Citizenship For Children

[ekimswish]

My wife was told by immigration in Leyte that for my daughters to get dual-citizenship they needed their birth certificates to be authenticated. One was born in Taiwan, where I am now, and the other was born in South Korea.

Besides calling and emailing a lot of the agencies involved and getting no response, a lot of the information I get seems to be conflicting. I also don't know why it's necessary to authenticate their birth certificates from Taiwan and Korea, when they both already have Canadian citizenship cards and passports, but what can you do?

So I went to the Taiwan district court in Kaohsiung (losing a day's pay at work for the trip) and had the original certified and stamped. I then went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Taipei to have it and 4 photocopies authenticated. They said I should've had the four photocopies certified at the District Court the first time, and the Philippines probably wouldn't accept photocopies of the stamped documents, which I realize was my mistake.

However, they also said that for other SE Asian countries, just the original copy is good enough, and they don't know why the Philippines needs so many copies.

To clear it up, and because the Philippine trade office in Taipei hasn't answered their phone in the last two weeks of me calling every day, I went to their office to find out exactly what was needed. To my surprise they said that I not only had to authenticate the birth certificates, but report the births AND apply for a passport. All this requires my wife's passport and five photocopies as well as our marriage contract and five photocopies, which are all in the Philippines at the moment. Even though the form I was given requires the original passport of my wife, he told me just a photocopy of the information page is enough.

I'm just wondering though, if all this is really required at the trade office here, why did immigration only tell my wife about the birth certificate? I'm also wondering why they never answer their phones?

I explained to the guy that I just wanted to authenticate the birth certificate and apply for the dual citizenship back in the Philippines, but he insisted that everything else was necessary, too, which their website contradicts and says is optional.

I hate Philippine red tape. The worst part of it all is for my other daughter, it looks like I'll actually have to fly to Korea to repeat the process for my other daughter. I just wish the Koreans would get back to me however to tell me if I have to be there or if a friend can represent me?

I tell ya.... I get no respect. An answered phone call or email would be nice.

[i am bob]

I"m starting to think our Canadian government offices are employing Filipinos who couldnv't cut it in the government offices there!

Last month I applied for a copy of my Birth Certificate as the one I have is getting a little tattered and I want to be prepared before the big move. I tried to do so online but could not so I called them on the phone... Apparently I need to have my Mommy or my Daddy apply for me! I hung up... No joke!- Our governments are going down the drain so very quickly!!!

Ekimswish, I feel for you.... But if you are coming home soon, don't expect it to get much better!

[Dave Hounddriver]

I was wondering if you had any trouble getting Canadian passports for your kids. (How old?) Under Canadian law since 2009 your kids have to apply for citizenship if they were not born in Canada. This is supposed to be an automatic approval if one or more parent was born in Canada or naturalized residents. If that does not apply then your kid is no longer a Canadian citizen even if you are.

[billten]

I was wondering if you had any trouble getting Canadian passports for your kids.

For me it was an automatic thing and the Cdn consulate in Cebu took care of everything. Took nearly a year from start to finish (application for citizenship to getting a passport). Best thing was it was really cheap, can't remember exactly how much but way less than a Phil passport.

[ekimswish]

I was wondering if you had any trouble getting Canadian passports for your kids. (How old?) Under Canadian law since 2009 your kids have to apply for citizenship if they were not born in Canada. This is supposed to be an automatic approval if one or more parent was born in Canada or naturalized residents. If that does not apply then your kid is no longer a Canadian citizen even if you are.

Getting citizenship and passports were easy. We applied for both items together. They had temporary one-year passports after 2 or 3 weeks, and the citizenship cards came in the mail after 9 months.

The Philippines is weird though, because it seems the guy at the trade office claims I can't "just" authenticate the birth certificate, but have to report birth and apply for a passport at the same time. He says the passport will automatically make her a Philippine citizen.

I guess the only logic I can find to support his take on things is when the Philippine embassy in Seoul website mentioned they "only authenticate documents for Filipinos." If she's not yet a Filipino, I guess, they wouldn't do it. But why, then, when I email the Philippine embassy in Seoul about authenticating the birth certificate, do they still fail to mention anything about reporting birth or applying for a passport?

Admittedly, I'd love a stopover in Korea before heading home, to see my old friends, eat some Korean bbq and such. But why......? They're already Canadian. Their mom is already Filipino. We have an authenticated marriage certificate. We're the names on both of their birth certificates. Why the big brewhaha (?) over this piece of paper needing to be "checked out" at three different agencies (district court, MOFAT, and Philippine embassy), with five copies, and no clear instructions on the net about how to do it?

If they're going to be whiny and bitchy, at least be informative first.

Edited June 26, 2012 by ekimswish

[Old55]

In order to cross the river you must first feed the crocodiles. :whistling:

[mariposa]

I was wondering if you had any trouble getting Canadian passports for your kids. (How old?) Under Canadian law since 2009 your kids have to apply for citizenship if they were not born in Canada. This is supposed to be an automatic approval if one or more parent was born in Canada or naturalized residents. If that does not apply then your kid is no longer a Canadian citizen even if you are.

Getting citizenship and passports were easy. We applied for both items together. They had temporary one-year passports after 2 or 3 weeks, and the citizenship cards came in the mail after 9 months.

The Philippines is weird though, because it seems the guy at the trade office claims I can't "just" authenticate the birth certificate, but have to report birth and apply for a passport at the same time. He says the passport will automatically make her a Philippine citizen.

I guess the only logic I can find to support his take on things is when the Philippine embassy in Seoul website mentioned they "only authenticate documents for Filipinos." If she's not yet a Filipino, I guess, they wouldn't do it. But why, then, when I email the Philippine embassy in Seoul about authenticating the birth certificate, do they still fail to mention anything about reporting birth or applying for a passport?

Admittedly, I'd love a stopover in Korea before heading home, to see my old friends, eat some Korean bbq and such. But why......? They're already Canadian. Their mom is already Filipino. We have an authenticated marriage certificate. We're the names on both of their birth certificates. Why the big brewhaha (?) over this piece of paper needing to be "checked out" at three different agencies (district court, MOFAT, and Philippine embassy), with five copies, and no clear instructions on the net about how to do it?

If they're going to be whiny and bitchy, at least be informative first.

FRIEND. IF YOU ALREADY GOT PHILIPPINE PASSPORT FOR YOUR CHILDREN. YOU DON'T NEED TO APPLY FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP OR RECOGNITION. GET PHILIPPINE PASSPORT FOR THEM THATS THE ONLY THING I CAN HELP YOU IT WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY. been there done that.

Edited July 30, 2012 by ekonomizta

[Call me bubba]

Last month I applied for a copy of my Birth Certificate as the one I have is getting a little tattered and I want to be prepared before the big move

I am BOB

make sure you have extra copies of all your "IMPORTANT " papers in case they are lost

(walk away) or needed elsewhere.

[ekimswish]

I was wondering if you had any trouble getting Canadian passports for your kids. (How old?) Under Canadian law since 2009 your kids have to apply for citizenship if they were not born in Canada. This is supposed to be an automatic approval if one or more parent was born in Canada or naturalized residents. If that does not apply then your kid is no longer a Canadian citizen even if you are.

Getting citizenship and passports were easy. We applied for both items together. They had temporary one-year passports after 2 or 3 weeks, and the citizenship cards came in the mail after 9 months.

The Philippines is weird though, because it seems the guy at the trade office claims I can't "just" authenticate the birth certificate, but have to report birth and apply for a passport at the same time. He says the passport will automatically make her a Philippine citizen.

I guess the only logic I can find to support his take on things is when the Philippine embassy in Seoul website mentioned they "only authenticate documents for Filipinos." If she's not yet a Filipino, I guess, they wouldn't do it. But why, then, when I email the Philippine embassy in Seoul about authenticating the birth certificate, do they still fail to mention anything about reporting birth or applying for a passport?

Admittedly, I'd love a stopover in Korea before heading home, to see my old friends, eat some Korean bbq and such. But why......? They're already Canadian. Their mom is already Filipino. We have an authenticated marriage certificate. We're the names on both of their birth certificates. Why the big brewhaha (?) over this piece of paper needing to be "checked out" at three different agencies (district court, MOFAT, and Philippine embassy), with five copies, and no clear instructions on the net about how to do it?

If they're going to be whiny and bitchy, at least be informative first.

FRIEND. IF YOU ALREADY GOT PHILIPPINE PASSPORT FOR YOUR CHILDREN. YOU DON'T NEED TO APPLY FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP OR RECOGNITION. GET PHILIPPINE PASSPORT FOR THEM THATS THE ONLY THING I CAN HELP YOU IT WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY. been there done that.

They don't already have philippine passports: they have canadian passports.

What happened in the end is the MECO office in Taipei took my report of birth, the late report of birth affidavit, and the MOFAT authenticated birth certificate. It will be sent to NSO in Manila, from where we will apply for a Philippine passport.

For my other daughter, born in Korea, my friend got the birth certificate notarized and authenticated at MOFAT, and is now sending it to me in the philippines. From here, we will report the birth at the DFA, and they'll send it back to the Philippine embassy in Seoul, who will then send it back to NSO, when we will apply for the passport. I hope that's ready by October.