UK/German Citizenship help!!!!

[Teaandflapjacks]

Hi Ladies!,

I don't know if anyone can help me, but I am a bit confused about the process with nationality of a child.. I am British, my Husband in German, and we will have our child in Germany. I want to be able to give this child dual nationality - I know that currently Germany does not allow for this, but I think this is possible for children - up to the age of 18?

Does anyone have experience in going about it? What are the costs? Can you just be a British National, and not need a passport, and keep the German passport going? Any advice appreciated!

Many Thanks!!!

[Teapot13]

This is my understanding, but obviously get proper advice before taking a big decision.

As far as I know, Germany allows dual nationality by birth, and pretty much always has. (Historically, Germany has been very strict about taking on German nationality for people that do not wish to renounce their original nationality.) Currently, Germany also allows its nationals to take on the nationality of other EU countries without renouncing German citizenship.

I would assume that your child, born in Germany to a German father, would be a German citizen. That in itself would not cost anything, but it always costs money to get the documents (like a passport, national ID) to prove it. Ask around in Germany what documents it's usual to get for a newborn -- I have no idea. You might not need anything if you aren't traveling.

I would also assume that your child would be a British national through you. You need to check the consulate's website for your area in Germany and see what documents you need to provide/obtain. The countries I have experience with (US and Germany) have something like a birth certificate that can be issued by the consulate abroad that serves as proof that the child is a citizen by birth.

Why would you not get a British passport? Obviously check, but most countries don't like it when a national of the country tries to enter on a passport from another country. I don't know how strict the UK is but I know it is frowned on.

DD has 2 passports and we always have to bring both -- one to enter the US and one to reenter Europe. Now we have all got British nationality so DH and I will need to carry 2, and DD (and DC2, when born) will need 3 apiece!

Good luck sorting it all out!

[frosch]

Hello Teaandflapjacks

Same situation as yourself; one DC born in the UK, the othe here in Germany. Both have British and German passports. The British passports cost a bomb and need a biometric photograph of the child (cue holding down squirming baby between knees as you try and take a decent shot). The German kinderausweiß costs very little in comparison and doesn't need a photo.

[CrikeeThree]

Same situation, except we live in UK.
Both DC have German passports and no British one, for the reasons frosch talks about. We've travelled a lot since DC1 born (4 years ago) and no one has commented on this, despite the fact that we reside in UK. DH's passport is German, mine is British.

[fathergoose]

Apologies tea but can I ask Teapot13 a question since she seems knowledgeable about all this!

DH and I are both British citizens by birth and family (all four parents British). We are due to have a baby in the US any time now.

Our intention/understanding is that we will get the baby a US birth certificate and passport. We will then use the US passport to travel between the UK and the US. Once we move back permanently to the UK (some point in the next 2 years) we will apply for the baby to get a UK passport and dual nationality.

Does this work? Or are we better off getting the baby a UK passport whilst here in the US and using the UK passport to enter the UK and then the US passport to enter the US? Your penultimate paragraph makes me think this is the better plan.

We already have a daughter who has a British passport (born in the UK), so I'm not sure which line we'd all go in at passport control!

[Bejeena]

I live Germany too, there was a change in September 2012 and your baby will be able to have dual citizenship and won't have to choose between one or the other at 18 they can keep both. I can fish out the details I read on this tomorrow in work.

I personallywant mychild to have both as it is their right and not because one or other is cheaper for getting an Ausweis. But I do think getting a German one would be quicker and this is priority for us after birth as I don't like idea of not being able togetto my family in an emergency

[Teapot13]

fathergoose, you definitely need a US passport to enter the US as a citizen. You get in big trouble if you are a dual national and try to enter the US on your other passport. But your post sounds like you know this.

I don't think the UK is quite as strict, but I think you might encounter problems. I imagine it would be obvious to the immigration officer that the child is a British national seeing as everyone else in the family would be using a British passport. I am new to the British nationality thing but the information I have received as a new national is that I have to either get a British passport OR have my "right of abode" endorsed into my US passport. Otherwise they aren't allowed to stay except as a tourist. I am planning to just get a passport getting the "right of abode" in my US passport is probably at least as much trouble.

Not exactly the same, but when DD was tiny we didn't have time to get her German passport before we went on a trip to the States, so we just used the US one, including to reenter the UK. It was clear that she had a right to remain in the UK because she was with her German father, so she is a national of an EU member state, but they made us sit on the bench nervously while they went to check with a supervisor. She got a temporary stamp in her passport allowing her to remain for 6 months while we sorted it. I imagine something similar would happen to your DC if you tried to use a US passport. (We knew this was going to happen because I was still on maternity leave at the time and I asked my firm's immigration counsel that handled my visa -- they said immigration won't like it but they won't turn us away.)

[fathergoose]

Thank you Teapot - appreciate it.

I think it'll be safer then to get both. We should have the time to do so before our first trip back is planned. Sounds like a nasty experience at immigration.

Thanks.