hi, new here i am a filipina married to a british husband. i am due to give birth to our first baby july. we have a long planned holiday in england and spain september and i have been desperately looking for any information about the possibility of being able to leave the country with my baby two months after his birth. i have crossed out the option of getting my baby a british passport as i have been advised that said process will take forever. now i am considering getting my baby a philippine passport as soon as i get his nso issued birth cert, apply for both english and schengen visa (fingers crossed both are approved) then leave the country. has anybody done this? i was also wondering if its possible to apply for his british and philippine passport at the same time? that way while waiting for his british passport, he can use his philippine passport to travel as the same is issued a week after application. thanks in advance for your response
Have you applied for your own Visas (UK and Schengen) yet? (Incidentally one can tell that you are in the Philippines because you wrote "his" A British maternity hospital will never tell you the baby's sex after an ultrasound scan.)
yes, im in the philippines me and my husband were both living in saudi arabia as he is working there but i opted to deliver in my home country. i havent applied for my visas yet as i was planning to submit the application along with my baby's. i have been to UK and some Schengen countries several times in the past on tourist visas so im hoping its easy for me to get one.
Just a little worry - if you apply from the Philippines, and your husband is in Saudi, you will have to make it VERY clear to VFS that you will be returning to Saudi with your husband or they will go "funny" on the visit visa! In fact it might be easier to apply as a family from Saudi, (which is what my ex and I did when we lived in China) as otherwise they may assume, incorrectly, regardless of what you tell them, that you have separated and that you dont plan to return to the Philippines. I would indeed apply for the British passport immediately, along with the Philippines one.
thats a vey good point. this has helped me decide what to do to make this trip happen. i really appreciate your response you have been very helpful! thank you very much
Good luck mare. You will needs lots of it. Let's just say, UKVI and HMPO are very strict to us Pinoys. Be prepared for a long wait in both passport and visa applications. Your child by the way would be 'British by descent.' Hahahahaha... you get that nuances now, Andrew. You're good! We don't have his/her, he/she in Tagalog or other dialects (except Chavacano). Also the ef/ep, b/v, but that's a whole other topic.
cheers! to be fair all my previous visa applications both UK and Schengen have been granted i am very grateful. i hope my string of luck continues i do regret my decision of having the baby in the philippines instead of in England despite of my in-laws' persuasive invitation as i understand my son's children if born outside UK with a non-british mother wont be automatically granted with the british citizenship. we plan to get my son both philippine and british passport. hope everything goes well...
Actually no, he's still British whether born in the UK or not. I would say though, you should have listened to your in-laws. You just made it harder for your child to avail for a UK passport, UK child benefits, etc. But oh well, it already happened nothing you can do about it. The only difference is instead of 'British otherwise than by descent', he'll be 'British by descent', just like me. He won't be able to pass on his British citizenship to his would-be children in the future, unless he stays in the UK for at least three years. Have you registered him yet? Consulate Birth Registration? If not, then do so!
oh sorry, i meant my son not being able to pass his citizenship to his would-be children as you mentiond. and yes, the challenges of getting his UK passport is such a pain! i am not due until mid-july so no consular birth registration yet but thats a good thing to know. will look into it more. cheers!
I am sure it will all work out - and by doing it this way you will be sure of his Philippines citizenship which can be problematical if the child is born abroad- I have one son born in Manila and one born in Ipswich...
