Registered baby

Nope, we're not.  The American Embassy in London will send you away to some shop down the street to get photos taken.

Of course, the money they're saving refusing to pay the congestion charge, they could put a photo machine & a photocopier in. 

There was an instant photo machine in the front lobby area of the Embassy to the left and down the stairs in March 2004.  Not sure if there is one now.  It's where my husband got his photos taken.


would not work for an infant though....

Why do people think it costs hundreds of pounds to register your child's birth?? It's $65 which is currently £38. Granted if you also go for the passport at the same time, that adds @£46 ($82), but it's not hundreds (plural) to do so. It's actually a good time to do so because of the exchange rate, which means you're paying @£84 - less than a hundred. If you get a SSN for your child at the same time, that's free. And yes, the British passport for children is cheaper (£25).  But I can't imagine telling your child that you skipped American citizenship because it was cheaper to be a Brit! (Obviously there are more reasons than that, but that shouldn't be the primary one, I don't think).

Oh, and the photographs are the same for both passports, usually you get four which means that you are only paying once if you get them done right the first time, and at least in Belfast there's no shortage of places that do passport photos. Snappy Snaps was the best one, just put the baby on a white piece of paper on the floor and no fiddling about with holding the baby's head up or making sure fingers are out of the way.

If you are intending for your child to have a choice which includes the option of being an American citizen, and you plan to travel to the US before the child makes that choice him/herself, you will have to fork out the dough to register the birth and get the passport to conform with the law. If you don't want them to have the choice, then it's fairly simple. They aren't Americans, and will never make the choice themselves. For when they are of age and look into getting an American passport, and it's shown they have travelled into the US on foreign passports, they won't be able to.

Immigration laws being what they are, and politics being what they are, I am in the camp that avails of all available citizenships for my kids while they can, and let them sort it out in the future if they are inclined.

But it does seem pretty simple. If you want your child to have a choice, you have to do the paperwork and follow the law for travel into the states now. If you are making the choice for your child, and that choice is to not have American citizenship, you don't bother with the American paperwork or passport and your child will never be an American citizen. Your child should still be able to travel to the states on holiday as any other British citizen can, and if they wish to settle there they will have to follow the same immigration procedures if you have opted for not recognizing the American option.

If you are making the choice for your child, and that choice is to not have American citizenship, you don't bother with the American paperwork or passport and your child will never be an American citizen.

As the law stands now, a child over 18 of a US citizen that meets the physical presence criteria* can apply for a certificate of citizenship.  If granted, they can apply for a US passport.

* refers to parent meeting phyiscal presence requirements

Our photos were £15.  They would not accept Snappy Snaps.  There was a list of photographers who used paper that was acceptable - and they all charged for the service.

Additionally, b/c you now have to go w/the child in person, those who are not near a Consulate or Embassy must pay to travel to one.  

Hence, it can cost hundreds of pounds.  

If you NEVER travel to the US - and some people have no intention of doing so - then their child does indeed have the choice at maturity to become a US citizen, he/she won't have a passport or record that shows they've travelled to the US on a foreign passport.  

As the law stands now, a child over 18 of a US citizen that meets the physical presence criteria can apply for a certificate of citizenship.  If granted, they can apply for a US passport.

Simlarly, they can opt to renounce all claims to US citizenship. 

The cost does run quite high if you have 3 children.  Just for the photos I paid 30 pound each child.  That was in Yorkshire.  I wish I would have known that you could have the photographs done near the embassy.  I probably would not have risked it though since I had an emergency appointment and was only getting one shot to get things right before I flew.

You're right; they can renounce at 18, but until that point, it appears they are a US citizen, albeit one without proof of it.  That's the part that I dislike.

As the law stands now, a child over 18 of a US citizen that meets the physical presence criteria can apply for a certificate of citizenship.  If granted, they can apply for a US passport.

I take it you mean physical presence criteria which time spent in the US? But if that time is time spent in the US on a foreign passport, that does not mean that at 18 that person will be granted US citizenship, in fact it means that they will not be granted it, because the time spent was as a foreign national.

However if they have spent time in the US (on their US passport) and travel records have been kept, all of that counts as physical presence and can mean that they can pass US citizenship onto their children no matter where they are born, despite being born abroad themselves, depending on how much time they have in the US under their belt. Just FYI, I found that out when registering my son and thought that was a good thing to know, especially in terms of keeping travel records.

Our photos were £15.  They would not accept Snappy Snaps.  There was a list of photographers who used paper that was acceptable - and they all charged for the service.

Charged above and beyond the normal charges for passport photos? That's outrageous. I suppose we are lucky because our Snappy Snaps conforms with the requirements and as the Irish and British passports are also requiring the same sort of photos for the biometric systems it makes sense for them to do so - in this case America is setting the standard I suppose.

Additionally, b/c you now have to go w/the child in person, those who are not near a Consulate or Embassy must pay to travel to one.  

That is a factor I did not consider as we have the Consulate here in Belfast which makes it a little easier for us (although since they moved it out of the city centre not as easy as it once was!).

Hence, it can cost hundreds of pounds.  

Fair enough, but the actual fees aren't that much.

If you NEVER travel to the US - and some people have no intention of doing so - then their child does indeed have the choice at maturity to become a US citizen, he/she won't have a passport or record that shows they've travelled to the US on a foreign passport.  

Well, that's true, but if you DO travel to the states, which is my point, if you want your child to have the choice, you have to do the paperwork. Of course you can always restrict travel to the states until the child is 18 and let the child decide then, I suppose. Even still it seems simple - if you want to travel to the states and allow your child to choose when they are of age, you have to do the legwork now.

The physical presence requirements are for the US parent.  The US parent must have spent x amount of time on US soil prior to their child's birth for the child to qualify for citizenship (the amount of time changes dependent upon the date the child was born).  See http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/faq.htm#q2 for more details.

Right, I misread your post then, as I thought you were talking about the children's ability to become US citizens, not the parents'.

The cost does run quite high if you have 3 children.  Just for the photos I paid 30 pound each child.  That was in Yorkshire.  I wish I would have known that you could have the photographs done near the embassy.  I probably would not have risked it though since I had an emergency appointment and was only getting one shot to get things right before I flew.

Yeah, and passport renewals are a factor, too, and travel factors into that too now for the in-person requirements. We registered my son earlier this year and will have to renew my daughter's passport in a couple months' time. I sorta wish we could have done it all in the one go but spreading out the cost helps too.

Sorry, I've edited my post to make clearer my intent.

BTW, here are some earlier posts from Misch on this same subject:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=4481.msg90916#msg90916
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=4481.msg91246#msg91246

Just so people are clear on the photos.....

It isn't the paper which has to be special, it is the size. An American passport photo is not the same size as a British passport photo. If you submit the biritish size for any American passport application it will be refused due the the way the image is scaned.

There is an American size passport photo booth in the loby of the Embassy in London, I am not sure about the other locations. The cost is less then £5. The booth is not recomended for small children. If you do use it for children and the photo doesn't meet the requirments you can not get a refund. IF the booth does not work, or you have small children you will be advised to use one of the many pharmacys/shops which will do them less then a five minute walk away. They will cost £5. Plus you can get a refund if they screw up. In all my time working at the Embassy I never saw a bad photo from the places near the Embassy.

Oh Snappy Snaps can take American size photos across the UK. Just ask for the 2"X2" size.

When applying for registration or passport at the Embassy in London, you can get your photos before, but if you don't you will drop off your paperwork then be asked to get the photos from the booth or an ourside location. This will NOT hold up your paperwork. It will be worked on even while you are gone. You will not loose your place in the application line.

We just got Jonah's passport etc last month through the consulate in Edinburgh.  We too had to pay £15 for his pictures.  There is more to the criteria than just size.  They eyes have to be within a 3 mm space, the chin must start at a certain level etc.  Babies are allowed to have their eyes closed but they can't be crying.  We went to a photographer to avoid getting it wrong.  The rest of it was pretty straight forward.  We had to get both kids registered as we aren't married and they need to be on my permit and need to have a passport to carry their own leave to remain stamps.  Such official documents for such tiny kids!