Jememennie

Hi there,

We just had a baby so I've been researching this too. I figure the advantage of registering the birth with the British Embassy is that you get a certificate proving British citizenship that doesn't expire. I'd rather have that for our daughter, than a 5 year passport that we'll have to keep renewing. We'll be getting her an American passport to travel on, so I figure she doesn't need a British one too.

I guess it just depends on whether you want some documentation that easily shows that your child is British. We don't plan on living in the UK in the future, but I feel better having something that will prove her British citizenship.

Muswell Hill

I did this a few months ago. My wife (USC) and I (UKC) had a boy. I downloaded the form to register his birth from the embassy website, and passport application form. We applied for his US passport first, and when that arrived sent the registration of a birth abroad form, or whatever it's called, to the embassy together with the passport application form, photos, documents and lots of MONEY!

It took about 4 weeks from posting to receiving the document and his passport, all very efficient. As for Finnish nationality contact the Finnish embassy.

All the info you need is here:
http://www.britainusa.com/sections/a...=41016&a=25315

and:

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/a...=41001&a=25297

PM me if you need specific advice!!! Happy to help.

JAJ

A British consular birth cert is well worth having because not all US birth cert documentation is easily accepted by the UK authorities. Especially if the first passport application is made many years into the future.

Incidenatally you don't get a 'citizenship cert' if the child is automatically British at birth - Britain doesn't issue citizenship certs to those automatically British - what you get is a consular birth certificate. As far as I am aware these are only issued to British citizen children.

Jeremy

krizzy

So my grandson...who has unmarried parents the father being a Brit...may not get British citizenship so easy.....?? the baby is 3 months old.....

JAJ

It won'd be a problem provided the father applies for the child to be registered as a British citizen. The child is not British until registered, and the application *must* be made before the child is 18, otherwise all claim to British citizenship is lost (unless parents marry).

There is no information available on the British Embassy website but I can assure you the facility exists.

This is the information published on the website of the High Commission in Canberra, which is useful as a guide:
http://bhc.britaus.net/passports/pas...ult.asp?id=376

He should write to the British Embassy and ask for the relevant forms and information in order to register the child as a British citizen under s3(1) of the British Nationality Act.

There will be a fee involved. The forms and documentation need to be submitted to the Embassy, and will be forwarded to the Home Office in the UK. After a few months, the Home Office will send back a Certificate of Registration for the child.

Jeremy

krizzy

Thanks for that......

antjen

2.10 actualy isnt that bad - there are other countries out there charging more for there own citizens living overseas - but most of the info is actualy easy to find on the www site - the 2.10 is for the people who cant be bothered to look for a few mins!

Ant

Zippysigma

I have been trying to register our daughter's birth and are struggling as I have lost a divorce certificate from a previous marriage. We are both British citizens and have all other certs. The 2.10 per min help line was hopeless

Anyone have any experience of this or ideas as to how to register her birth? would we have more luck if we were in the UK?

Thanks

antjen

try this web page - it may help

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/a...=41016&a=25315

Celtic_Angel

well I was told that you do not need to register the birth and to get a certificate was a complete waste of money..the British embassy in Washington told me this..they just said it's best to get the child a British passport, this is all the proof you will need that the child is a U.K citizen in his own right.

they do say that if you travel use the U.S passport, unlike the Brits the U.S has a big problem with one of their citizens travelling with another countries passport dual citizen or not


Lionheart if I was you I'd just get a U.S and a U.k passport for my child

JAJ

That's not correct.

While a British passport on its own is usually enough, getting a consular birth cert will make life significantly easier if the passport is ever lost (otherwise there is a risk of having to prove citizenship again which can be a nightmare).

Not all US birth cert documentation is accepted at face value by British authorities, especially many years later.

It's inadvisable to have only a *single* document proving your citizenship, if born outside the UK. Also, as someone else pointed out, passports expire - consular birth certs don't.

Also incorrect. The US has no problem with US citizens holding or using another passport, provided one always shows a US passport to American officials and abides by US travel restrictions (eg no travel to Cuba without permission).


Jeremy

Celtic_Angel

er okay so apparently everything was wrong lol I was just repeating what the person at the embassy told me "shrug"

JAJ

Just because someone at an embassy says something doesn't make it correct.

Lots of people have been misadvised in various circumstances by embassy officials (not just British ones) over the years.

As a general rule, I would not accept information from any kind of public enquiry line as definitive unless it can be verified some other way (eg by checking against a website, or the actual legislation).


Jeremy

JAJ

The embassy website is down currently but if you need to know how to get a UK birth/marriage etc cert, you can follow this link:
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind...re_to_get.html

Jeremy

fatbrit

Working fine from Southwest US! Got roos in your ISP?