jp1985

Hi, I need to help regarding applying for a FIRST passport for myself, who is a British Citizen by Descent.
Both my Mum and Dad are British Citizens, born in London. I was born in San Francisco. I lived in England but never got a passport. I now live in Arizona and I want to get myself a British Passport.

I am using this website as a guide: http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...s-first-timers

I fall in the category of being Born OUTSIDE of the UK after 1983. It has a long list of documents I need to send in, but I am not sure if I need ALL of them? It seems like an awful lot.

If you were born: After 01/01/1983 outside the UK

You must include:

* Your full foreign birth certificate; AND
* Either your mother's full UK birth certificate; OR
* Your father's UK birth certificate and the marriage certificate.
* Original long version British birth certificate
* Original British Citizen parent’s birth certificate
* Original British Citizen parent's passport
* Original parent's marriage certificate
* Original Naturalization certificate if applicable
* Original marriage certificate if applicable
* Your previous travel document and/or photocopy of current ID (eg: driving license, bank statement, student card, household bill); AND
* Original Deed Poll/Statutory Declaration if you have changed your name other than by marriage, together with 3 original forms of identification in your new name.


After the OR do I pick ONE, or is all the bolded part required?

My mum doesn't have her birth certificate but I do have her expired British Passport.

If anyone can't help me here, is there a free resource I could get this information from? I'd like to avoid paying to passport help through the hotline.

Rete

Sure that someone will come along shortly to answer your inquiry.

shorrock

I recently got my daughters passport (she is by descent and Born this year in July)

* I had to have her USA birth Certificate that was printed WITHIN 3 months of her birth. If I didn't have this I needed proof that she was my natural daughter. (Hospital records, bills from hospital when she was born). The USA have a stupid thing that you can change somebodies birth record after 3 months.


* My full / long UK birth Certificate
* Marriage certificate between myself and my wife
* a form signed by my wife. Can't remember what it was but it wasn't on the website. They returned my application and included the form. The form was pritty much "Do you agree to a UK passport for your kid"


To be honest I would get as much of the items as possible and send up certified copies. As my daughter's application documents wouldn't have fallen into the list you have given.

BTW you can get a copy of your mum birth certificate (if required). Go look for the birth deaths and marriage website in the UK. They will post you copies (for a fee).

If you are missing something your application will be returned (in full) and a list of the documents you need will be provided. You then get 2 months to get them and send them back for processing.

jp1985

Thanks so much for your input. Darn, my birth certificate was printed in 1986, a year after I was born. How upsetting. I don't have the original, infact, this was probably the first one my Mum ever ordered.
There is absolutely NO way that my parents still have receipts from 1985!
I hope they don't need a DNA test for me to get my passport!

shorrock

Any copy of your birth certificate is fine as long as it has your parents full name on it. You should also contact the hospital you were born at and ask if they have any records of your birth. You could get lucky.

If you can't get any records then I would submit what you have with a lettter explaining what you have done to get the information and see what happens. The worse you are going to be is out of pocket for the passport application.

Bob

A US birth cert is only any good if it has been issued within 3 months of birth though, because of the whole adoption thing and changing names on the birth cert. This is where getting a registered birth cert from the consulate can help.

shorrock

And this is if his parents registered him with the UK consulate. If not then he's out of luck.

JAJ

He is not out of luck but will need to provide additional evidence that he is not adopted (ie, the natural child of the British parents). A letter from the state birth registry confirming that the birth certificate was NOT reissued upon an adoption should be acceptable.

It might also be a better idea to apply for a Right of Abode stamp rather than a passport. An refusal of an application for a Right of Abode stamp can be appealed.