https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:33:39 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318487 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:14:16 +0000 looch 318487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: yes, for sure. We have to keep in touch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318480 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:07:45 +0000 Arden 318480@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: That is so cool! You'll have to visit us sometime when you come back to Kosovo. :)</p> <p>I actually did check into the UN Peacekeepers and also the US military base, but that's a no. </p> <p>The scariest thing to me is if I needed a c-section and I was in Kosovo.. dear God.</p> <p>I have actually been in the operating rooms. There was mold growing on the ceiling. There were surgical tools sitting in a puddle of water with soggy paper napkins on the table. The table was rusty. I'm not as worried about the skill of the doctors as much as I am general cleanliness...</p> <p>I would be scared out of my mind to get surgery in Kosovo... if I went into labor before we got to Austria, I swear I would get in the car and drive the two hours to Tirana in Albania and get my German doctor friend there to do a home birth or in the international hospital. Most of the hospitals in Albania are pretty bad too though, we spent seven years there and luckily I never needed any medical care that I couldn't handle at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318473 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:59:46 +0000 looch 318473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: My son's godfather is originally from Kosovo, we were there about 3 years ago for his wedding. We were just outside of Pristina. We were only there for about 3 days, we didn't have a huge amount of time to do anything, so we plan to return another time when my son is older and now that his parents have pretty much retired there.</p> <p>What about looking into a hospital that is used by the UN Peacekeepers? They might make special provisions for you, no idea, but I agree, I'd not be comfortable with medical treatment there unless I personally knew the medical staff, but even then, who knows. I'd be most nervous about NICU care if needed.</p> <p>I really think the issue you're going to have is that you are residing in one country and delivering in another. I am sure though, the consulates know what to do in these events, women have been known to deliver while on vacation, so there's got to be an action plan in place. I think the issue is that you're dealing with a country that some people don't recognize as a country, so who knows what the policy is, YKWIM? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318463 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:50:13 +0000 Arden 318463@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Oh no, we would certainly drive up at least a couple weeks before my due date and stay. We would rent an apartment for a month or so, for both before and after the birth. </p> <p>We've done the Kosovo-Austria drive before, it takes just about a full day on pretty good roads now. It used to be much worse but they've got nice roads now.</p> <p>And I'm fully aware we'd be stopped at passport control crossing borders, we've driven quite a bit in Europe. That's why I have to make sure we have all of the baby's papers in order before we drive back.</p> <p>As far as payment for medical services, we have international medical insurance, so we would probably pay cash and be reimbursed by our insurance company.</p> <p>Also... You've been to Kosovo?! I hardly ever meet anyone who has been there. What did you do there, where did you go? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318457 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:37:59 +0000 looch 318457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: I've only been to Kosovo once and we flew, so I have no idea how arduous the drive is. I'd be more nervous about delivering my child on the side of the road, my first labor was only 12 hours, so I don't know if I could have made it to a hospital in time.</p> <p>I would also be worried about how I'd pay for services...no idea what your insurance covers, if you have to buy supplemental insurance, etc. I don't know about Austria, but just driving over the border into Switzerland wouldn't fly. They'd see your car has plates from a non EU country and you better believe they'd control your car. I've also heard stories where they've had police board the train in order to arrest people who were trying to come in via train.</p> <p>In any event, I hope it works out, whatever you end up doing. Good luck to you and your family! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318396 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:32:42 +0000 Arden 318396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Crumbs: To make matters more complicated... there isn't a US embassy in Kosovo. Well, there is one, but it's just an empty building. We have to go to Macedonia for consular services. But I will contact them and ask.<br /> I'm sure they'll ask for a passport though, even when driving, maybe not while we're in the EU but for sure when we leave it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318395 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:29:34 +0000 SugarplumsMom 318395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it's just driving through, then maybe they won't even check for the baby's passport so all is good? I would email the Embassy in Kosovo for their advice and see what they say. It might be more common than we all think. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318393 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:10:16 +0000 Arden 318393@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Yeah. I lost the email address associated with it and couldn't get updates, so I just made a new account and started over a few months ago. lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318390 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:19:04 +0000 looch 318390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wait a minute, Kosovo....did you have a different user name at some point? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318388 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:14:20 +0000 Arden 318388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm positive that other people in our organization have done this - ie. live in Cambodia but had baby in Thailand, live in Albania but had baby in Greece, etc, so I know it's possible, but I don't know how it works in practice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-318387 Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:11:54 +0000 Arden 318387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Crumbs: I know, it's crazy complicated. </p> <p>Here's the deal - We will be living in Kosovo for the next 6-12 years. Kosovo has one of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates in the developed world, so I'm not about to have any babies there. I've spent time there, been to the hospitals... not happening.</p> <p>However, it doesn't make sense for us to fly all the way back to the United States at great expense, when we can simply drive one day's drive to Austria, for instance, to have the baby. Obviously we'd expect to spend at least a couple of weeks there after the birth to recover before driving back, but I don't want to be stuck there for three months... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317664 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:28:15 +0000 BSB 317664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: I'm not an ex-pat but I noticed you got zippylef's name wrong.</p> <p>Let's see what she says.</p> <p>Living abroad sounds like so much fun! Good luck to you!</p> <p>@zippylef: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317659 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:22:11 +0000 Ree723 317659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh bugger, thanks for reminding me of this! I forgot I need to register LO's birth! I've been too busy trying to get LO's Aussie passport to think about the American one. One of the issues we're going to have is that there's no consulate in Brisbane, so we'll have to either get down to Canberra or figure something else out. Maybe something to consider - unless you're in a country's capital, there's no guarantee there will be a consulate, so check beforehand. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317640 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 16:46:09 +0000 SugarplumsMom 317640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: Also, I don't think you have to worry about transferring citizenship to your kids if both of you are citizens and you're married. According to my consulate:</p> <p><i>"A child born outside of the United States, or its outlying possessions, to two married U.S. citizen parents is entitled to U.S. citizenship provided that one of the parents has been resident in the United States, or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of the child. (No specific period of time is required.)</i></p> <p><a href="http://sweden.usembassy.gov/consulate/acs15.html" rel="nofollow">http://sweden.usembassy.gov/consulate/acs15.html</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317632 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 16:33:56 +0000 SugarplumsMom 317632@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with @looch, it sounds highly complicated. Planning to give birth at a different country other than one you're residing in would take a whole lot of planning and $$$. Even if money isn't a problem, airlines won't allow pregnant women on board past a certain date, so that would mean you'll have to travel and find accommodations way in advance and then stay there a few months after your LO is born. I "think" you're supposed to go to your embassy at your country of residence, but then your LO won't be able to fly anywhere without a passport. So you'll have to either apply at LO's country of birth (which won't be your legal resident) and hope they can process the paperwork for you, or you'll have to fly back to where you're residing and leave LO there to do the paperwork, which all need to be translated and notarized because it's not their own country. I think most developed countries have a 3 month limit so you'll have to leave and come back regardless. So I'm wondering if it's even possible to do. It just sounds really, really complicated. </p> <p>I actually have LO's appointment this Friday. This is what I need to submit: <a href="http://sweden.usembassy.gov/consulate/acs19.html" rel="nofollow">http://sweden.usembassy.gov/consulate/acs19.html</a></p> <p>But they emailed me a reminder and said: <i>"Proof of U.S. citizen parent’s physical presence in the U.S.: High school and college ranscripts, military records, and employment records are best, as they show periods of time in the U.S. Apartment leases and notarized letters from employers may be also be accepted. Diplomas, bank statements, and Social Security statements are not recommended, as they do not show proof of physical presence. Please make sure you bring sufficient documentation to cover the required period of physical presence. Applications with insufficient documentary proof of physical presence may be denied or delayed."</i> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317391 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:50:18 +0000 looch 317391@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That sounds complicated to travel to a more advanced country for the birth, and then have to get the required documents in order to go back to where you are living...I can't even begin to think about how that would work. I really think these are special cases, the consulates should be able to tell you what you need to do in these cases.</p> <p>Regarding proving that you are a US citizen, you can use your tax returns, which is what I did for part of my proof. If you've worked abroad, you're still required to file taxes in the US (not sure how it works for pro bono or below a specific level though). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317384 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:40:40 +0000 Arden 317384@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy: Yeah, but I came and went a lot. It will be difficult to piece it all together to prove two years, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317378 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:35:54 +0000 mynoahbear 317378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We made an appointment online at US Consulate in Tokyo<br /> site. We printed and filled out the forms for the certificate of birth abroad, Social security card, and passport. We took both of our own passports, as well as photo copies. We had to take our original and photo copy of our marriage license. We also had to take original and photocopy of LO's Japanese birth certificate with an English translation. Japanese resident form with English translation and a specific kind of self addressed, prestamped envelope. We didn't have to prove we had lived in the US though, maybe because we are both US citizens? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317356 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 09:59:58 +0000 mamimami 317356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the requirement is different if you're both US citizens but it seems rather non-specific. do you have old passports with entry/exit stamps? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317332 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 09:14:56 +0000 Arden 317332@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>See, the proving we've lived in America enough time will be the difficult part. We were both homeschooled overseas through high school, and we haven't had very many jobs in the USA. </p> <p>Actually, we've only just barely lived 2 full years in America since age 14, since we've been living mostly abroad and only come back to America for visits. We were here from May 2010 to July 2011 and then this year since May and will be here at least until next Fall...</p> <p>Do we only need to prove one of us has been here long enough? It would be easier to prove for DH, he's had more jobs in the USA.</p> <p>We can't even use college, because that was mostly overseas too with online university... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317317 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:45:48 +0000 Chastenet 317317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I made an appointment online on the American Embassy in Paris' website. I filled out the forms found online for consular report of birth, social security card and US passport. The documents were pretty easy to get together, the biggest thing was getting passport photos taken which isn't easy with a 2 week old!<br /> Like Sloaneandpuffy, I had to prove that I had lived in the United States for a minimum of 5 years, 2 of which had to be since the age of 14. I requested high school transcripts and brought those as proof of my time in the US. However, I did not need to prove that the baby was mine with photos. Her French birth certificate was proof enough.<br /> My husband and I went to the appointment, it took about 1 hour and we received the consular report of birth abroad and the passport about 4 days later. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317313 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:38:01 +0000 mamimami 317313@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>PS the CRBA can take longer but they might send it to your residence so you don't have to wait. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317310 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:31:31 +0000 mamimami 317310@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Good morning! The process is easy if you have the right documents. Basically i had to prove not just that i was American but also that i had lived in the U.S. a certain number of years. I've found the best way to do this is with transcripts (high school, college, grad school). You also need some "proof" the baby is yours, like ultrasounds, photos of you pregnant, etc.</p> <p><a href="http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/eacs_report_birth_abroad.html" rel="nofollow">http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/eacs_report_birth_abroad.html</a></p> <p>You and your husband are both US citizens (I think) so it should be even easier for you.</p> <p>You can make an appointment as soon as the baby's born and request the CRBA and passport simultaneously. We got he passport first (maybe within 3 weeks) so we were good to travel! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/consular-report-of-birth-abroad#post-317303 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:22:15 +0000 Arden 317303@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a question for all of you international, ex-pat bees who have had babies abroad.<br /> What was the process like for getting your little one's US citizenship? </p> <p>This current baby will be born in the USA, but all subsequent ones will be born overseas and likely not in our country of residence (we'll be in third-world countries so we'll likely travel to nearby more advanced countries for births), and I'm wondering how long we'll have to stay and what we'll have to do before we can travel back home. </p> <p>I know there are a few of you here...<br /> @sloaneandpuffy, @zippyef, @megwag, @crumbs... who else? </p>