Nationality

[Battypuss]

My daughter, born In England of British Citizen Parents has just discovered that she is pregnant! This is fine with me, but her boyfriend is a French National, born of French parents in France. What nationality will the baby be? Both?

 

I know my youngest daughter is a British Citizen, though she was born in France (Both parents British)

[Tourangelle]

Well congratulations to your daughter, and to you on shortly becoming a grandmother. The short answer is the baby will have joint nationality. I have a friend in this exact same situation. She has two children and isn't married. She and her partner did all of the necessary French admin stuff for him to recognise the baby before it was born and both children have dual nationality. In practice they both have British passports, and French carte d'identité. She was advised it would be easier for her to have a passport for them because their surnames (hers and the childrens) are not the same. Then she got the carte d'identité done just to be on the safe side. The children have French extrait de naissance and can have British birth certificates if they are requested up to the age of 18. Apparently this is useful if she ever wants to return to the UK and enroll them in school there. The children are now 1 and 3, so this is all fairly recent. I know there are things to do with the fact that the chld might not beable to pass on both nationalities to their own children. I am sure somebody like Mistral will beable to give you more info.

[Teamedup]

Your grandchild will have dual nationality.

However, your daughter who was born in France of british parents will have to chose at the age of 18 as to whether she wants to be just british or have dual nationality, if she qualifies. Which ever she decides she will have to go to the Tribunal d'Instance.

AS, if she wants dual nationality she will have to prove that she has the right to it. And if she wants to renounce the possibility of having dual nationality she will also have to prove that she has the right to french nationality and then renounce it. And if she does nothing, and did qualify then she will become french automatically but she will have to prove it if she wants anything like an ID card. Been through this twice, and when one leaves the bureau des etrangers at the Tribunal d'Instance it feels like one's brain has been pickled.

[Mistral]

Congratulations.

I think everything has been said. Since your daughter was born in the UK, she can pass on her british nationality. Since they are unmarried, the father will need to "reconnaitre" the baby (I would suggest doing it before birth) and then the baby will be able to have both nationalities. My situation is the same (apart from being married but that isn't a issue for  french etat civil) and all three of my kids have both nationalities.

 

[PaysBasque]

I'm wondering about my children in this discussion. They were born in England, hold a German passport and live in France. We did the German passport thing at the time because in Britain the children were still being put on the parent's passport and we didn't want that. Since I am a German national, even after 16 yrs not living there, it was easily done. I've always thought, however, that they would have to decide at age 18 anyway and cannot hold dual nationality. I'm somehow hoping that by then it won't be necessary anymore....

[Mistral]

Christiane, I don't know much about this, but german friends have told me that germany doesn't accept dual nationality. One friend has three children born in france with a French father and all three are just french. But from what I've seen on the internet, it seems that it might be possible http://www.multiplecitizenship.com/countrylist.html

 

[Deby]

My little boy has a British and Irish Passport and was born in France.  Mmh!?

I would like him to be British, his dad would like him to be Irish and neither of us particulary want him to be French (we are not anti-French btw - just a preference).  I guess it will be  up to him in the end.

All I ask is that if he plays football it has to be for England. Husband disagrees, but we are both unanimous in NOT France

Deby

Guess what we have ADSL now - yeahhhhh! Smug!

[Teamedup]

Deby, your son will have to decide then. He can certainly renounce his right to being french as long as he proves he has that right in the first place. And will also have to prove that he has the right to whatever other nationality he has...... forgot that bit, if he choses to renounce being french.

18 year olds have their own ideas as to what they want to do or not want to do. I didn't interfere in my sons choices and just took them along to the tribunal and helped them sort out the paper work.

[Tourangelle]

Teamedup, just out of interest, what happens if, in the situation Deby describes, nothing is done?

[Teamedup]

 How does this apply to Deby or any other of us who have kids in France and neither of the parents is french, well, what I have already said will apply  It will be up to the kids as to whether they want to hold french nationality, if they qualify ofcourse. And if they do nothing will automatically be french with what ever other nationalities they have sorted out.

The Tribunal d'Instance sorts all this out.