Registered baby

oh and yes... you could still go to a country that has no extradition treaty if you want to avoid the draft or taxes or whatever.... 

France sounds nice to me... 

I personally will give my child the choice.  When they are old enough they can make the decision to renounce or not.  
 

Thing is, none of us is talking about renouncing our US citizenship, only in not registering our children and then when they are 18 THEY decide if they wish to renounce all claims or go for their US passport.

Therefore, no one is 'denying' their child anything.  As long as we, the mothers, are still US citizens, so is our child/children. 

The British government does not require us to renounce our US citizenship, so even if we chose to naturalise, we're still US citizens.

I for one will not renounce my US citizenship b/c then I could not go see my family.

It's about being forced, however, to pay hundreds of pounds you may not have to register your child.

I see your point Vnicepeeps but why should we be forced to make our childrens citizen decisions when we give birth?  Why cant my UK born sons fly to the USA on their UK passport just as any other child born to Brit parents could? Why should they be denied entry simply because I choose not to register them as US citizens at the moment?

Also, it's very different, the claim the US makes on its "citizens by accident of birth."  To say that they can tax you because you have a *right* to citizenship, even if you have never lived in the US or desire to live in the US?  To say you have the *obligation* to sign up for Selective Service to be possibly called up to fight and be killed for a country you have no REAL ties to except biological?  

And to PAY through the nose for the *opportunity* to register your child and get them a US passport simply because you were born in the US?

These kids will HAVE to *declare* themselves US citizens to even enter the country, so it's not a matter of being able to visit there and decide if they'd like to claim their citizenship or not.  They don't get in without it.  

These kids will HAVE to *declare* themselves US citizens to even enter the country, so it's not a matter of being able to visit there and decide if they'd like to claim their citizenship or not.  They don't get in without it.  

Yes like I said, any other child from anywhere in the world that has no US ties can enter on the passport of their home country but since our kids have an American birth right then they HAVE to enter on a US passport. So I cannot bring my UK born sons to the US without a US passport. This is like they are being punished because I dont register them.

I agree the rules are stupid.  I never said they weren't.  Most countries have stupid rules and the USA is tops and getting worse with the Department of Homeland nuttiness....

I just wanted to give the child's opinion in this.

Either way a choice is being forced on them..... either by the US government or by the parent.  

I don't know what the rules are for citizenship to be honest and if you can claim US citizenship at 18 if you weren't registered.

I plan on taking my potential kids to visit the USA.  I might move back one day.  I never know what my future will hold so I will just prepare for any eventuality. I've jumped through so many bureaucratic hoops in my life -what's a few more.   That's me.  I respect your decision not to.  



Moreover, if the child does not want anything to do with the USA when they grow up they can renounce just like Expat's academic guy did. 

The rules are stupid.  I agree with the poster who said its ridiculous that we can't fly our babies over to visit grandma on their Brit passports.  I was  going to leave the registration stuff for their US passports until they were much older as going to London with three under 5 year olds (one of whom is autistic) is hell.    I had booked a trip over to Pennsylvania and then found out they needed to be on US passports.  Stupid me.  We had to get an emergency appointment at the embassy because the airline wouldn't refund the tickets.   Travelling down there from North Yorks was a b*tch.

We had to get US passport photos done for three babies.  The only photographer in yorkshire who would american passport photos was an hour's drive away.  DH and I had to take off of work for that. Then there was the paperwork for all three  .  DH and I had to take off of work to get to London. get a hotel room there, the train fare was a joke.  By the time things were all sorted and all three kids had their US passports we had spent well over £1900 including the cost of travelling to and staying in London.   

I would have actually saved money if I just cancelled the trip all together even though the airline would not refund.   :\\\'(

I think it's just a way to get some money out of us.   How could a baby with an American mother flying into the US on a Brit passport be a security risk?   

Your baby might be a terrorist.  Come on we all know that.   


You know they could be harbouring explosives in their pampers. 

I don't know what the rules are for citizenship to be honest and if you can claim US citizenship at 18 if you weren't registered.

Moreover, if the child does not want anything to do with the USA when they grow up they can renounce just like Expat's academic guy did. 

Yes, yes they can do so at 18 if they feel fit.

Thing is, renouncing, even of their own free will as 18-year-olds, has ramifications.  For one, as peedal pointed out, they're still liable for taxes and what not for an additional 10 years.  AND, it's quite likely they can't go to the US at all, even for a visit.  It's making Roman Polanskis out of people who have never committed nor been found guilty of committing any crime.

well they are certainly little terrors LOL and what they have in their pampers is probably worse than explosives!

I wonder if moms who use cloth diapers would have to remove the diaper pins at security? 

the USG regulations are not country specific but apply to US citizens around the world.  in many of the countries that i have lived in (mostly 3rd world) people are happy to register their kids as US citizens, and in many cases count on the  US embassies to provide security in emergencies (medical, war, etc).  It wouldn't make sense to let US citizens from these countries bring kids with local passports to the US without question, it could be difficult to prove relationship to airlines and US immigration folk.  Many 3rd world countries lack the local infrastructure to even do birth certificates, so you could imagine numerous problem scenarios involving kidnapping, adoption fraud, etc.  I would assume that the USG's way of pre-empting these issues was to make in-country registration mandatory for those US citizens who chose, for whatever reasons, to live their lives outside of the US. It would be nice for there to be some exceptions made for countries like the UK,  but i doubt it would fly post 9/11.

very good point ncny

It would be nice for there to be some exceptions made for countries like the UK,  but i doubt it would fly post 9/11.

Yet they somehow managed to extend taxation and extradition treaties w/the UK post-911.
 

Don't see what a developing nation's infrastructure has to do w/requiring in-country registration of foreign nationals born abroad to parents who are US citizens.  When I registered our daughter, I had to use documents provided by the US government to do it - my passport, birth certificate, etc. - and bring the baby in in person to verify she existed.  And comply w/US laws regarding photo paper, etc. 

i registered 2 babies in london, in 2001 and 2003, and i was required to submit the long form of the local UK birth certificate; ostensibly to establish 'official' parentage. and i didn't have to bring either child for registration, but i understand that has changed.  my point was that in many countries, there may no be infrastructure to produce a bona fide document with parents listed, and thus the proof of child's eligibility for US citizenship would not be a given.  Obviously, that is not the case in the UK, but the regulations are worldwide. 

many US embassies/consulates have photo machines in their lobbies, and some have copiers with the proper paper size.  i guess we just aren't that lucky.

there are over 200,000 US citizens living in the UK. maybe someone should try to get consensus and submit these issues for change. if everyone contacts their US reps and the embassy here, maybe you could get some movement.