expats who had / will have a baby away from their homeland?

[SalBySea]

did you / will you give your baby your nationality or the nationality of the country they're born in?

I was born to ex pat parents and was given their nationality - but then due to family circumstances they moved back home so I did end up being raised in the country that was on my password in the end

I see pros and cons for both

my nationality: its a bit more politically neutral which may be beneficial in times when England might be involved in war etc. Its my nationality.

English: good embassies, and if we never move to my home country, I think it would feel a bit odd to call yourself a nationality of a country that you know relatively little about, If we stay here our baby will probably feel English so would it be odd to not be? then again, who knows if we'll stay? no plans to move right now but my parents didnt intent to go home and they did.

DH is English and doesn't seem to care either way

Sal - no, you can just apply for a passport. You don't have to apply to be British - you are British by virtue of your birth - according to UK nationality law. You needn't tell your other nationality about it - the Brits won't! (They used to for some Commonwealth countries but stopped in the 90s I think.) Your country probably just sees you as XXXX but born overseas.

We chose British - I am dual nat, dh is brit and ds was born in France.

We chose it because it is the country we both identify with both, though there is virtually zero chance we will ever live there again (we'd probably encourage ds to go to uni there though).

sorry, second both should be most

So far ds has his father´s nationality (spanish) as that is where he was born and where we have processed the paperwork for. He has an id card that he can travel on within europe but we haven´t processed a passport for him yet.

I will get him registered as a UK citizen too and get him a UK passport but haven´t got around to it yet (he is 18mo). I am a dual national (UK/USA) and think if you are eligible you might aswell get it as that way you have your options open to you in the future.

I would like him to have both because he is just a baby, in a few years we might move to the UK and raise him there in which case he may well feel more british and like his passport to reflect that. Or not. But at least he´ll have the choice.

Mrs Schadenfreude does that mean that if I went to an English embassy (as I have travelled to countries that didnt have one of mine) and showed them my place and date of birth on my non-british passport, that they would consider me British and help me in a crisis?

to me the issue is what identity do you want your DC to have? my DS was born in Britain but is entitled to an American passport through me (an American. DH is English) My dilemma is where to educate him. That will be the big decider in his national identity, accent, etc. And if we switch tack by moving during those school years, there could be confusion for him, bullying, etc.

I moved from Britian to the country of my nationality just before school - TBH having that nationality made it harder to fit in then if I had just been an English kid who'd moved there. Got a load of cr@p about "trying to be English" and "putting on an English accent" etc - the English kids didnt seem to get that. Although I think kids will always find SOMETHING to be mean about

No option in Switzerland unless one or both parents have nationality, so dd is British.

DH is English and I am Singaporean (been here 8 years). DS has English passport, no question as he was born here. I will not relinquish my Singaporean passport, it is where I grew up and it's such a bit part of MY identity. I don't see the point of me getting a British passport. Maybe in 20 years if we are still living here and when I actually feel British! I love the British culture and I love it here but just feel I am Singaporean at heart. We thought about getting DS a Singaporean passport but there's a possibility of him having to give it up at 18 if he decided not to do national service (compulsory for all men in Singapore) so I don't see the point of it. He's already been to Singapore twice (he's only 8.5 months) and we have every intention to try and teach him to be bilingual and also how privileged he is to have the best of two cultures in him! If we do move to Singapore, then maybe... But we do intend to leave it up to him to decide. He can always get a Singaporean passport through me if he wants later in life. In the meantime, we live here and he will be brought up here so no question for us what passport he should have!

Im American and DH is British. Our dc were all born in England. All three children have US and British citizenship and two passports each.

Sal - no, you would need a passport to prove that you were British. There are certain categories of people born in the UK who have no claim to British nationality (sorry - didn't make that clear earlier). For example, if your parents were foreign diplomats accredited to the UK, then you wouldn't be British by virtue of your birth - this is one of the (very very few) exceptions. So for this reason, only a passport can prove you are British (as far as I am aware).

I'm a Kiwi, DH is British, DD born in UK but returned to NZ at 8 weeks and has both. DH has both too. Am pregnant with DC2, to be born in NZ, but will apply for British passport straight away. I'm the only person in the family who will only have 1 passport - haven't lived in the UK long enough consecutively to be eligible (don't get me started on that one...). I think it provides them with options later in life with regards education, living and working options. Kiwis tend to travel and do an OE in their late teens, early 20s, and a British Passport certainly makes that much easier.

I'm a Kiwi DH is south african and DD was born in the uk. DC2 will also be born here. DH and I both have UK passprts and dual nationality. Our children are international babes and have UK passport but will be able to choose if they want to have dual nationality later in life. I think we go back to NZ one day....

I want dual nationality for DD who has never even been to Australia, nor does she remember her father.
I think it'll give her more opportunities in life and even if she only ever goes on a gap year it'll be far easier for her to find work.

In theory she is entitled to it, in practice I don't know if it'll be possible as I don't have contact with my ex. I have just applied for maintenance from him though and if I get that it should make it easier.

Any children we have will be automatically both Irish and Swedish through our separate nationalities and the citizenship rules of those countries. We will apply for both passsports for all children as we would like them to consider themselves both Irish and Swedish and also to have a passport in common with each of us.

Any children born while we continue to live here (Scotland) will be British citizens due to the British citizenship rules but we would not consider them British and would not apply for a British passport on their behalves.

Nationality is often not something you can choose as many countries automatically confer citizenship on children of their citizens. It sounds like the issue for you is more about which passport/passports to apply for and if I were you I would choose both. If I were travelling on my own with my child I would like to have the same passport as them.