for the Birth Certificate and 30 for a DHL to deliver it back to your door (if you want - but it seems a good deal). Our littl'un received his birth certificate in 5 days.

UK Passport
Complete Form C2 (pick up an original and a spare one whilst at the consulate), and download and complete the 'Credit Card authorisation form' from the web.
For babies under 2 years old Dusseldorf is relaxed about the eyes open and the mouth shut rule, but the other guidelines must be followed. Baby lying on a clean white sheet is a good idea, and take the memory stick/CD to a photoshop to get a dozen prints.
They are not too fussy about the 'professional standing' of the witness, however he/she should be a British/Commonwealth national, and the form requires a statement that they have to have known you for at least 2 years...
Send: Form C2, CC Authorization Form, 2 x photographs (one countersigned) and the ORIGINAL UK Birth Certificate to Dusseldorf. There is no need for any other documents. The passport and birth certificate will come back in 1-4 weeks.

Dubai Residency
You have a total of 120 days to start the visa registration process for the little one, so this should be plenty of time. If not the delay fine is currently 25 AED/day.
This is usually done by your company, the usual way, so no need for more details here.

Hopefully some of this will be helpful to someone. Feel free to PM for any details - if you think I might know the answer