News and advise.

[SimonH]

We have another new member of the forum on the way, Shey is 3 months pregnant This is obviously great news, but it does bring up a couple of hurdles to get over.
Now, as you all know we are planning on making the move to the Philippines sooner rather than later and this news may have made that decision sway toward the sooner rather than the later. We still want to fly over at the beginning of December but as it stands Shey and Charleigh may stay there till after the birth as she will have lots of family support there. so a few questions if I may?

How easy is it to register the birth of a child in the Philippines, we both are British passport holders and would want our baby to have dual citizenship if born there.

How would we go about getting a British passport for our child to travel back to the UK with us when about 3 months old?

I know it would be a lot easier to have the baby in the UK, but with what will then be a nearly 3 year old and my work commitments together with no family to help out it makes more sense to have the family and support available in the Philippines.

[grahamw48]

Given the choice, I'd arrange for the baby to be born in the UK.

Much safer for mother and baby, with the whole of the NHS freely at your disposal.

Then there is the nightmare of 'paperwork' that can be avoided, both now and in the future.

(Not difficult for the baby to acquire dual cit later).

Your Mrs will be permitted to travel until quite late in her pregnancy...should you want to do so, and the baby can have his/her British passport processed in a couple of weeks, perfectly normally HERE IN THE UK , immediately after birth, if required. That will save about 500 quid for foreign registration for starters.

My eldest son, born here, had his own British passport from 2 months old, and had his first (4 month duration) trip to the Phils at 3 months. No problems at all.

Oh and, CONGRATULATIONS !

[Steve.r]

Seeing that both Graham and I are going through the process of getting our little ones British passports right now, I agree that having the baby here will be the best option, not only for Shey and the baby, but for application purposes also. Applying from the Philippines is a nightmare and will take up to 4 months, unless they decide to hold things up because the passport office require more documents than they actually state on the forms or on their website.

If you can hold off going I would certainly do it, just to save the utter shambles in dealing with the passport office.
But, if your baby is born in the Philippines it is ok, the birth is registered there in the hospital and a birth certificate can be collected as normal. Not sure Graham where you get the 500 quid registration from? I don't know anything about that and have never paid for any registration for my three.

If you decide to have the baby here, then you can go to the passport office in London or Liverpool and pay for the express service (have to book it online) and as long as you have all your papers, you can walk away with a british passport in 4 hours.

BIG CONGRATULATIONS btw

[Arthur Little]

CONGRATULATIONS, Simon and Shey ... and ALL the very BEST with whichever course of action you ultimately decide upon.

... without my ever being in your position, I'm unable to offer any further advice.

[grahamw48]

Seeing that both Graham and I are going through the process of getting our little ones British passports right now, I agree that having the baby here will be the best option, not only for Shey and the baby, but for application purposes also. Applying from the Philippines is a nightmare and will take up to 4 months, unless they decide to hold things up because the passport office require more documents than they actually state on the forms or on their website.

If you can hold off going I would certainly do it, just to save the utter shambles in dealing with the passport office.
But, if your baby is born in the Philippines it is ok, the birth is registered there in the hospital and a birth certificate can be collected as normal. Not sure Graham where you get the 500 quid registration from? I don't know anything about that and have never paid for any registration for my three.

If you decide to have the baby here, then you can go to the passport office in London or Liverpool and pay for the express service (have to book it online) and as long as you have all your papers, you can walk away with a british passport in 4 hours.

BIG CONGRATULATIONS btw

.
I was meaning if they wanted to go for 'Right Of Abode', rather than having to wait up to a year (or more) for a British Passport applied for from overseas.... they'd need to register the birth at the embassy.

[Steve.r]

But the baby by decent will have rights as a Filipino as Shey (mother) is Filipina. So there would be no need to go to any embassy. I just never heard of that Graham, is it written anywhere? Even when my children got their Philippine passports (after they had their British passports) we didn't go to the embassy.


Not being pedantic, just don't know

[grahamw48]

Two ways of getting a child born in the Phils of British parent/s into the UK (legally) without a visa.

1. Get a British passport applied for and processed. Cost about £110. Takes up to a year or more to process (as we know ).

2. Get a 'Right of Abode' stamp in the child's Filipino passport... so enabling the child to enter the UK... and subsequently apply for a British passport once there. THIS requires the birth to be registered at the British embassy in order to be given a 'Certificate of Entitlement', from my understanding of it. It also requires virtually every document and proof as applying for a British passport does.

Hence, it depends upon how much of a rush you are in, and how much you are prepared to spend. The child does receive a 'proper' British birth certificate though, once registered with the embassy... hence making future applications for/renewals of their British passport straightforward.

Scroll down to overseas applicants:

https://www.gov.uk/right-of-abode/ap...of-entitlement

[Steve.r]

Ok Graham, thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know that.

[grahamw48]

It might be a load of cobblers Steve , but that is my understanding of it.

[stevewool]

Congrats to you both Simon,
What about trying to get a member of the family here to help, just a thought

[SimonH]

Thanks for all the well wishes
It sounds like too much hassle paperwork wise to have the baby over there so we'll be back here for the birth. Nice idea in principal about about getting a family member here Steve, but near enough impossible with the visa requirements unfortunately.

[stevewool]

We are planning a visit for Emma's dad and brother to come here next year I think they can stay for upto 6 months on a family visit, ok it's not going to be that long, but maybe it may work out in your favour by going down this route.
For £83 for the trying it's got to be worth it

[SimonH]

I think the most important part of the visa application is proving that the visitor has a good enough reason to return and therefore negating the risk of overstaying.
Shey's sister is due to finish a 10 year contract in Bahrain and has said she will come here for a few months, but again it's difficult to prove that she has enough reason not to overstay