Getting US Born child British Citizenship

[saraswati007 0]

Hi all,

I know I've seen a thread on this before, but the VJ advanced search is coming up with nothing. I also tried over at UK-yankee.com and couldn't find anything helpful, so my apologies in advance for asking a question that I know has been dealt with before. But still would appreciate any help you could give!

My husband and I had a little girl in August. He's the British Citizen, I'm the USC. Living happily in Boston MA right now. He's got his greencard. All is well.

We want our daughter to have official dual citizenship, and we want proof of this, whether through an official UK birth certificate or a British passport.

Now, here's where it gets confusing.

We see on the UK Embassy website that we can register our daughter's birth with them, but that the registration does not serve as an official UK birth certificate. The embassy website also says that we do not have to do this -- we can apply directly for a UK Passport for our daughter.

Ok, so I follow the links there, and I find that to apply for a UK passport for a child living abroad under age 18, we have to fill out form MN-1. However, this form SEEMS appropriate ONLY for children who are claiming British citizenship through a parent who is a British citizen BY DESCENT. However, my husband is a British citizen BY BIRTH. His family goes back many generations, etc. etc.

So, what do we do?

Have any of you gone through this process? How did you get official documentation of British citizenship for your US born babies?

THANK YOU!!!

[JoannaV 174]

Because her father is British by birth, your daughter is fully eligible for citizenship. There is no need for a registration. She can apply immediately for a passport.

Application form: http://centralcontent.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/central-content-pdfs/form-c2

Notes: http://centralcontent.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/central-content-pdfs/form-c2-notes

You've probably seen that before. But look at the second to last page of the Notes, the section for children born outside the UK after 20 May 2002. G is what applies to your daughter. "If the parent were born in the UK...documentary evidence as at B or C above and the child's full local ... birth certificate showing parents' names."

So you just need her long-form American birth certificate, your husband's full UK birth certificate, and the full marriage certificate showing your marriage. (Plus proof of termination of any past marriages.)

Maybe you read it as her needing a British or Armed Forces birth certificate, but the local birth certificate is an option too!

[Pooky 3,784]

Ok, so I follow the links there, and I find that to apply for a UK passport for a child living abroad under age 18, we have to fill out form MN-1. However, this form SEEMS appropriate ONLY for children who are claiming British citizenship through a parent who is a British citizen BY DESCENT. However, my husband is a British citizen BY BIRTH. His family goes back many generations, etc. etc.

If your husband is a British citizen by birth and his parents, grandparent, etc. were also British citizens by birth, then he is a British Citizen by descent, as he is descended from a long line of British citizens.

It's just fancy, legal language (aka English). Don't sweat it.

[JoannaV 174]

By descent actually means that you have it through your parents but you yourself have not lived in the UK or whatever. So this will be what your daughter will have, I think? And then if she stays in America all her life her kids will not be able to get UK citizenship. It is so you can't just get British citizenship because your great-great-grandparents were British

(Note that that was a very non-legal definition and actually maybe her kids could get citizenship in some cases by filling out the MN1....but your daughter herself, as her father is British by birth, needs only to claim her rightful passport.)

[saraswati007 0]

Thank you so much! I hadn't seen the forms you linked to. They are so much simpler, straightforward, and sensible than what I was looking at before. Thanks again!

By descent actually means that you have it through your parents but you yourself have not lived in the UK or whatever. So this will be what your daughter will have, I think? And then if she stays in America all her life her kids will not be able to get UK citizenship. It is so you can't just get British citizenship because your great-great-grandparents were British

(Note that that was a very non-legal definition and actually maybe her kids could get citizenship in some cases by filling out the MN1....but your daughter herself, as her father is British by birth, needs only to claim her rightful passport.)

[SMB x2 0]

We registered our daughter back in February and had no problems (UKC Father and USC Mother).

We used passport form C2 (that is the form they want you to use for UK children born abroad)

Because we also went ahead and registered the birth, we included the following (which if I remember correctly, some are needed for the passport as well):

-Mother's birth certificate

-Father's birth certificate

-Baby's birth certificate

-mother and father's marriage certificate

-also included two UK size passport photos that we had done at our local Walgreens pharmacy

The passport form will also need to be signed by someone that has known you for over 2 years and cannot be a family member.

Once we figured out what was needed, it was pretty easy to fill out the forms and it took about 4 weeks to get everything back, so not too long.

[Donis1410 2]

I am so glad I found this conversation...my wife (USC) is about to give birth in the next month and I was wondering how we would go about getting a passport for our daughter once she is born, so that I can be confident she has her "dual citizenship".

A couple of questions I have:

1) Where does the form get sent to? Is it a US address (such as an embassy) or does it go to the UK?

2) How much does it cost and is it in Pounds or Dollars?

3) How long does it take for the Passport to arrive?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I am so glad I found this conversation...my wife (USC) is about to give birth in the next month and I was wondering how we would go about getting a passport for our daughter once she is born, so that I can be confident she has her "dual citizenship".

A couple of questions I have:

1) Where does the form get sent to? Is it a US address (such as an embassy) or does it go to the UK?

2) How much does it cost and is it in Pounds or Dollars?

3) How long does it take for the Passport to arrive?

This is a pretty old thread you found. You used to get it through the British Embassy in Washington DC. Now all passports are done in the UK. Do your own research here https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports