Dual Citizenship for UK Born Babies

Hi all! I'm certain there is already a thread that discusses this... but I can't seem to find it (baby brain probably). The closest one was more a discussion on which passport to use when traveling.

My situation is simple- I'm US, husband is UK. We're permanently settled in the UK. We're expecting our first baby any day now.

My question is- what are the pros and cons of getting a dual citizenship for the baby? I know American passports are like gold... but I am really irritated having to file taxes and FBARs every year! If I get the baby an American passport, will they also have to spend their whole life paying for US tax preparation and telling Uncle Sam about all of the details of their "off shore accounts"?

Any advice or experience would be most welcomed

The baby is a US citizen by virtue of being your child. There's no way to change that, and not getting him/her a passport doesn't change that. So the only way the baby wouldn't have to file tax returns is if he/she renounces the citizenship when old enough.

Also, if you ever plan to take the baby to the US, he/she must travel on a US passport. So you will need to get one for that.

My 4 year old was born in the UK. She has dual nationality. The only
Benefit I find is having a U.S. passport to get her in the US easier. But I am hesitating to renew it now as we rarely travel to the U.S.  I think I could probably use her uK passport for future us travel.  I aslo have a ss number for her which I figure saves her tune in the future if she ever works and lives in the U.S.

  I think I could probably use her uK passport for future us travel. 

Aside from a few very specific circumstances, it's against US law for a US citizen to use another country's passport to enter the US.

http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english/legal-considerations/us-citizenship-laws-policies/citizenship-and-dual-nationality/dual-nationality.html

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/faqs/faq_citizenship.html

"I am a U.S. citizen, but also have a foreign passport. Can I travel to the United States on the foreign passport?

No. U.S. citizens must enter and leave the United States on valid U.S. passports, even if they hold a passport from another country. If your U.S. passport has been lost or stolen, or if it has expired, you must apply to replace it before traveling to the United States."

I have discussed with my UK hubby and we r probably going to renew my 4 year olds US passport just in case of emergency it would make US travel easier. 

We renewed my 5 year old's passport in October. If both parents don't go, you have to get a form notarised:

http://london.usembassy.gov/mobile/cons_new/acs/passports/one_parent_consent.html

My understanding with the 'alternate' category, is if there only is one parent (for consular form of birth only having one name on it).

Hi all! I'm certain there is already a thread that discusses this... but I can't seem to find it (baby brain probably). The closest one was more a discussion on which passport to use when traveling.

My situation is simple- I'm US, husband is UK. We're permanently settled in the UK. We're expecting our first baby any day now.

My question is- what are the pros and cons of getting a dual citizenship for the baby? I know American passports are like gold... but I am really irritated having to file taxes and FBARs every year! If I get the baby an American passport, will they also have to spend their whole life paying for US tax preparation and telling Uncle Sam about all of the details of their "off shore accounts"?

Any advice or experience would be most welcomed

I'm not sure where in the US you'd be likely to go, but on the off chance it's close to the Canadian border, you could take the kids without a passport.  You'd need to have a report of birth abroad thingy from the consular though.  It's only worth it if you want to save the passport fees.

I guess the answer to my question is that there is no choice for dual citizenship or not. It seems strange to me that citizenship is forced on them... I mean, I'm sure it's a wonderful thing and all- I just don't like that they would have to fill out US taxes for a country they've never lived in. And I've looked at what's involved with renouncing citizenship- it's wicked expensive and a huge paperwork pain.

Ultimately I'm sure we would have chosen to get them dual citizenship anyways, because an American citizenship is worth a whole lot in this world. But I would have liked to have had the choice.

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/acs/passports/robirth4.html

Traveling on passports isn't really the issue here. If they are American I can get a US passport while registering them. I had just hoped that it wouldn't be an automatic citizenship requiring us to do that.

I guess the answer to my question is that there is no choice for dual citizenship or not. It seems strange to me that citizenship is forced on them... I mean, I'm sure it's a wonderful thing and all- I just don't like that they would have to fill out US taxes for a country they've never lived in.

Yes, that is the answer to your question. It's not a choice.

Ultimately I'm sure we would have chosen to get them dual citizenship anyways, because an American citizenship is worth a whole lot in this world.

If that is what is worrying you, then the top citizenships in the world (ranked in equal first place) are Germany, Finland and Sweden and UK and your baby has one of these citizenships via her father. The citizens of these four countries have the most visa free travel in the world.
 
2nd is Canada and Denmark.
3rd Belgium and Netherlands.
4th Norway.
5th Singapore and Switzerland.
6th Greece.
7th Australia.
https://www.henleyglobal.com/international-visa-restrictions/

Is there anyway to avoid getting a US passport for child born in the UK to a British father and American mother?

I'd prefer not to pass American citizenship on to any child I may have (and honestly, it's one of my reasons for not having children).  My husband and I have different surnames so I could give the hypothetical child his surname and simply never bring the child to the US avoiding the need to get a US passport.  I know the hypothetical child would still technically have US citizenship.  But at least this way we could control to some degree if and when it does get a passport and becomes known to the US government.

Has anyone else done this and have there been any problems doing so?

Is there anyway to avoid getting a US passport for child born in the UK to a British father and American mother?

I'd prefer not to pass American citizenship on to any child I may have (and honestly, it's one of my reasons for not having children).  My husband and I have different surnames so I could give the hypothetical child his surname and simply never bring the child to the US avoiding the need to get a US passport.  I know the hypothetical child would still technically have US citizenship.  But at least this way we could control to some degree if and when it does get a passport and becomes known to the US government.

Has anyone else done this and have there been any problems doing so?

With an American parent, the child is American whether you want them to be or not.  Unfortunately, it's not an option.  You don't HAVE to register the birth or apply for a US passport (if you don't plan to travel to the US), but the child will still be American (legally).

Larissa knows her child would be a citizen, as she stated in her post. But yes, you could just not register the birth with the US Embassy and never apply for a passport. I don't see how the US government would know about your child unless you specifically told them. There would be a few implications, like you wouldn't be able to claim the child as a dependent on your US taxes. But that's probably it.

With an American parent, the child is American whether you want them to be or not.  Unfortunately, it's not an option.  You don't HAVE to register the birth or apply for a US passport (if you don't plan to travel to the US), but the child will still be American (legally).

Right.  Thank you, but I know that.  From above, "I know the hypothetical child would still technically have US citizenship."

I figure if hypothetical child ever becomes a reality it can either claim a US passport when old enough, never claim and never enter the US, or register itself and then quickly give up its citizenship if it wanted to.

What I was hoping for was an answer to my question, "Has anyone else done this and have there been any problems doing so?"

I don't think anyone on this forum has done what you're proposing. Most poster who have dual citizen children visit the US and wish to bring their children to the US for visits using their US passports. I think many also believe the advantages of being a dual citizen outweigh the disadvantages.