annisca

I'm British with an American husband and our baby twins have US passports (born in the USA) - we live in the USA. I'd like to obtain dual nationality for them. Is this simply a matter of making two new passport applications at the British Embassy in DC? Am I endangering their US citizenship by applying for a British passport?

Thanks, Jessica

fatbrit

Dual UK/US citizenship is fine. Many on this board are dual citizens.

To document fully their UK citizenship apply for both UK passports and UK consular registration of birth.

Duncan Roberts

The consular registration isn't required, but it may be of use in the future.

fatbrit

Off we go....

The passport isn't required either, really. You're still a UK citizen without the passport and may enter and leave the UK on a US passport.

Duncan Roberts

No, it's not. But in practical terms a passport is a little more useful and can prove UK citizenship at a similar price to a registration and copy. Until they lower the price for registering and obtaining 1 copy of the registration I think it's a waste of money, especially as now and in the future the access to records that can prove UK citizenship for people born now are fairly easily available and should get easier.

fatbrit

I think it's time we had the pros and cons in the wiki.

Xebedee

Some of us even have triple UK/US/Planet Klom (in the constellation Barfup Minor) citizenship.

Takes some doing, that paperwork does.

ian-mstm

Just to clarify, (most likely) your children are already dual citizens. What you need, is proof of their UK citizenship... and yes, it's as easy as applying for passports for them. I'm going to side with fatbrit on this and suggest you also get them UK consular registrations of birth.


Nope... not in the least! Many of us are dual UK/US citizens. Some of us hold 3 citizenships and have 3 valid passports.

Ian

sir_eccles

With the price for the UK passport you also have to factor in the relative hassle involved in baby/child passports and more frequent renewals (5yrs). Given that the UK doesn't mind dual citizens arriving on a US passport looking at the total cost over time, I would say get a US passport and consular registration (making sure you keep it safe) then when they are adults (18 say) let them know they can also get a UK passport and let them pay for attendant cost.

Bob

You can register and not get the certificate if you fancy saving the money...as you can always get it from the births/deaths dohicky in the UK for whatever it costs, a tenner I think.

Manc

I'm glad this was asked, I didn't know we could have dual nationality..... As I haven't bothered to read the 450,646 other threads this year about applying for passports and the like.

Duncan Roberts

I didn't know you could go through them to get a copy. That makes it cheaper but still not much change from $200.

Bob

That's true, not a massive savings, but if you were already going to the UK anyway, it's probably worth doing.

But the whole point of registering the birth is so that you can easily get a UK style birth cert in the need, that proves your UK citizenship.

Yorkieabroad

We got our first one all the paperwork going - US birth certificate, consular reg, US passport and UK passport. When his first UK passport expired we were here in the US and realized he wouldn't need it for anything, so it didn't get renewed.

The next 2 got what was needed - US birth cert, UK Consular registration and US passport. They can get UK passports down the line as and when they may need them - didn't see the point in getting something that expires every 5 years when they are unlikely to need them.

British Consul

You may find this useful:

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

Dean