British passport for British citizen child born in India

rarun53 wrote:

Macro_Run wrote:

rarun53 wrote:Hi All,

The staff at VFS Chennai are very friendly and helpful. Even though they say that accompanying persons not allowed, My son and I went along with my wife (who submitted the application). They verified all the originals submitted (literally every single page) and returned the originals back. It took us over an hour (11:00 AM to 12:30 PM) to verify & submit all the documents. The list of documents submitted below,

Hi rarun53,

I have few questions before applying my child application soon.

If you mentioned that "accompanying person not allowed",

1) Must I bring my wife and child when submit the application or me only submit the form? - It is not required to bring your wife or child,( in my case my wife was the primary applicant as all future communication to this application will be to the primary applicant only including interview, collection of passport from VFS chennai etc. Since my son was just a month old i went along with my son and wife to VFS)

If I have my child birth certificate only for my child address proof.

2) Did you fill India address or UK address in the application form? -- I have filled India Address, For address proof we provided Birth Certificate, Hospital Medical Records which has same address and Vehicle Reg Certificate which has photo and Address, if you don't have any govt id with Photo, just mention what you have in the cover letter)
Refer the below URL which may clarify some questions on the address.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... plications

In the counter signature section, they must tell years/month in the box

3) Do they need to mention how many years knowing me or how months knowing my child in the box? -- they must know the adult who is applying on behalf of the child not the child directly. so it must be how many months and years they know you

Hello rarun53,

Thank you very much indeed for your nice reply.

#1) I am a primary application (Father) to my child and I am applying this application with Parent's contact details form at VFS, Chennai and then back to UK for work. They may call me in the UK or may call my wife in Chennai for an interview. -- I am not sure about this

While collecting my child British passport I won't be in Chennai. Can my wife collect the passport at VFS if she shows her Indian passport or any other IDs? - you should provide a letter of authorization to VFS if someone else collects the passport

rarun53 wrote:

Hello rarun53,

Thank you very much indeed for your nice reply.

#1) I am a primary application (Father) to my child and I am applying this application with Parent's contact details form at VFS, Chennai and then back to UK for work. They may call me in the UK or may call my wife in Chennai for an interview. -- I am not sure about this

While collecting my child British passport I won't be in Chennai. Can my wife collect the passport at VFS if she shows her Indian passport or any other IDs? - you should provide a letter of authorization to VFS if someone else collects the passport

srivisaN wrote:Hi,

I went to Hyderabad VFS office today and tried to apply for UK passport for my new born baby... we have submitted below docs, to my surprise they asked me to produce

1. 3 documents as address proof in UK (even after we submitted 3 docs as address proof in India) - Both mother and father's uk address proof
2. Countersignatory passport 1st page copy
3. As many photos of the kid with family and relatives as possible (say 30 to 50)

srivisaN wrote:Hi,

I went to Hyderabad VFS office today and tried to apply for UK passport for my new born baby... we have submitted below docs, to my surprise they asked me to produce

1. 3 documents as address proof in UK (even after we submitted 3 docs as address proof in India) - Both mother and father's uk address proof
2. Countersignatory passport 1st page copy
3. As many photos of the kid with family and relatives as possible (say 30 to 50)
Sri.

rarun53 wrote:

srivisaN wrote:Hi,

I went to Hyderabad VFS office today and tried to apply for UK passport for my new born baby... we have submitted below docs, to my surprise they asked me to produce

1. 3 documents as address proof in UK (even after we submitted 3 docs as address proof in India) - Both mother and father's uk address proof
2. Countersignatory passport 1st page copy
3. As many photos of the kid with family and relatives as possible (say 30 to 50)
Sri.

This is what the OS Application Guideline says (Page 11) about counter signature

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... s-guidance

The countersignatory needs to:
• tell us which country’s passport your
countersignatory holds, and his or her email address.
• when they hold a US, Commonwealth or other
EU (not British or Irish) passport, they must
provide a colour photocopy of the page with their
photograph on it. This must be included with the
countersigned application.
......

And The 3 Address Proof rule hasn't changed in the latest version of the Supporting documents as well

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ts-group-3

You have more things to do with the little one than taking pictures with every relatives and making an album. There is no evidence to support 30/50 photos claim either.

I don't think the VFS staff are speaking sensibly here.

Arun

Making your application wrote:You’ll need to book an appointment by email. Include your first name and last name and 3 alternative dates and times. You will receive an email confirming your appointment.

iceCold wrote:My wife and me are naturalized British citizens having moved back to Bangalore permanently since Jan 2016. We have just had a baby boy last week and I am in the process of applying for his British passport from VFS Bangalore. I have gone through this thread in detail, but still have a few unanswered questions. Could someone with better understanding of this process please help me with the below queries:

1) I am using this document as a list of required supporting documents:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _10.16.pdf
a) But it doesnt mention anything about counter-signature , is this really required?
Yes, need a counter signature. If it is UK Citizen it would be easy and fast for processing. It may not be necessary but VFS Hyderabad people asked me to put a copy of first page of counter signatory passport

b) 2 identical photographs - Do I have to get the babys passport sized photos clicked in a studio (maybe a really silly question, sorry.)
As long as you meet the photo standards it is fine, I took photos at home.

2) Cannot find any information regarding booking an appointment. To book an appointment I need to email , bangalore.hmpo@vfshelpline.com. Is that right?
Yes, once you send an email stating it is for First Time UK Passport for your Kid along with his date of Birth.. they will respond with confirmation date. You need to give 3 optional dates and times.

3) Can I go alone to the VFS office on behalf of my son?
Yes, you can go alone. No need to take your kid or wife. Make sure you have all the signatures or any particulars from your wife in this case.
Thanks a lot in advance.

rarun53 wrote:Update

Latest update

Status of parents: Both British ( through naturalization)
Passport application submitted at local VFS (VFS-UK office Chennai): 18-Nov-2016
Application Received at Liverpool Office Via DHL Courier - 21-Nov-2016
Application Fee deducted - 22-Nov-2016 by CC
Passport interview: 24-Jan-2017 @Luton HMPO
Passport collected from local VFS : Waiting

Guys,
I received an email last week asking to book an appointment for interview for my Son's Passport. I was expecting the interview to happen in India with mother (as she was the main applicant), but I'm not sure the reason for interviewing me. I have booked the Appointment with HMPO in Luton as there were no slots available for 10 days in London.

Today i'v finished the interview. it was for about 25-30 mins including whole history of my family,my stay in uk and so on. It was more than 50 questions and she noted down my answers in the report. I was asked about preferred location for DNA test if required. She then asked me how i am communicating with my wife and other child and she looked at my Whatsapp and Hangout call history (Including Duration) on My Mobile. She also wanted to see some pictures& videos of child on the mobile and verified the bank statements to see how i am sending money to them in India.

She will send her report back to the Durham office and i should wait for another month until i hear back anything (whether the passport is issued or further checks/tests).

Hope all goes well.

rarun53 wrote:If you have signed the application and submitted at VFS they would have assumed that you are staying in India. In my case my wife signed and submitted the application and i have provided a separate form with contact details of the Parents if they are currently living in different country. I came back to UK for work and i have provided my UK contact details , so they asked me to book an interview here in UK. I received an email from Durham Passport office to book the interview appointment. I followed the procedure in the email.
They pick up randomly one or both the parents to attend the interview, so you shouldn't be surprised by the call. The questions are purely about my immigration history and my family (Wife, Children, Me). So nothing to worry about the questions.

if you have been given an UK number to book the appointment, try to ring as soon as the office opens. It is hard to get through during normal day time as it is not call center. They have only one/two lines.

Thanks

Arun

rarun53 wrote:Hi Waseem
I am calling every week , and i called even today. The call center people don't have detailed access to our records, so every time the reply is "Examination in Progress". She said she will put a note that i have called.
But i don't think it will make any difference. I am going to wait until 16 weeks ( i am in 14th week) then will be escalating to HMPO complaints team and possibly to CEO of HMPO.

Let's hope for the best.

Macro_Run wrote:Hi rarun53,

Thank you very much. Happy New Year!

rarun53 wrote:

Hello rarun53,

Thank you very much indeed for your nice reply.

#1) I am a primary application (Father) to my child and I am applying this application with Parent's contact details form at VFS, Chennai and then back to UK for work. They may call me in the UK or may call my wife in Chennai for an interview. -- I am not sure about this

While collecting my child British passport I won't be in Chennai. Can my wife collect the passport at VFS if she shows her Indian passport or any other IDs? - you should provide a letter of authorization to VFS if someone else collects the passport