Birth Registration British Embassy Bangkok No More

[JAMES1984]

Hi

writing this post to let you all no i went to the British Embassy last week to register the birth of our son on the system and get UK birth certificate but was told you are no longer able to do this at the British Embassy Bangkok and have to do everything by post to the UK.

I was told i need to now go online fill in and print of the form, make the payments online for registration and copy of birth certificate and then send form and payment ref with all documentation to the UK.

They then said they will send back to address in Thailand all documentation for 28gbp recorded post

Apparently this change came into effect from the beginning of this Month and is a pain in the bum

Seems the British embassy in Bangkok is becoming as much use as a chocolate fireguard, nice one.....not

Edited September 20, 2014 by JAMES1984

[brewsterbudgen]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

[billd766]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

[JAMES1984]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

Brewster im very confused with it all we are a British family, wife is British so is there no need to register our sons birth right now in the UK?

does he not have to have passport or anything to stay, exit and re enter thailand?, yes we have thai birth certificate from hospital translated into English and then stamped by the ministry, im just concerned with the UK aspect to get him on the system ive heard if you leave it to long could cause problems?

The exit from thailand, entry to UK is my biggest concern when we go back for a visit to UK all he will have is a Thai birth certificate in both Thai and english.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Is there a time limit of how long we can take to register him on the UK system????

Edited September 20, 2014 by JAMES1984

[ubonjoe]

"This local birth certificate should be accepted in the UK, eg when you apply for a passport or register with a school or doctor. You might need to have it translated and certified if it’s not in English.

Once you’ve registered locally you may also be able to register the birth with the UK authorities. You don’t need to do this but it means:...."

From: https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth

Even if you register the birth you still need to get a passport for your child for them to leave the country.

[JAMES1984]

Ok i have the Thai birth certificate translated into English and stamped by the ministry so will send all this asap to UK just a pain in the bum they have stopped this service in Bangkok British Embassy making everything ever more difficult for us Brits living in Thailand, and posted to share as didnt see any other posts informing people they have stopped this service thanks for your help guys

One last thing is there a time limit ie how long we have to register him ie 6months etc etc

[ubonjoe]

I see nothing that mentions a time limit. It would make no sense to have a time limit for something that is not mandatory.

[ubonjoe]

A off topic post and a reply to it has been removed.

[Gashead]

I got a British passport for my son last year when he was 6 months old. Didn't register the birth, I just had a translation of his thai birth certificate and the other required forms. Very easy. Applied at the British Embassy in bkk and had a sparkly, new passport delivered to me within 3 weeks. Not sure when he will need it but it just seemed a good idea to do it sooner before new rules or more complicated procedures come into force.

[JAMES1984]

I got a British passport for my son last year when he was 6 months old. Didn't register the birth, I just had a translation of his thai birth certificate and the other required forms. Very easy. Applied at the British Embassy in bkk and had a sparkly, new passport delivered to me within 3 weeks. Not sure when he will need it but it just seemed a good idea to do it sooner before new rules or more complicated procedures come into force.

Gashead thanks for your comment hopefully will be done before ours is 6 months but great to no we have time and dont have to flap and rush around, i take it once we have had documents back from UK we would have to apply for passport from either Hong Kong or UK as British embassy does not issue passports in Bangkok anymore?

[ubonjoe]

You apply for the passport at the VFS offices at Trendy tower. Go through the steps starting here for info on getting the passport. https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

You could apply for the passport before the birth registration.

[brewsterbudgen]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

Ok, but there is no need to do so. A local birth certificate is more than sufficient.

[leon9mm]

I have 2 children 7 and 6 so would I be able to get them registered for UK birth Certificates at this late stage and I take it I can get them passports easily enough at any age..

[MANICMINER]

It use to state on their website that the certificate you receive after registration of birth is not a replacement for the Thai birth certificate, so it is no different to a certified translation - it just looks prettier. Registration is not required at all, including for applying for British passport. In all the decades i lived in the U.K, i was never once asked for my birth certificate: they ask for either your passport or driving licence. If your child does later decide to work in the U.K, he/she just has to show passport to get national insurance number.

[DerringDo]

I waited until my second son was a year and a half and my oldest was 6 and there were no issues with getting them British passports. Except we had to do it all by post the same as everyone else does now.

Fill out all the forms and translate everything Thai that they might need; marriage certificate and birth certificate. Your birth certificate to prove you were born in the UK. Photocopy it for each child and then send originals plus copies. Everything original gets sent back.

It was rather quick return after approval.

[DerekMarshall]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

Not true, All I needed was my daughters Thai birth certificate, with my name on it translated to English and approved by the Ministery of foreign affairs. She got her UK

passport no problem.

[dBrown]

I was told i need to now go online fill in and print of the form, make the payments online for registration and copy of birth certificate and then send form and payment ref with all documentation to the UK.

Looks like an improvement to me

They then said they will send back to address in Thailand all documentation for 28gbp recorded post

But of course this sounds like organized crime.

[Sena Dave]

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There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

Not true, All I needed was my daughters Thai birth certificate, with my name on it translated to English and approved by the Ministery of foreign affairs. She got her UK

passport no problem.

I'm attempting to do the same for my son with Thai birth cert. Ive looked into the registration route but although its a dead certainty its expensive, a couple of Grand actually. I'll go down that route if I have to but I should find out next week if i have to or not

[personchester]

I got a British passport for my son last year when he was 6 months old. Didn't register the birth, I just had a translation of his thai birth certificate and the other required forms. Very easy. Applied at the British Embassy in bkk and had a sparkly, new passport delivered to me within 3 weeks. Not sure when he will need it but it just seemed a good idea to do it sooner before new rules or more complicated procedures come into force.

In was a normal procedure last year, but in March this year passport application procedures have entirely changed and the British Embassy in Bangkok is no longer able to deal with it.

10 Downing Street has given HMPO the entire passport application procedure and passport renewals via F.C.O.'s are no longer available and possible.

Unfortunately the current passport application procedure is very messy indeed and British expats are hoping that the current procedure will be changed back to normal.

The Brits in Thailand are hoping that the application can be done again via the British Embassy in BKK using the consulates to send the application form to the Embassy.

[evadgib]

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth

HTH

[billd766]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

Ok, but there is no need to do so. A local birth certificate is more than sufficient.

My son aged 10 has a birth certificate in Thai and another in English after I had the Thai one translated and then certified at the UK embassy. That however was 10 years ago when the embassy were still doing things on behalf of their citizens. I used the English one to get a passport for him.

[Jonmarleesco]

The British Embassy in Bangkok has long been a waste of space, though having flogged off a large chunk of land so Central could build yet another mall, I suppose there is less to waste.

[farangmick]

Being able to register births online sounds great to me, especially as my favourite hotel in Sukhumvit has been refurbished and the price trebled. Three to four hour drive each way and queueing in the Embassy, not to mention finding someone to look after the kids. Or an hour or so on the terrace with a notebook and a beer or three. No-brainer.

[bkk_mike]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

Registration isn't required to get a UK passport, as I never registered my youngest daughter (her sister was born in London).

As for an N.I. number, the thing to do for that is register for Child Benefit once you're in the UK (assuming you go back while they're still kids). Otherwise they apply for and get an N.I. number when they go to the UK.

I earn enough that I have to repay the Child Benefit I receive as extra tax, but it's worth it after my eldest had to be interviewed to get an N.I. number solely because she hadn't been on the Child Benefit roll.

[Richard W]

There is no need to register the birth in the UK if you have a Thai birth certificate.

There is if you want the child to get a UK passport and a national insurance number to make life easier in the future.

Ok, but there is no need to do so. A local birth certificate is more than sufficient.

Once in the UK, a consular birth certificate plus NI number can be used instead of a passport for getting a job or, probably, living in privately rented accommodation. Most British citizens born abroad will have an acceptable passport.

[7by7]

Consular birth registration is, and always has been, voluntary, not mandatory.

Not doing so will not, and never has, effect the British citizenship of the child nor their rights as such in any way, shape or form.

Register a birth abroad from YouGov:

You must register your child’s birth according to the regulations in the country where the child was born. They’ll give you a local birth certificate.

This local birth certificate should be accepted in the UK, eg when you apply for a passport or register with a school or doctor. You might need to have it translated and certified if it’s not in English.

Once you’ve registered locally you may also be able to register the birth with the UK authorities. You don’t need to do this but it means:
the birth will be recorded with the General Register Offices or at the National Records Office of Scotland
you can order a consular birth registration certificate

You can still apply for a UK passport for your child even if you don’t register the birth in the UK.

I can see only three reasons why anyone would wish to do this:

1. A consular birth certificate could be used as evidence that they are British in the absence of any other, such as a passport.
2. So that future generations researching their family tree can more easily trace a record of the birth.
3. They like giving money to HMG.

[JAMES1984]

Quick one guys some of you have said there is no need to registere my son in the UK to get a UK Passport, so if this is the case am i able to get an emergecny trav el dcoument from the british embassy bangkok so we can get back to the UK as a family and then do the registration and get him new passport whilst in UK?

[NanLaew]

Quick one guys some of you have said there is no need to registere my son in the UK to get a UK Passport, so if this is the case am i able to get an emergecny trav el dcoument from the british embassy bangkok so we can get back to the UK as a family and then do the registration and get him new passport whilst in UK?

Put the UK registration on a complete back-burner. It is a throwback from the colonial days and is no longer mandatory. It isn't needed to obtain a UK passport since once the child's UK passport is issued, the passport becomes the prime, internationally recognised provenance of UK citizenship.

The primary consideration would be when do you expect to travel to the UK as a family?I think it may be sooner than later, yes?

The current wait times to SUBMIT your chids passport application at VFS in Bangkok is around 3-4 weeks. After that, there's a minimum of 6-7 weeks before the passport would come back from the UK for collection from VFS in Bangkok. So 8 weeks minimum to get a passport.

If you are traveling before that, then an emergency travel document issued by the UK Embassy in Bangkok would be required, primarily to satisfy Thai Immigration on departure (who is this kid?) as UK citizens, even ones with expired UK passports can enter the UK. However, you should call the UK Embassy helpline directly on this precise requirement since this forum will have you running around in circles because people insist on quoting from their experiences 10 years ago.

FWIW, I never, ever registered my son's Thai birth in the UK and he is getting his second UK passport next month although we are traveling to the UK to get it since the VFS renewal times are totally unacceptable. From my recent (last week) communication with HMPO, my son will qualify for a Fast-Track passport renewal, say 7-10 days. However, children are not eligible for 'Premium' (4-hour) passport renewal as children's passports need 'additional security checks'. Figure that last bit of arcane Foreign Office reasoning out of you can!

Good luck!

[Alexuk]

Hello all u can do this while in uk it takes 5 working days fee is £105 u get it send it to uk adress £4.50 all around world £22

[Daffy D]

Previously when the Embassy handled passports it was possible to get a child's passport and British birth certificate at the same time.

Is it still possible to apply for both at the same time, or are they two different/separate operations now?

Thanks

I know it is unnecessary to obtain a British birth certificate so no need repeat what has already been said many times.