Does anyone know the correct steps to follow to obtain dual nationality for my French children? They would like to obtain British nationality as well as their French nationality.
They are both minors, I'm British my pax parner is French.
We live in France permanently.
Thanks
Hi Nick, fairing well now thanks but it's been a hard struggle on many fronts! We're not married or pacsés but as Brian has already replied - it's our paternity that counts, that's all that's needed. We also did as Brian and his OH - our kids are Mouysset--Hearne. Yes there are officially two dashes to differentiate between old double barrelled families although we and nobody else ever puts two! From memory, yours are older so you wouldn't have had that possibility as it only came in just before Alicia was born about 5 to 6 years ago. à +
Pacsed is the same as UK common-law 'marriage'. The only thing that matters in England and Wales is paternity/maternity, in your case the former, and that must be shown on whatever kind of birth documentation they have and then they are £49 a shot plus umpteen charges from the Embassy. We paid something like £106 to renew one last year. French ID generally OK, but not for all countries where visas are required and if they have your name they will need UK passports to get visas. We made ours Invernizzi-Milne, using both of our names, which is like holding a quiz when officials starting spelling that lot!
Andrew, we weren’t married when the kids were born and it looks like that makes a difference. Now we are only pacsed.
Do you know anything about that case?
How are you fairing?
As long as they've got their french ID cards they can go to the UK no problem so I think we'll leave it at that!
Actually, it is only a couple of bob more than renewing now, so since we have them and are without choice... Every five bloody years though!
Wait that long and you'll be looking at (big) mortgages!
Hi Nick, long time no chat! We're in the same boat, OH and kids are all French, but after the kids were born I enquired and was told that they automatically have British nationality as I'm British and that they could apply for a UK passport no problem. I downloaded the various forms but when I saw the price of a passport I didn't ever take it any further! Perhaps I'll save that one as an 18th birthday present (if it'll be welcomed that is!)
I think it will work this way. The UK has birth certificates and will issue them 'backdated' so there is no problem. The reason it is difficult trying it the other way here is that the family book thing gets in the way. The Swiss have one of those things. It is a bit like the French way of doing it. So what we found was that by getting the bit of paper in the hospital that shows the child is yours and trotting off to the Swiss Embassy in London we got the family book and a month later a passport on the way. Off we went to the registry office a bit later, showed them the Swiss family book and got the UK birth certificate. Nobody raised any questions.
With our first daughter we had registered her normally as UK, which meant the bit of paper from the hospital was gone. When we went to the Swiss Embassy in London the last thing they want to see was a UK birth certificate but wanted the pro forma or family book rather than a UK birth certificate. So they messed us about a bit. That way when the second was born we went for reverse order and it worked.
So Nick, my rationale is that when you go for the belated UK registration they will take whatever you have to show where, when and so on, as long as they are clearly your progeny, have a dekko at your passport or birth certificate if it is available and will get you to sign the appropriate forms, extort a vast amount of money out of you for each one and you will soon have them.
Would have suggested the same as Brian. Let me know how you get on, as with the youngest can have duel nationality but the otherway round - he has a UK passport. Also, as I understand it, number one son has the right to duel nationality, as he has lived in France for more than 11 years. I have mentioned it to the local Mairie who, suprisingly, looked back at me blankly!
Thanks Brian. Will pop along there then and try and get it sorted.
Just go to the Embassy with their birth registration, as long as it shows you are father, and ask to do it. Ultimately it is all done by the Registrar General's office. One of ours was registered UK first, the other Swiss although both born in England! Then the younger was registered in the UK after using her Swiss registration to show date of birth and so on. Rather bureaucratic rather than difficult.