UK Consular Birth Registration in the Philippines

UK Consular Birth Registration - How to bring the Filipino child of a British citizen to the UK

ECO-FRIENDLY TIPS:
As in the case of an application for a UK settlement visa, the Filipino child of a British citizen who wants to enter the UK to permanently reside there with the UK sponsor/parent must present evidence of their true relationship.

According to ECO-Friendly, if you are a British citizen with a child here in the Philippines from a Filipino partner (whether married or not), an application for a Consular Birth Registration must be filed at the UK Embassy-Philippines.

Under current rules, the first thing which the child applicant and the UK parent/sponsor need to prove is the legitimacy of their relationship, and there are a lot of paper works to be done before the British parent can establish their affinity and bring the child applicant to the UK.

Since British citizenship is automatically passed on from the British parent to the Filipino child, technically speaking, Consular Birth Registrations therefore do not confer British citizenship, as the child is considered already a UK national upon birth.

According to the British Embassy-Manila website, however, a Consular Birth Registration will afford the child applicant the following advantages:

A British-style birth certificate evidencing the British nationality
A record of the birth will eventually be registered in the General Registry Office in the United Kingdom

Generally, personal interviews and/or D.N.A. tests results are not required to be submitted if the applicant is able to comply with the stringent list of supporting documents which he or she is obliged to submit. However, in case of failure to provide some of the documents or if the application turn out to be doubtful after the initial assessment, the applicant shall be required to attend an interview or perform D.N.A. testing to prove whether the filial relationship alleged by the parties is true and legitimate.

ECO-Friendly stresses that the primary evidence which will show the relationship of the applicant and the British parent is a valid birth certificate duly issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and printed in the government office's security paper. Aside from this public document, it is a good idea to strengthen the genuineness of the parent-child relation by other evidence such as declarations of 3rd persons who are not related to the applicant, in the form of affidavits, stating under oath that they know for a fact that the child/applicant is truly the child of the UK citizen/sponsor.

In the affidavit, the affiant must allege his or her personal circumstances, how he or she became acquainted with the child applicant, and narrate the circumstances surrounding the relationship of the British parent with the applicant.

ECO-Friendly adds that other proof such as documents showing that the British parent/sponsor has been providing financial assistance to the applicant will likewise greatly help the application.

Always bear in mind that the only question in the UK official's mind which need to be answered affirmatively by the applicant is, “...IS THIS CHILD REALLY THE LEGITIMATE SON OR DAUGHTER OF THE BRITISH SPONSOR?”

According to ECO-Friendly, every evidence which must thus be submitted should all support the fact that the applicant is the legitimate child of the British sponsor.

In order to satisfy this question, therefore, the applicant must bombard the application with all types of evidentiary documents which will show the true relation with the British parent.

Photos of the UK parent's visits in the Philippines together with the child, email messages, Skype communications, even the call cards used by the parties in making international calls need to be submitted in order to strengthen the application.

No evidence is too small or marginal as long as it can show the parent-child relationship of the parties.

Please do not hesitate to call, text or email ECO-Friendly for any queries you may have pertaining to your Consular Birth Registration.

Click ECO-Friendly contact box for your queries