Applying for a passport for child

[nathan688 4]

Hi everyone!

 

I hope I'm in the right place... I'm a British citizen and I moved to the US 3 years ago. I had a baby in September last year and would like for him to have dual citizenship and a British passport (he already has a US passport).

 

However, I'm very confused about what is needed!

 

Can I simply apply for his passport, or do I have to register him first (form MN1)? Do I need to send in his US passport to get the British one? Is there something else I may have overlooked that I'll need to do before applying for the passport?

 

I'm interested to hear other people's experiences.

[ellzfoster 18]

Follow all the instructions on this website. It's fairly straight forward. You will need copy of US birth certificate and your British citizenship. Go through the process. 

 

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth/y

 

 

[dbLA 15]

Hey nathan688

 

It is very easy process,  you take it on your phone and all you need to do is fill out the form on line then they tell you to post the Childs Birth certificate, British citizens birth certificate and then you need someone who is a professional with a list approved title to verify the photo of the child - they have to be in the UK and have a valid UK address, Pre Corona it was a super fast service, from filling in the app to receiving the passport was 11 days.

 

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

 

Cheers

DB

[nathan688 4]

4 hours ago, ellzfoster said:

Follow all the instructions on this website. It's fairly straight forward. You will need copy of US birth certificate and your British citizenship. Go through the process. 

 

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth/y

 

 

is this necessary? Did you try to get a passport without this step?

4 hours ago, dbLA said:

Hey nathan688

 

It is very easy process,  you take it on your phone and all you need to do is fill out the form on line then they tell you to post the Childs Birth certificate, British citizens birth certificate and then you need someone who is a professional with a list approved title to verify the photo of the child - they have to be in the UK and have a valid UK address, Pre Corona it was a super fast service, from filling in the app to receiving the passport was 11 days.

 

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

 

Cheers

DB

So you didn't have to register the birth beforehand? Might sound obvious but worth saying - his birth was registered in the USA and he has a USA birth certificate.

[ellzfoster 18]

1 minute ago, nathan688 said:

is this necessary? Did you try to get a passport without this step?

Oh sorry! I haven't actually done this myself! I just sent the website as i remember someone out here from the UK telling me this is how to do it! He said it was fairly simple this way. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

6 hours ago, nathan688 said:

Can I simply apply for his passport, or do I have to register him first (form MN1)? Do I need to send in his US passport to get the British one? Is there something else I may have overlooked that I'll need to do before applying for the passport?

I don’t have personal experience, but the last time I read the material you can go straight for the passport or take the additional step (and £) of permanently registering him with the British government. If he doesn’t need a passport right now since he will not be traveling on his own, you could just register him as officially British and making him eligible for a passport whenever he needs one. 

[dbLA 15]

No need to register anyone, I got my daughters a British passport the end of 2019, As one of her parents are British She is also a British Citizen,  Duel citizen by Birth (not a bad deal)  As long as you are on the child birth certificate as a legal parent then all you need are the child birth certificate and your one, The web site is very easy to navigate, its cheaper then a US passport, I was amazed by the service,