Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Sep 30th 2009, 2:59 pm
#1
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Hi,
My husband and I, both British nationals, are expecting out first child in a couple of months to be born here in the US.
We wish to return to the UK to live very soon after the birth(4-6 wks). Ideally it would be easier if we only applied for one passport due to time restraints but are unsure of the following;
Does our newborn need both a US passport to exit the US and a UK passport to enter the UK to avoid any 'issues' further down the line or could he/she travel on only one of those passports without any repercussions?
Thanks
My husband and I, both British nationals, are expecting out first child in a couple of months to be born here in the US.
We wish to return to the UK to live very soon after the birth(4-6 wks). Ideally it would be easier if we only applied for one passport due to time restraints but are unsure of the following;
Does our newborn need both a US passport to exit the US and a UK passport to enter the UK to avoid any 'issues' further down the line or could he/she travel on only one of those passports without any repercussions?
Thanks
Sep 30th 2009, 3:32 pm
#2
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Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Technically an American citizen is supposed to leave the US on a US passport and enter the US on a US passport. However, there are few checks on departure so I'm not really sure what 'leaving' on a US passport entails.
Things have gotten a bit screwy with dual citizenship now that airlines have to report passport numbers prior to arrival as part of all the 9-11 craziness.
How long will you be in the UK? There have been a few threads on this recently I seem to recall.
I should also note that some airlines have policies on newborns needing a doctor's letter for permission to fly. 2 weeks I think they would need it, not sure about 4-6. You might want to check. You should also check with your pediatrician. I think newborns are every month after the first month but if there are issues you could be going in every week or two weeks.
Things have gotten a bit screwy with dual citizenship now that airlines have to report passport numbers prior to arrival as part of all the 9-11 craziness.
How long will you be in the UK? There have been a few threads on this recently I seem to recall.
I should also note that some airlines have policies on newborns needing a doctor's letter for permission to fly. 2 weeks I think they would need it, not sure about 4-6. You might want to check. You should also check with your pediatrician. I think newborns are every month after the first month but if there are issues you could be going in every week or two weeks.
Sep 30th 2009, 3:34 pm
#3
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Joined: Jun 2004
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Posts: 93
Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Congratulations. I've just joined this world and it's fun.
Generally if you were ever to come back to the US with her on vacation etc. you may run into problems if she has no US passport. AFAIK US Citizens must use a US passport to enter here.
I have a friend who didn't have a US passport who was denied boarding about 4 years ago at Heathrow because her place of birth was New York! Fortunately because she had held one some years before she was directed to a mini US Consualate at LHR! and got a letter to travel.
Generally if you were ever to come back to the US with her on vacation etc. you may run into problems if she has no US passport. AFAIK US Citizens must use a US passport to enter here.
I have a friend who didn't have a US passport who was denied boarding about 4 years ago at Heathrow because her place of birth was New York! Fortunately because she had held one some years before she was directed to a mini US Consualate at LHR! and got a letter to travel.
Sep 30th 2009, 4:11 pm
#4
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Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Here is a prior thread.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...53#post7668153
You may also want to read this Telegraph piece about the problems dual citizens may have.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...tionality.html
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...53#post7668153
You may also want to read this Telegraph piece about the problems dual citizens may have.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...tionality.html
Sep 30th 2009, 4:13 pm
#5
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Eugene, OR
Posts: 1,352
Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
I'm no expert but I am pretty sure you will need both. I'd suggest getting the UK one before your trip and then getting a US one from the consulate in London while you're there, if getting both beforehand isn't an option.
The author Bill Bryson once wrote about his family travelling from the US to the UK. One of his children had been born in America and had no UK passport yet. It caused minor problems. It would probably cause more major ones if he was going from the UK to the US without a US one.
If you try to enter the US and your child only has a UK passport, he/she would probably have to enter on the visa waiver programme which means he/she would have to leave again within 90 days. I don't think that is cancelled if you get a US passport within that time, becuase your baby would still have an entry stamp in the UK passport with no corresponding exit.
The author Bill Bryson once wrote about his family travelling from the US to the UK. One of his children had been born in America and had no UK passport yet. It caused minor problems. It would probably cause more major ones if he was going from the UK to the US without a US one.
If you try to enter the US and your child only has a UK passport, he/she would probably have to enter on the visa waiver programme which means he/she would have to leave again within 90 days. I don't think that is cancelled if you get a US passport within that time, becuase your baby would still have an entry stamp in the UK passport with no corresponding exit.
Sep 30th 2009, 4:17 pm
#6
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Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
FWIW you can get an expedited US passport in as little as 24 hours, easily within a week if need be. Just google "passport expediter" and you'll find tons of listings.
Sep 30th 2009, 5:50 pm
#7
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,020
Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Hi,
My husband and I, both British nationals, are expecting out first child in a couple of months to be born here in the US.
We wish to return to the UK to live very soon after the birth(4-6 wks). Ideally it would be easier if we only applied for one passport due to time restraints but are unsure of the following;
Does our newborn need both a US passport to exit the US and a UK passport to enter the UK to avoid any 'issues' further down the line or could he/she travel on only one of those passports without any repercussions?
Thanks
My husband and I, both British nationals, are expecting out first child in a couple of months to be born here in the US.
We wish to return to the UK to live very soon after the birth(4-6 wks). Ideally it would be easier if we only applied for one passport due to time restraints but are unsure of the following;
Does our newborn need both a US passport to exit the US and a UK passport to enter the UK to avoid any 'issues' further down the line or could he/she travel on only one of those passports without any repercussions?
Thanks
I believe you can change status once you are there but it is very time consuming and may take a while...much easier to get it sorted out before you leave the US.
Oct 1st 2009, 12:53 am
#8
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Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Oct 1st 2009, 7:38 pm
#9
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Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
To avoid complications, it's probably better to get both passports before you leave the US.
I am Uk citizen and Green Card holder, I had my daughter in the US and needed to fly within 10 days of her birth (the fact that she delivered late didn't help!).
I had the hospital expedite the birth certificate and got photos taken when she was 1 week old. I went online and made a reservation for an appointment at the consulate (i think) to get an expedited passport in person.
From memory, I had to take my daughter, the travel documents, her birth certificate, my passport, photos, forms and cash up to the consulate.
I turned up for my appointment on a Friday morning. Had everything checked and handed in, and returned about 3pm to pick up the actual passport. Bear in mind that I had to do all of this as a first time parent with a newborn in my arms! We flew from San Francisco to Sydney on Saturday morning.
Flying with a newborn was a dream (compared to flying with the 2 year old that I have now!). Make sure you tell the airline that you have a newborn and you want a bassinet seat. You get the bulkhead seat and a nifty shoe-box thing that hangs on the bulkhead to put your baby in.
Having to do UK as well as US will just add some paperwork but try to do as much as you can in advance. And good luck
I am Uk citizen and Green Card holder, I had my daughter in the US and needed to fly within 10 days of her birth (the fact that she delivered late didn't help!).
I had the hospital expedite the birth certificate and got photos taken when she was 1 week old. I went online and made a reservation for an appointment at the consulate (i think) to get an expedited passport in person.
From memory, I had to take my daughter, the travel documents, her birth certificate, my passport, photos, forms and cash up to the consulate.
I turned up for my appointment on a Friday morning. Had everything checked and handed in, and returned about 3pm to pick up the actual passport. Bear in mind that I had to do all of this as a first time parent with a newborn in my arms! We flew from San Francisco to Sydney on Saturday morning.
Flying with a newborn was a dream (compared to flying with the 2 year old that I have now!). Make sure you tell the airline that you have a newborn and you want a bassinet seat. You get the bulkhead seat and a nifty shoe-box thing that hangs on the bulkhead to put your baby in.
Having to do UK as well as US will just add some paperwork but try to do as much as you can in advance. And good luck
Last edited by jackattack; Oct 1st 2009 at 7:47 pm.
Oct 1st 2009, 8:04 pm
#10
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Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Oakland
Posts: 664
Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Simplest answer - get both now. That will decrease likelihood of confusion down the line.
Alternatively - get the US one whilst still in the US and get the British one when you get to the UK. It's cheaper that way, and it is very easy to get it once you are in the UK. The complication here is that your newborn will be entering the UK on a US passport.
I have some experience with this - our newborn had only her US passport when we entered the UK from Portugal in May. The agent looked at her birth certificate and my British passport and was satisfied that she's a British citizen and so didn't need a stamp in her US passport. One difference with my situation is that our kid was born in the UK to one British parent and one American parent.
Worse case would be that they'd stamp her US passport and you'd have to get her British passport sorted out before that stamp expired.
Alternatively - get the US one whilst still in the US and get the British one when you get to the UK. It's cheaper that way, and it is very easy to get it once you are in the UK. The complication here is that your newborn will be entering the UK on a US passport.
I have some experience with this - our newborn had only her US passport when we entered the UK from Portugal in May. The agent looked at her birth certificate and my British passport and was satisfied that she's a British citizen and so didn't need a stamp in her US passport. One difference with my situation is that our kid was born in the UK to one British parent and one American parent.
Worse case would be that they'd stamp her US passport and you'd have to get her British passport sorted out before that stamp expired.
Oct 1st 2009, 8:07 pm
#11
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,020
Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
Simplest answer - get both now. That will decrease likelihood of confusion down the line.
Alternatively - get the US one whilst still in the US and get the British one when you get to the UK. It's cheaper that way, and it is very easy to get it once you are in the UK. The complication here is that your newborn will be entering the UK on a US passport.
I have some experience with this - our newborn had only her US passport when we entered the UK from Portugal in May. The agent looked at her birth certificate and my British passport and was satisfied that she's a British citizen and so didn't need a stamp in her US passport. One difference with my situation is that our kid was born in the UK to one British parent and one American parent.
Worse case would be that they'd stamp her US passport and you'd have to get her British passport sorted out before that stamp expired.
Alternatively - get the US one whilst still in the US and get the British one when you get to the UK. It's cheaper that way, and it is very easy to get it once you are in the UK. The complication here is that your newborn will be entering the UK on a US passport.
I have some experience with this - our newborn had only her US passport when we entered the UK from Portugal in May. The agent looked at her birth certificate and my British passport and was satisfied that she's a British citizen and so didn't need a stamp in her US passport. One difference with my situation is that our kid was born in the UK to one British parent and one American parent.
Worse case would be that they'd stamp her US passport and you'd have to get her British passport sorted out before that stamp expired.
Oct 1st 2009, 9:02 pm
#12
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Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Dual Citizen Newborn need US & UK passports?
To avoid complications, it's probably better to get both passports before you leave the US.
I am Uk citizen and Green Card holder, I had my daughter in the US and needed to fly within 10 days of her birth (the fact that she delivered late didn't help!).
I had the hospital expedite the birth certificate and got photos taken when she was 1 week old. I went online and made a reservation for an appointment at the consulate (i think) to get an expedited passport in person.
From memory, I had to take my daughter, the travel documents, her birth certificate, my passport, photos, forms and cash up to the consulate.
I turned up for my appointment on a Friday morning. Had everything checked and handed in, and returned about 3pm to pick up the actual passport. Bear in mind that I had to do all of this as a first time parent with a newborn in my arms! We flew from San Francisco to Sydney on Saturday morning.
Flying with a newborn was a dream (compared to flying with the 2 year old that I have now!). Make sure you tell the airline that you have a newborn and you want a bassinet seat. You get the bulkhead seat and a nifty shoe-box thing that hangs on the bulkhead to put your baby in.
Having to do UK as well as US will just add some paperwork but try to do as much as you can in advance. And good luck
I am Uk citizen and Green Card holder, I had my daughter in the US and needed to fly within 10 days of her birth (the fact that she delivered late didn't help!).
I had the hospital expedite the birth certificate and got photos taken when she was 1 week old. I went online and made a reservation for an appointment at the consulate (i think) to get an expedited passport in person.
From memory, I had to take my daughter, the travel documents, her birth certificate, my passport, photos, forms and cash up to the consulate.
I turned up for my appointment on a Friday morning. Had everything checked and handed in, and returned about 3pm to pick up the actual passport. Bear in mind that I had to do all of this as a first time parent with a newborn in my arms! We flew from San Francisco to Sydney on Saturday morning.
Flying with a newborn was a dream (compared to flying with the 2 year old that I have now!). Make sure you tell the airline that you have a newborn and you want a bassinet seat. You get the bulkhead seat and a nifty shoe-box thing that hangs on the bulkhead to put your baby in.
Having to do UK as well as US will just add some paperwork but try to do as much as you can in advance. And good luck
