To register a birth or not?

[jasonjason99]

Apologies in advance if this post is slightly off-topic.

I'm a naturalised UK citizen, thanks in large part to the wonderful people on these boards. My son was born this year (after I became a UK citizen) while we were living in the US.

Question: The UK Consulate in the US says it's not required to register the birth -- that we can proceed directly to applying for a passport for our son.

However, I wanted to ask the experts here what they think. Is there an advantage to registering the overseas birth of a UK citizen? Is it worth the $325 fee?

Thanks!

Jason

[JAJ]

Question: The UK Consulate in the US says it's not required to register the birth -- that we can proceed directly to applying for a passport for our son.

However, I wanted to ask the experts here what they think. Is there an advantage to registering the overseas birth of a UK citizen? Is it worth the $325 fee?

Yes there is because then it's a stand-alone, lifetime proof of your child's British citizenship. A passport is not.

If you don't, and child's passport is lost etc, replacing it in a hurry might be very difficult. And if child ever needs to prove citizenship from scratch as an adult, a consular birth certificate is the easiest way.