British passport for newly born baby in India

Please can you explain a process to get a British passport for newly born baby in India. I could not able to find much of the information here on this subject.

Forms to fill in
document /evidence to submit with
where to send an application etc

if anybody applied recently, share me your experience.

I am due to apply this year

Google is amazing!!!

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ation-form

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

Your previous posts appear to indicate that you have ILR.

Has your child already been born? If yes, where was child born?

ALL passport applications are processed in the UK and for applications from India, it can take 6 to 12 months to get the passport.

thanks for that. i will look at them and would post more queries. in mean time if anybody already applied for same , pls share your experience.

yes I am ILR holder and have applied for Citizenship in March. i am expecting to get my citizenship before my child is born in India later this year. i am getting my self ready with all details that would be needed to make a application from India.

When is the baby due? Naturalisation applications can take 6 months or more to be approved.

ohara wrote:When is the baby due? Naturalisation applications can take 6 months or more to be approved.

+1 or as some members on the forum have found who have been waiting for the outcome of their applications since 2014.

Conversely, if the baby is born in the UK while you are on ILR, it will be British.

ohara wrote:Conversely, if the baby is born in the UK while you are on ILR, it will be British.

Indeed and the baby's passport can be applied for using the 1 week fast track service

ohara wrote:Naturalisation applications can take 6 months or more to be approved.

If a new born child makes a naturalisation application, the application will be refused ..... quite quickly, I think!!

Minors don't naturalise, they apply for registration as a British citizen.

geriatrix wrote:

ohara wrote:Naturalisation applications can take 6 months or more to be approved.

If a new born child makes a naturalisation application, the application will be refused ..... quite quickly, I think!!

Minors don't naturalise, they apply for registration as a British citizen.

I agree, but it is the OP who has applied for naturalisation, and is under the assumption that he will receive approval before his son is born in India, presumably because he hopes to pass British citizenship onto his foreign born child.

ohara wrote:but it is the OP who has applied for naturalisation, and is under the assumption that he will receive approval before his son is born in India,

It is not just approval that is needed. The OP needs to attend the citizenship ceremony and get the naturalisation certificate on or before the date of birth of his child. Only then would he be able to pass his British citizenship on.

To summarise
If child is born on or after the date on the OP's naturalisation certificate

• The child is British by birth and can apply for either a British passport or CoE-RoA.

If child is born before (even by a day) the date on the OP's naturalisation certificate

• The child will inherit the immigration status of the less-privileged parent and will be eligible to register as a British citizen only when the mother applies for naturalisation.

Given that the mother only got a settlement visa in December last year and then is going to give birth in India, her absences may cause her ILR (and thus the child's ILR) to be delayed.

I would recommend to the OP that if the mother-to-be is still in the UK, that she give birth in the UK and that you get the grandparents-to-be to visit the UK.

My baby is due to born in September. That's why I am thinking that I would get my citizenship before in time since I applied for my citizen and British passport together in march. I still want my baby to born in India due to family reason.

You have said I can apply for British passport or CoE-RoA. What is CoE-RoA and how to apply for it. I want my wife to return with baby at least after 3 months of baby delivery date.

If British passport application for child born in India from India takes ages then do u suggest to apply for India passport for baby while in India and come to UK and then apply for British passport? Just an option!

As pointed out above, when your naturalisation application is accepted, you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony in the UK. Until you have done this, you are not British. You will also need to return your ILR BRP within 5 days of the ceremony, and surrender your Indian passport as you lose your Indian citizenship on the day you become British. You'll then need to apply for a British passport which can take up to 6 weeks.

It's a bit of a gamble hoping this will all pan out in time for the arrival of your baby. I understand it's a cultural thing with Indians wanting to have their babies delivered in India, but if your family can visit the UK for the birth, it would make things much more simple. It would also have the added advantage of the child being born a British citizen otherwise than by descent. If the child is born in India (assuming you are British by then), the child will be a British citizen by descent.

A CoE-RoA is basically an alternative to a British passport for a British citizen, in terms of entering the UK. It is a vignette in a foreign passport which states the holder has the right of abode in the UK (so they can enter the UK with their foreign passport without a visa etc). It is much faster to apply for but costs significantly more than a passport (£472 if you apply from overseas).

It is good to see that you have started planning even though the child is only due in September.

If you have got the naturalisation certificate and the child is born in India to an Indian parent (mother) and a British parent (father), it will have dual citizenship and can keep both nationalities until the age of 18 unless the parents exercise the non-Indian citizenship by, for instance applying for a British passport. When the parents apply for a British passport, the Indian citizenship and right to an Indian passport will cease.

If you wish to keep both citizenships (until the child reaches 18), apply for an Indian passport and then a CoE-RoA. That will allow the child to enter the UK.

As a British citizen, the child is ineligible to apply for a visa to the UK. To enter the UK, the child will need either a British passport or an Indian passport endorsed with a CoE-RoA.

Timelines on these forums suggest that overseas UK passport applications are taking between 6 months and a year.

CoE-RoA applications take between 6 & 16 weeks.

EDIT: Overtaken by ohara's succinct summary.

Thanks for your good responses. I am now in position to share latest things on my side.

My citizenship application has been approved. I will be attending the ceremony in July and will get my naturalization certificate. I would surrender my BRP card at this time.

Since I already applied for the British passport at the same time of my citizenship application, I am expecting to get the British passport in August hopefully. I would then surrender my Indian Passport.

it’s never ending list…

I would then be applying for OCI Card in late of August. Please advise on process and timeline.

Next would be to apply for COE for my child who is due to born in India after 2 months. I have read through many threads around the process and guideline but if anybody has recently applied the same, let me know your experience and document list. I would go for:

Child’s Indian Passport
Child's birth certificate from India (Shows parents details in full in English)
Mother’s Indian passport
Mother’s Dependent BRP Card
Parents’ Marriage certificate
Father’s naturalisation certificate
Father’s British passports photocopy (certified by Post Office)
Father's employer letter, payslips & bank statements
Cover letter by father
TB certificate??

thanks
chandra