Usa - Consular Report Of Birth Abroad | Bangkok Embassy

[smileplur]

Ok, I am pleased to report that we has a beautiful baby boy delivered at Chulalongkorn Hospital on April 12. With the new appointment system in place, I want to make sure I have everything in order for an early appointment at 8:15 am on Friday morning. Here are the facts ....

I am a United States Citizen

The mother is a Thai national

We are not married

Her passport was issued prior to conception (one year prior to the birth)

She spent 3 weeks in America on a 6 month tourist visa, pregnant at the time in October

Our son has my name on his birth certificate

I've translated it to English

Having been married here before, I translated the divorce certificate as well

My only concern is the proof that I've lived in the US for the designated period of time. I have my university transcripts and my high school diploma. Will this be enough to satisfy them? Furthermore, both of my parents served I. The USAF. My mother is now a high ranking official in Washington, DC.

Any help would be appreciated. He's just 3 weeks Los, so I am not conserved about the passport. I just want to register his birth.

Any thoughts or moments would be most appreciated .....

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Here's the Embassy's www page for that: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/birth-of-a-u.s.-citizen-in-thailand.html

And, looks like you've covered the minimum time period in the U.S. with your school records:

"For children born to one U.S. citizen and one foreign national, the U.S. citizen parent will need to show five years of physical presence in the U.S., two of which must be after the age of 14. Examples of items that show physical presence are school transcripts, income tax returns with Form W-2, Social Security earnings history, pay receipts, passport entry/exit stamps in current and previous passports, etc."

I note the listing does not cover unmarried parents of the baby, perhaps because that's not a problem.

Mac

[Thailaw]

What you have sounds like enough to satisfy the Embassy on proof of residence in the US. I brought only my old passports, the first being issued when I was 17 years old. They asked for nothing more.

Be sure to bring the baby's mom's Thai passport with you -- not a copy, the original passport. They will want to see that, along with your original US passport, of course.

[smileplur]

Thanks for that. We already have her passport with the documents we are planning to bring. I've read stories of them asking for photographs proving our relationship with each other on other forums in the Philippines, but I haven't heard of such a requirement for the embassy in Bangkok.

This morning I found my old Maryland State ID Card. I guess I will bring that along just in case. I may be able to dig up some old bank statements from somewhere in a file in my spare bedroom.

From the sounds of it, it should be alright. I tend to worry a bit too much about things.

Thanks for the replies so far. Please forgive the structure and typos in the OP. I did it in the dark on my iPad. Reading through that is difficult!!

[Thailaw]

Thanks for that. We already have her passport with the documents we are planning to bring. I've read stories of them asking for photographs proving our relationship with each other on other forums in the Philippines, but I haven't heard of such a requirement for the embassy in Bangkok.

This morning I found my old Maryland State ID Card. I guess I will bring that along just in case. I may be able to dig up some old bank statements from somewhere in a file in my spare bedroom.

From the sounds of it, it should be alright. I tend to worry a bit too much about things.

Thanks for the replies so far. Please forgive the structure and typos in the OP. I did it in the dark on my iPad. Reading through that is difficult!!

If you were seeking a fiancé(e) visa (K-1) for your g/f the issue of a "real" relationship ("the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) and U.S. citizen sponsor must have met in person within the past two years") would arise, but not where you are just seeking a Consular Report of Birth for your son. So long as your and your g/f's passports jibe, the process is generally pretty simple, and it sounds like you have all of the necessary documentation.

[Mario2008]

Since not married, remember that as far as Thai law is concerned you are not the legal father of the child unless you marry the mother or petition the court to be recongnized as such.

[Thailaw]

Since not married, remember that as far as Thai law is concerned you are not the legal father of the child unless you marry the mother or petition the court to be recongnized as such.

That is, of course, correct. But, provided that certain conditions are satisfied, US law will recognize a US citizen male claiming to be the father of a child born outside the US as the "father" and grant US citizenship to the child (and issue to the child a US passport and Social Security Number on further applications), even where Thai law does/has not.

Which reminds me, while you may not be concerned now about a passport for your son, you should apply for his US social security card/number, which may have a financial advantage to you, since the IRS will not recognize your son as a dependent for US Federal tax purposes until he has a SSN. The Embassy will have the necessary forms and they need to be sent to Manila.

[smileplur]

Thank you for that. I am not intending to move back to the states anytime soon, so the fiance visa isn't an issue. The issue of our relationship did come up when she applied for a tourist visa. In fact, the officer interviewing her told her that the most important factor in their decision to grant her the visa in her brand new passport was the presentation of my passport and work permit. I'm glad I told her to take them along for that process!

We will proceed with the marriage very soon. Time is the issue. I have been married before here in Thailand. I have had to translate the divorce certificate for this process. So, I can also use that translation for the declaration that I am free to marry as well. We will be signing the papers in the very near future.

In all honesty, I gave absolutely no thought to obtaining a Social Security Number for him. Now that you have raised the issue, I have investigated it. It seems easy enough, but it will require him to have his passport as they need two forms of identification. As far as I can tell they would be a Passport and the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. There doesn't seem to be another way around that while being based here in Thailand. I will be working on the passport soon enough I guess.

[sscsamui]

Make sure your Childs birth certificates are certified and stamped translation or they will not accept it. And i would recommend getting the child's passport at the same time...

[Thailaw]

Make sure your Childs birth certificates are certified and stamped translation or they will not accept it. And i would recommend getting the child's passport at the same time...

Unless this is a new requirement (within the last 2 years) of the US Embassy, what you say is wrong. For my first child, I used a translation service and provided a certified and stamped translation of her Thai birth certificate. For my second daughter, I did the translation myself of her Thai birth certificate (same doctor, same hospital, so only the baby's name and dates/ages were different). The form in English is available on-line. They accepted my translation (not certified or stamped) without question or hesitation. Perhaps this issue is covered on the US Embassy-Bangkok's web site. I haven't looked.

[smileplur]

Make sure your Childs birth certificates are certified and stamped translation or they will not accept it. And i would recommend getting the child's passport at the same time...

Unless this is a new requirement (within the last 2 years) of the US Embassy, what you say is wrong. For my first child, I used a translation service and provided a certified and stamped translation of her Thai birth certificate. For my second daughter, I did the translation myself of her Thai birth certificate (same doctor, same hospital, so only the baby's name and dates/ages were different). The form in English is available on-line. They accepted my translation (not certified or stamped) without question or hesitation. Perhaps this issue is covered on the US Embassy-Bangkok's web site. I haven't looked.

I didn't see anything about having a certified translation. I also used a local translation service. They used their stamp on each page. It is correct. I don't see why they wouldn't accept it, as he has a western name with a western spelling. I am hoping that is enough!

[smileplur]

I just thought I would wrap this thread up by letting you guys know how things went today. We left rather early at 6:45 for our 8:15 appointment. We arrived at 7:34 am according to the parking ticket at the Sindhorn Building which is where we were advised to park when I called the US Embassy. I found the parking fees outrageous at 100 baht per hour. Rather than giving them our money, we bought some coffee at one of the various coffee shops and got a stamp. This gave us one free hour. The total time was exactly two hours. The fee for parking was 50 baht which is much more reasonable than 200 baht.

We arrived about 10 minutes early and shown in the door next for two reasons. First, I am an American Citizen. Second, we had an infant baby. Security was pretty relaxed and barely even looked at the stroller.

I handed my forms over to the guy who had me fill in some things I hadn't filled in. I didn't know how to fill in the portion where it says exact period in the US. So, I just wrote birth! He asked when I moved away from the US. I told him May 2008 ... He told me to write that despite having been in and out of the country for lengthy periods and a record of it in my passport. He checked my documents which were as follows:

• My Passport
• The mother's Passport
• Application Form
• Birth Certificate
• Translation of Birth Certificate
• Divorce Certificate (Previous Marriage)
• Translation of Divorce Certficate
• University Degree
• University Transcripts
• Work Permit
• Old Maryland State ID Card

I had other documents with me to show that I had been in the US as a child and through High School, but they didn't care. They said what I had was fine. I sat for a few minutes before being called back up. I was told to go to the cashier and pay and I would be seen when they were finished with the couple currently being interviewed.

I paid the fee of $100 with my American Express Card. I returned the receipt to the window.

We were called in. The mother had to fill out an affidavit, but not sign it. Then, the staff member advised us to sit while he took our documents to the consul guy. The nice American guy came in about 5 minutes and made me take an oath that everything is true and correct. He had me sign some forms. He checked 3 times stating that if a signature was missing it would take additional time. He addressed the mother in Thai. She signed her bit. He asked a few questions about how and when we met. How she liked our trip to America. What I did for work. Then, he said congratulations. He signed a few more things and asked if I wanted to pick it up or have it delivered. I was too lazy to walk out and buy the envelope, so I said I would pick it up. I work around the corner. He stated they would call in 2-3 weeks. He said they would email me if they couldn't reach me by phone for some reason.

All in, it was a very easy procedure. There was nothing to worry about. He was very friendly. He gave me some advice about getting the social security card. He reminded me to bring photos when applying for his passport because most people forget. I will apply for his passport when I apply for my replacement in October.

Good experience. Two thumbs up for the Embassy on this one!

[smileplur]

Lastly, thank you all for your help and contributions. You certainly put my mind at ease and were helpful through this process! Cheers!