EU national giving birth in the UK summer 2020. Father British.

[TheOriginalChatelaine]

Firstly, congratulations to all those who are at present expecting a baby. What a lovely club to be in :) I remember it well.

My dh and I are looking forward to becoming first time grandparents, & to all that a new chapter will bring.

Our son (with a UK passport) lives in an EU country, a very poor one. His partner is French. They have the option of giving birth in the country they reside, or France or the UK.

Does this resonate with anyone? They are considering their options. As the mother is a French national with an EU passport the baby would automatically be entitled to an EU passport, as we understand the rules. So they are thinking that the UK would be the best option. What is the opinion on that?

My 2nd question is, a) thinking about post Brexit, what would our ddil expect in terms of medical services etc? b)Technically they are not married but consider themselves married. Is that an issue?

Thirdly, If the couple decide on the UK, is there an optimum time to register for ante natal services?

Thank you for reading!

If your son was born in the U.K. to at least one British parent, his child will be born a U.K. citizen with rights to a U.K. passport no matter which country the child is born in. If your son was born outside the U.K. to at least one British parent, the child must be born in the U.K. to inherit U.K. citizenship.

The mother being born French means the child will inherit French citizenship no matter where he/she is born and will be able to get a French passport with EU rights so long as France stays in the EU.

It is possible the child could qualify for third citizenship if born in the EU country they are residing in. I would check with the embassies (French and U.K.) for specific advice for them on citizenship rules, registration of citizen born abroad requirements, and so on.

I do know, that British citizens who do not reside in the U.K. have to pay the cost of any healthcare to the NHS if they go there to use it. Expats cannot fly to the U.K. and legally just use the NHS. It’s a type of health tourism.

Your DIL would need to be a resident in the UK (ie living here - not just visiting) to get free NHS antenatal labour and postnatal care. The hospital will most likely require proof of that after labour (they did with me - I'm EU), else they'll send a bill. (This is the current state of affairs. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, this could change. If Brexit with a deal, I think everything would stay as it is until Dec 2020). Don't think being married/unmarried affects anything.

The main antenatal services are the scans (at 12 and 20 weeks) and the midwife appointments (from 16 weeks onwards, approx every four weeks for first-time mums and then every 2 weeks or so from 32/34 weeks. This is for straight-forward, low-risk pregnancies. There is more contact if there are complications or risk factors.

What does the EU passport have to do with the UK being the best place to give birth? The baby would have French citizenship wherever it's born (and likely UK too as your son's the father).

I don't have an opinion which place is better to give birth - I have been happy with my prenatal/labour care in the UK but don't know how it is in France.

PP nailed it. To add, giving birth in France they'd also have to pay.

It depends what type of birth she wants. Has she researched births in the UK cos they're really treated quite differently than in France and it might be a shock if it's not what she's expecting.

Do they have the funds to fully pay for a birth in the UK or France? (It ll cost thousands even for a straightforward birth)