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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

.... to take a newborn to Australia?

38 replies

HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:09

I'm having a baby in the UK, and want to take the baby home to my family in Australia as soon as I possibly can after the birth.

I'm trying to figure out how soon after the birth I can realistically travel. Currently thinking around 4-6 weeks old.

This is my 3rd baby so I am feeling confident about the birth side of things. Obviously the unexpected can happen but I am happy to change my plans if need be.

I know I will need to get passport sorted but looks like with fast track service that can be done easily in the first month.

Biggest stumbling block I can think of is the 8 week vaccs. I'm hoping I can just get these done in Australia... Has anyone had experience of doing this (as a visitor baby, albeit with a mum who is an Australian citizen)?

Would love to hear if anyone's done similar -- especially regarding the vaccinations but also overall timings

OP posts:
LIZS · 07/04/2022 21:11

Can you fasttrack a first child's passport?

Mrsmuddle2 · 07/04/2022 21:21

We took our 6 week old new born to NZ. Was great. He was number 3 too so we were pretty relaxed. It was a great trip. Just make sure you book the bulk head seats for the flight so you get the cot. Have an awesome time

thecapitalsunited · 07/04/2022 21:23

Baby needs to be registered before you can sort a passport and there’s all sorts of delays in some areas with registration. I booked to register my DDs birth the same day she was born and she wasn’t registered until she was three weeks old which is pretty quick compared to some areas right now. Getting the one week fast track will obviously depend on appointment availability.

I really wouldn’t book such an expensive flight until I had the passport in my hand just in case you have any delays in registering baby or getting an appointment for the passport.

givethatbabyaname · 07/04/2022 21:33

If you’re thinking of going at 6wks, why not wait another fortnight for the 8wk shots and go after that?

Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:33

@mrsmuddle2, That's great to hear. Did you get vaccinations done in the UK early, in NZ, or wait until you got back to UK?

OP posts:
Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:34

@LIZS

Can you fasttrack a first child's passport?
According to the passport page on UK gov, yes you can
OP posts:
SummerInSun · 07/04/2022 21:35

What citizenship will your baby have? Because remember that if the baby is entering Australia on a British passport, you need a visa too, which you can't apply for until you have the passport, and apparently that's not the super quick process it used to be pre-covid.

To get an Aussie passport, you will need to register the birth, then get the U.K. passport, then get the baby's Australian citizenship by descent certificate, then apply for the Aussie passport. That all took about 6 months when I had my DS about 5 years ago. Admittedly I wasn't trying to rush it, though.

On vaccinations, ring whatever GP in Australia your family use and just ask about the vaccinations. What's the schedule and will they do it for babies with no Medicare number? (If that's still what it's called - I've been in the U.K. a long time!)

Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:35

@givethatbabyaname

If you’re thinking of going at 6wks, why not wait another fortnight for the 8wk shots and go after that?
Because I want to maximise the overlap with my partner's paternity leave. He gets a little over 2 months -- so if I wait 8 weeks we essentially can't do the trip at all
OP posts:
Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:37

@thecapitalsunited

Baby needs to be registered before you can sort a passport and there’s all sorts of delays in some areas with registration. I booked to register my DDs birth the same day she was born and she wasn’t registered until she was three weeks old which is pretty quick compared to some areas right now. Getting the one week fast track will obviously depend on appointment availability.

I really wouldn’t book such an expensive flight until I had the passport in my hand just in case you have any delays in registering baby or getting an appointment for the passport.

All good considerations, thanks.

From what I can tell, you can book the passport appointment before the birth even happens. If baby was born today, the wait for a birth certificate appointment in my area is currently 6 days. So I am hoping that we can book it the day of the birth, get a birth certificate about a week later, and then do the passport appointment a few days after that. It's then 1 week turnaround. So, all in a month

OP posts:
User363957392727 · 07/04/2022 21:39

Baby was born in November 2021 - we couldn’t get an appointment to register her until January 2022, and that’s with booking it almost immediately after her birth. For the passport we had to send off the birth certificate so that may be a stumbling block

givethatbabyaname · 07/04/2022 21:39

Hmmm. Can you ask your GP if the baby can have the 8wk shots earlier?

Have to say, the point of vaccinations is to protect. Not sure undertaking such a journey would further those ends. Its a risk:benefit thing.

Gloschick · 07/04/2022 21:40

Can he not take his paternity leave later? Say 2 weeks straight after the birth then 6 weeks later on when you are all ready to travel?

VIPNanny · 07/04/2022 21:44

Will your baby get a UK passport rather than an Aussie one?

If your baby will get an Australian passport it can take quite a while and there is quite a few hoops to go through. Your baby will need to have their citizenship approved first which can take a few weeks in itself and then you will need to have that number before you can get to a passport appointment, passports for Australia currently take 6 weeks on average to get back to you currently after the appointment where I am at.

elaeocarpus · 07/04/2022 21:46

I don't think ypu will be able to book flights without a passport number for baby

A number of years ago i took my 12 week old to Oz, waited until born and passport to book flights

Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:49

@Gloschick

Can he not take his paternity leave later? Say 2 weeks straight after the birth then 6 weeks later on when you are all ready to travel?
Unfortunately not, due to the nature of his job
OP posts:
Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:50

@elaeocarpus

I don't think ypu will be able to book flights without a passport number for baby

A number of years ago i took my 12 week old to Oz, waited until born and passport to book flights

Aha, this is a very good point! I wonder if you can use a dummy number and then change it later (for a fee perhaps). I will need to check Ts and Cs when booking. Thank you
OP posts:
Original poster
HeartofAss · 07/04/2022 21:53

@VIPNanny

Will your baby get a UK passport rather than an Aussie one?

If your baby will get an Australian passport it can take quite a while and there is quite a few hoops to go through. Your baby will need to have their citizenship approved first which can take a few weeks in itself and then you will need to have that number before you can get to a passport appointment, passports for Australia currently take 6 weeks on average to get back to you currently after the appointment where I am at.

It'll be a UK passport.

Aussie visas take 3 days according to the website

OP posts:
ittakes2 · 07/04/2022 21:56

Australia and the Uk have a recipical medical arrangement. When you get there you can just call a vaccination clinic and book an appt. Just take the red book so they can stamp it so you can show your UK doctor. You are also allowed a medicare card when you get there - just go to a local medicare office and they will give you a temp card for the holiday.
I personally would prefer to wait until they are older and had more vaccines - but my brother and sister'n'law who live in Australia flew to Canada with their new born daughter when she was two weeks old.

ittakes2 · 07/04/2022 22:01

My english husband applied for the ETA visa electronically and it came immediately. I excitedly applied for my children's oz passports when they were born - to be honest they are a right pain to up keep. You have to renew them every five years in the australian office in london and they are not cheap. You might be better staying on OUk passport and waiting to get your son an oz passport closer to 18.
Top tip you might want to enquire about getting him an australian citizenship certificate when in Oz as you will need one to apply for Oz passport.

Mrsmuddle2 · 07/04/2022 22:02

We waited until we got back for vaccinations, just didn't take him swimming. Registered the birth and got a fast track passport. We also stopped off in Oz on the way back and the visa only took a couple of days. I think you should go for it. We had the best time, the best bit of kit we took was his baby carrier as it made everything so much easier and meant we didn't rely on a buggy.

Hop27 · 07/04/2022 22:03

You don't need a passport number to book flights @HeartofAss.
Have a fab trip home !

CeeceeBloomingdale · 07/04/2022 22:03

@elaeocarpus

I don't think ypu will be able to book flights without a passport number for baby

A number of years ago i took my 12 week old to Oz, waited until born and passport to book flights

It’s not necessary to give passport numbers when you book, this misconception comes up on MN weekly. I’ve worked for an airline for well over 20 years and it’s never been needed in that time. It just needs to be advised before check in.
LostInTheColonies · 07/04/2022 22:10

I took DD when she was 3 weeks old for much the same reason; stayed there for 10 weeks. We just dropped straight into Aus postnatal care with checkups for her & me and also vaccinations. The vaccination schedule was slightly different so I just timed it around our home schedule - no problem with this at all.

We're living in NZ so visas weren't an issue. I was able to register her birth & apply for a passport the same day Smile.

Tip for passport pic - stuck her in a bouncinette with a plain pillowcase over it, then made a noise so she opened her eyes. Worked a treat!

whistleinthewind · 07/04/2022 22:14

We didn't need a number when booking our flights for DD. She was booking under Baby Whistleinthewind and when she was born we just updated her name. I don't think we have the passport details for her till much nearer the flight.

Shardonneigghhh · 07/04/2022 22:46

Registering the birth may take a bit longer than expected. It's a bit hit and miss currently, with some families waiting a matter of weeks, others it may be a couple of months.