Bob

a copy of parents passport does the trick....or lack of that, a consular birth cert....hence why it's recommended that people get one....

MarylandNed

But if you can supply enough info to obtain a consular birth cert, you can also supply enough info to obtain a passport without a consular birth cert (and save yourself a couple of hundred dollars). Also, it's not like the UK government is even encouraging it either - read this:

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

Bob

You're kind of missing the point here...it's about future proofing.

Easy now, but in 20 years time when you're possibly dead, how much more effort will the kid have to go through to prove their entitlement? Getting your birth certificate etc will be a hassle.

MarylandNed

That is true - when applying for a UK passport, you can submit a consular birth certificate without the need to also submit the long form birth cert of a UK parent. However, it's a very expensive option. Here are the current fees:

$161 for registering the birth
$104 for the actual certificate (this must be paid in addition to the registration fee!)
$12 postage

So a consular birth certificate will currently cost you $277 per child!

I have multiple copies of my own birth cert and I will give these to my kids when they leave home. They are much cheaper and easier to replace than a consular birth certificate.

neil

I wondered about that, but why would they have hassle if they constantly maintain a British passport - surely they don't have to prove everything all over again every time they renew it? If they've had one once, wouldn't that also be a record of them being a British citizen?

(I haven't got around to registering the kids yet, still wondering whether you can do it without paying the ridiculous amount for the actual certificate, and then ordering one for 7 quid or so in the UK in the future as it looks like, in theory, that could be done).

JAJ

a. passport gets lost/stolen/destroyed; or
b. change in policy forces them to reapply for a passport as a "first time" application.

Birth records are easy to extract from archives as they do this all the time. Passport records most definitely are not.

MarylandNed

That would be the sensible thing to do. A US passport can be renewed by just sending in the old passport. I don't see why the UK can't implement the same policy. I checked the UK passport application notes:

http://centralcontent.fco.gov.uk/res.../form-c1-notes

It looks like they only waive the need to send documents such as birth certificates if you were born in the UK before 1983 and are surrendering a valid or recently expired UK passport. I might be reading that wrong though.

JAJ

It doesn't matter what you think, with respect. The UK will make up its own rules from year to year. Including on whether to allow passports to be renewed or force applications from scratch, whether US birth certificates prove a natural parent link, also including whether children will continue to be allowed freely access parents (UK) birth certificates (this has stopped in many other places, including Australia).

MarylandNed

With respect? LOL!

CalBrit

My children have US and UK passports - born in US to British parents.

I used the standard US birth certificates for both passports with no problems.

The only issues I would point out are:

1. when living in the UK we had to go in person to the US Embassy in London with child and both parents to renew their US passports.

2. If your child has both passports they MUST now enter the US on the US passport (or surrender US citizenship) AND they must enter the UK on the UK passport. The UK situation is not quite so extreme, but I have had two occasions where the lack of UK passport has been an issue.

(1) travelling to UK with first child on US passport before obtaining UK passport, I was advised to a very least get "Right of Abode" put into her passport. However UK will not give "Right of Abode" to anyone who is eligible for a UK passport.

(2) on one occasion we travelled from the UK to France, her UK passport had expired (we were living in the UK at the time) so we decided to use the US one. However on return to UK she was almost refused entry as she should have been travelling on a UK passport, after about 40 minutes debate and consultation with senior immigration officials they stamped her into the UK for 3 months with instructions that we must immediately renew the UK passport.

SO I advise you to obtain both passports and keep them both valid at all times.

BTW the UK passport can be obtained and renewed through British Embassy in Washington DC - by mail!

neil

As far as I am aware the only time you need to enter the UK on a UK passport is if you are planning to live there (which sounds like the reason you had problems). The US is a bit stricter about it apparently.

I'm going to the UK next month but will be traveling on my US passport as my UK one expires 2 weeks before I'm due to go.

CalBrit

Actually the first time they gave us hassle we were only visiting for a couple of weeks.

But they have always let her in, so I guess you'll be fine.

Good luck.

CalBrit

I think this may be new in the last few years but the UK does say that if you are eligible for a UK passport you must have one and use it to visit the UK.

Bob

Using a UK passport is easier, but if the passport you use is valid for the purpose of the trip, it is okay to use that too. Also you don't technically need a valid UK passport to enter the UK, it does make it easier to enter the UK and getting on a plane/ferry it probably is needed, but you can't be denied entry if you are a UK citizen.

MarylandNed

Me and my 4 kids (all dual UK/US citizens) entered the UK on our US passports in the summer of 2009 for a 2 week visit. We had no problems. My wife (also a UK/US citizen) was with us but she used her UK passport. We all used US passports when re-entering the US.