Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
#1
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 6
Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
I am originally from the Uk and married my american wife, I have a green card and uk passport and my wife has an american passport.
We are due to have a baby on 4 of july (fitting i know) and starting to look into passports and who can get what.
Ideally in a perfect world I would want us all to have dual nationalities but that is another thread at another time I feel lol
For now I am curious as to if I can get my new-born either a) a uk passport or b) a dual citizenship and which is the best approach in luie of us all wanting to end up with dual citizenships - is their a strategy I should follow?
Id rather go for b) but a) will be a good starting point, but something Im not sure on where to begin with.
If anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them
Thanks!
Andy
We are due to have a baby on 4 of july (fitting i know) and starting to look into passports and who can get what.
Ideally in a perfect world I would want us all to have dual nationalities but that is another thread at another time I feel lol
For now I am curious as to if I can get my new-born either a) a uk passport or b) a dual citizenship and which is the best approach in luie of us all wanting to end up with dual citizenships - is their a strategy I should follow?
Id rather go for b) but a) will be a good starting point, but something Im not sure on where to begin with.
If anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them
Thanks!
Andy
#2
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Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
If you are a UK citizen otherwise than by descent (e.g. you were born there), then your child will be a UK citizen by descent. There is nothing you need to do to obtain UK citizenship for the child - it will be automatic at birth. Read more here:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br.../bornoverseas/
To obtain PROOF of your child's UK citizenship, you can simply apply for a UK passport for the child. The benefit of this is questionable since passports for minors last 5 years and are expensive to obtain from outside the UK. Also, your child will be a US citizen at birth and US citizens are required by law to leave/enter the US on US passports. So the child will need to have a US passport to travel abroad anyway. The UK does not have similar rules for its citizens - so the child can actually visit the UK using the US passport.
If you want to obtain a UK passport for the child, start here:
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
If you wish, you can register your child's birth with the UK authorities - a process known as consular birth registration. Whether you do so or not, does not affect the child's UK citizenship or ability to obtain a UK passport. It might help the child prove UK citizenship later in life though in case there are issues with other documentation. Start here:
https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth
You can also do consular birth registration without obtaining the consular birth certificate (which is quite expensive). You can obtain a much cheaper certificate from the GRO in the UK from the September following the year of consular birth registration. So, for example, if you go through consular birth registration in 2013, you can obtain a birth cert from the GRO in September 2014.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br.../bornoverseas/
To obtain PROOF of your child's UK citizenship, you can simply apply for a UK passport for the child. The benefit of this is questionable since passports for minors last 5 years and are expensive to obtain from outside the UK. Also, your child will be a US citizen at birth and US citizens are required by law to leave/enter the US on US passports. So the child will need to have a US passport to travel abroad anyway. The UK does not have similar rules for its citizens - so the child can actually visit the UK using the US passport.
If you want to obtain a UK passport for the child, start here:
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
If you wish, you can register your child's birth with the UK authorities - a process known as consular birth registration. Whether you do so or not, does not affect the child's UK citizenship or ability to obtain a UK passport. It might help the child prove UK citizenship later in life though in case there are issues with other documentation. Start here:
https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth
You can also do consular birth registration without obtaining the consular birth certificate (which is quite expensive). You can obtain a much cheaper certificate from the GRO in the UK from the September following the year of consular birth registration. So, for example, if you go through consular birth registration in 2013, you can obtain a birth cert from the GRO in September 2014.
Last edited by MarylandNed; May 15th 2013 at 3:00 pm.
#3
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Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 38,865
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
As for dual citizenship for all... you can apply to become a USC after you've had your GC for 3 years if you have also been married to your USC spouse/sponsor for 3 years (otherwise, you'd need to wait until you've been a PR for 5 years). As for your USC wife, she can't become a dual US/UK citizen without moving to the UK and living there for several years in a status that would eventually allow her to naturalize there.
Ian
#4
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Joined: May 2013
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Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
Thank you for the responses!!
MarylandNed - this is great, I will look through the links at lunch and see where I get with them!
Ian-mstm - I was born in manchester, uk so a british citizen - therefore your saying my daughter will be eligible for dual?
I have had my green card for about 4 years now and married for 6. Good to hear theres hope for that too - theres a possibility we may all move back to uk down the line and then work on my wifes dual citizenship too!
Perfect, thanks for the advice!
MarylandNed - this is great, I will look through the links at lunch and see where I get with them!
Ian-mstm - I was born in manchester, uk so a british citizen - therefore your saying my daughter will be eligible for dual?
I have had my green card for about 4 years now and married for 6. Good to hear theres hope for that too - theres a possibility we may all move back to uk down the line and then work on my wifes dual citizenship too!
Perfect, thanks for the advice!
#5
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
Thank you for the responses!!
MarylandNed - this is great, I will look through the links at lunch and see where I get with them!
Ian-mstm - I was born in manchester, uk so a british citizen - therefore your saying my daughter will be eligible for dual?
I have had my green card for about 4 years now and married for 6. Good to hear theres hope for that too - theres a possibility we may all move back to uk down the line and then work on my wifes dual citizenship too!
Perfect, thanks for the advice!
MarylandNed - this is great, I will look through the links at lunch and see where I get with them!
Ian-mstm - I was born in manchester, uk so a british citizen - therefore your saying my daughter will be eligible for dual?
I have had my green card for about 4 years now and married for 6. Good to hear theres hope for that too - theres a possibility we may all move back to uk down the line and then work on my wifes dual citizenship too!
Perfect, thanks for the advice!
it's expensive and they're sticklers for getting all the info / documentation in.
https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth/y/united-states
#6
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 6
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
#7
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
Thank you for the responses!!
MarylandNed - this is great, I will look through the links at lunch and see where I get with them!
Ian-mstm - I was born in manchester, uk so a british citizen - therefore your saying my daughter will be eligible for dual?
I have had my green card for about 4 years now and married for 6. Good to hear theres hope for that too - theres a possibility we may all move back to uk down the line and then work on my wifes dual citizenship too!
Perfect, thanks for the advice!
MarylandNed - this is great, I will look through the links at lunch and see where I get with them!
Ian-mstm - I was born in manchester, uk so a british citizen - therefore your saying my daughter will be eligible for dual?
I have had my green card for about 4 years now and married for 6. Good to hear theres hope for that too - theres a possibility we may all move back to uk down the line and then work on my wifes dual citizenship too!
Perfect, thanks for the advice!
#8
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 6
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
I never thought that far ahead in regards to my daughters citizenship and what that means - so if she has children then they will be american only, if born in america?
#9
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
Plenty of info in the BE Wiki.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br.../bornoverseas/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law
Last edited by Jerseygirl; May 15th 2013 at 4:18 pm. Reason: add another link
#10
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
where in M'cr you from?
#11
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Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br.../bornoverseas/
Last edited by MarylandNed; May 15th 2013 at 4:20 pm.
#12
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
I am originally from the Uk and married my american wife, I have a green card and uk passport and my wife has an american passport.
We are due to have a baby on 4 of july (fitting i know) and starting to look into passports and who can get what.
Ideally in a perfect world I would want us all to have dual nationalities but that is another thread at another time I feel lol
For now I am curious as to if I can get my new-born either a) a uk passport or b) a dual citizenship and which is the best approach in luie of us all wanting to end up with dual citizenships - is their a strategy I should follow?
Id rather go for b) but a) will be a good starting point, but something Im not sure on where to begin with.
If anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them
Thanks!
Andy
We are due to have a baby on 4 of july (fitting i know) and starting to look into passports and who can get what.
Ideally in a perfect world I would want us all to have dual nationalities but that is another thread at another time I feel lol
For now I am curious as to if I can get my new-born either a) a uk passport or b) a dual citizenship and which is the best approach in luie of us all wanting to end up with dual citizenships - is their a strategy I should follow?
Id rather go for b) but a) will be a good starting point, but something Im not sure on where to begin with.
If anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them
Thanks!
Andy
I thoroughly enjoyed having that as my due date though. "Independence" Day, indeed.
Last edited by Gingerert; May 15th 2013 at 5:10 pm. Reason: Typo
#13
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
Slightly off-topic - but congratulations on the news you will soon become a dad, and welcome to BE. Now you've found us I hope you will stick around.
#14
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 6
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
thanks for all the help (and the congrats!!)- im wading through the links but this looks great! - such a useful resource you guys are.
Ill be sure to stick around and hopefully can be become as useful as you lot!!
Ill be sure to stick around and hopefully can be become as useful as you lot!!
#15
Re: Having a baby in the US - brit married to american
Sorry I forgot ...welcome to BE and congratulations on soon becoming a proud dad.