We found it helpful to break the process into steps:
1. register baby's birth
2. register with American consulate
3. register with general practitioner
4. apply for British passport
5. child benefit/tax credits (within first 3 months)
Step 1: Registering the baby’s birth (British side of things).
Our appointment: December 13, 10 to 11 (10:50 am). Office: 59-63 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1RN (you can pick the one closest to you. My mum-and-dad-in-law picked me up in their car for this - huzzah for wonderful, dedicated family!). Need to bring: just card from hospital + marriage cert. (I brought other documents just in case but didn't need them) Duration: 10 min (there is a longer council-related bodies one - but that's only for people on benefits and lasts 30 minutes.) They automatically give you free small cert but also ask and pay for (10 pounds I believe) longer one please which has both parents' names on it. YOU WILL NEED THIS.
Step 2: American consulate
NOTE: It is illegal for an American citizen to travel on a non-American passport. This message was plastered over every wall of the consulate. That isn't the best place for it because I have known one or two families who procrastinate on getting their American child's passport for years, and travel on a British or other one instead. This is illegal!
We made appointment with American consulate via their website - do not be phased if you make a mistake, you can change the appointment time online with only about 7 freak-outs from the website.
You must turn in a packet of paperwork 7 days prior to your appointment. We used Dec 13th to fill in the forms and collect that paperwork. We thought we had limited time because of the consulate being closed so much around Christmas.
ANOTHER THING about the American consulate, they are in Edinburgh but you cannot just drop in to ask a question. You cannot get through on the phone - it's all automated messages. What you CAN do is drop off your paperwork packet 7 days in advance in person, if whoever answers the door is feeling charitable. No one at the consulate as far as I can tell is actually American.
I am afraid this application process for getting the baby acknowledged by the American government couldn't be more complicated. I was required to apply for three things simultaneously at the consulate:
- a consular report of birth abroad
- the baby's American passport
- the baby's social security number
These each have a separate form.
I printed these three forms and also included in my application
-a copy of our marriage certificate
-three copies of the child's long-form British birth certificate
-two copies of the details page of my US passport
-one copy of the details page of my husband's passport
-and a note giving the time and date of my appointment .
My husband got away from work for an hour to attend, as he, baby and I all had be there in person.
Photographs for passport application:
We got the baby's photo taken for American passport paperwork. If I were doing this over, I'd get BOTH his American passport photos and British passport photos taken at the same time.
From http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/faqs/faq_passports.html :
"How do I photograph a baby?
Photo requirements are the same for all applicants. In the case of very young babies the head may be supported as long as the baby's face is clear. The baby's eyes need not be open."
We took Zeddy at 4 days of age to get his photo taken at the Digital Image Center at the top of Leith Walk (27, Elm Row, Edinburgh , EH7 4AH, Tel: 0131 557 8186
). They often do American passport photos. We took the baby in his car seat, laid a cream/gray sheet behind him and tried to keep him from screaming. His eyes were closed, his mouth open but we got one that was accepted! I think that they gave me 3 copies for £5.
For more information on the process, see the American embassy of London's website for information or call the American consulate and listen to the automated messages for more up-to-date info!
Complications: A complication we had is that I had not updated my married name with the American social security service, not having to work in the states since my marriage. They did not deny Zeddy's social security number application (and also passport, etc) because of this. I did get a rather long-suffering letter from the London embassy saying "Will you PLEASE update your SSN name now?" with the form attached.
Something else we forgot: to measure the baby. They wanted us to fill in the hair color, eye color and height sections. For some reason we hadn't measured the baby at the hospital so we ended up measuring him against a tape on the door to peels of laughter from all the other folk in the waiting room.
Expect to pay $205 NOT the 100 they say on their website. This is because they are badly organized and like to lie to you (actually it's because the consular report is 100 and the passport is 105 - some people get them separately).
Consulate appointment:
Husband and I were quite nervous. We’d done the mountain ranges which could fill small islands or archipelagos of paperwork, we’d had the baby’s passport photo taken, I’d done my fair share of tears and sweat and freaking out.
Alison and Stephen our in-laws drove us there.
There was a crying baby in the waiting room. Americans from Aberdeen had to come in on train with toddler and little baby. The 2-week-old howled and screeched the whole time till his mother fed him. She seemed really awkward about feeding in public. I had expressed a bottle to avoid that trauma but I don’t think I’m all that freaked out about it now.
It is set up like a bank. You are called up to a till and your paperwork assessed through a glass front.
We had left a few things blank which we had been unsure about. The woman who called us up briskly told us what to write in those spots. She had us sign and date the documents and then wait again while they were processed for the last time. We were called up one last time to sign again and have a sort of information security check. We also had a chance to ask questions.
Two pieces of misinformation: payment of 205 dollars as opposed to 100. We did not need an affadavit proving the time I spent in the states - as the passport instructions made out (follow directions from the embassy/consulate web sites rather than the instruction sheets for the individual forms, as bizarre as that might seem). Also they did not need to see all my old passports (we had sent copies of them, that was enough).
The affadavit is for people who need to prove they lived at least 5 years in the states – but she managed to pull up my 12-year-old passport (on computer? Photocopy?) which worked fine. [According to one site, "Provide proof of your physical presence in the U.S. before the child's birth.
Please submit old passports, if available, as evidence. If unavailable, other evidence, such as school transcripts, may be accepted."]
At the end of the appointment they told us Zeddy had his American identity and the documents would be sent to us in the post.
I had memory loss about what years I studied at university during the information quizz. That was kinda embarrassing.
Otherwise we were fine!
We came home and had chocolate pie to celebrate. I had a bath (I was told to have at least two baths a day by the midwife) and two naps with Zeddy.
Update: The passport and report arrived in the post in about a week all three times we've done it through the Consulate.
Tip: Double check all the updated guildlines on the Edinburgh consulate and London embassy's own sites.
Step 3: register with general practitioner
This is important to do early on! There is a form that our surgery hands out for you to fill in. The dad can drop it off the surgery (or your mother-in-law or your health visitor) when completed. Midwives visit you daily or regularly the first couple of weeks. After Day 10, you graduate to Health Visitors. Your baby is given Red Notes (kind of like your Blue Notes when you're pregnant) which must be taken to appointments.
The hospital sends you invitations for the baby's appointments and immunizations. The Health Visitor arranges her visits with you.
Step 4: apply for British passport
We are doing this right now. You can pick up forms from local post offices or find them online and print at home. You will need to send off original documents including the British parent's passport, the baby's American passport, and your marriage certificate. You also have to collect data like when the baby's British grandparents were born and married.
Step 5: child benefit/tax credits (within first 3 months)
I haven't done this yet. It's a little tricky for us as I don't have indefinite Leave to Remain yet. I don't have the right to this stuff but my husband does, however I'm worried it will look bad on our record when I go to apply for Leave to Remain. We may miss the first 5 months of this so as not to muddy the waters.
