US Passport for a Newborn

Shanghai Expat Forum Index » Hot Topics Forums » Visas, Taxes, and Legalities

Author

Message

benkloepfer

PopStar

Joined: Sep 02, 2004
Posts: 1042

Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 09, 2005 - 03:03 PM
Post subject: US Passport for a Newborn

Hello Parents,

Last week my son was born here in Shanghai. He's wonderful, but needs some paperwork. My wife and I are US citizens and would like the baby to be one too. So I checked the Consulate website and found the info I need. The site basically said we need:
1) Birth Certificate
2) Parent's present with their Passports
3) Marriage Certificate of Parent's
4) Record of divorce, if any (I thought this was a little strange and unnecessary)
5) Proof of US residence, also maybe not necessary
6) 65 USD or 539.50 RMB

Has anyone done this before? If so, I was hoping you could offer some insight to the workings of the ACS (American Consular Services at Westgate Mall). I have the telephone number there, but sometimes when you call a bureau of government workers and you get the wrong person on the line, then they will tell you one thing and then tell you something different when you actually arrive with wife and child.
No offense to gov't workers intended, sometimes that's just the way things are in a bureaucracy.

Any other suggestions for Passports, Visas, etc. on a Newborn ?

And -just out of curiousity- is it possible to get chinese citizenship for our baby? We probably wouldn't do it, but it would be an interesting option to explore.

Thanks,
Ben

MahamYe

Rocker

Joined: Jan 07, 2004
Posts: 614

Status: Offline

Posted: Feb 09, 2005 - 05:57 PM

Congratulations on the birth! Sounds like you have everything you need except the photo. The specifications are very exact for the picture so look it up before you go to photo shop. The proof of residence can be your passport. To be safe, take along every piece of paper that could be relevant since you never know what obstacles could pop up. For the visa, you get the baby's exit visa at Wusong Lu office.

It is not possible for your son to get Chinese citizenship. My understanding is that is defined by lineage and not location of birth. Even if you can make a kinship claim, it's not possible to have dual citizenship with a Chinese passport.