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Foreign citizenship for a baby born to a mixed couple

Greginchina (239 posts) • 0

Does anyone have experience of having a baby born in China to a mixed couple and sorting out citizenship? Has anyone done this recently as I understand the laws have changed?

If so I'd be very grateful for a chat - greginchina@gmail.com \
Thanks.

sanyiseul (104 posts) • 0

Hi Greg,

I actually have another British friend in the same situation. Child is now one year old. I will tell him to call you.

Wish you all the best and hope to see you soon!

Sandra

Yongshan (1 post) • 0

register your child's birth at the appropriate embassy/ consulate to obtain citizenship, as gaining Chinese citizenship for a child born to a foreign parent is too mcuh of a hassle. the end

Greginchina (239 posts) • 0

Yongshan, if only it was that simple. Getting the citizenship from the embassy is the easy part. It is useless if it is not recognized by China.

All children born in China to a chinese parent are chinese. Dula nationality is not recognized.
we either get an exit permit given by the local PSB (supposedly no longer possible in Kunming) or go through the long process of renouncing Chinese citizenship. Just wondered if anyone else had been through this.

Sandra -thanks, I'll wait for their call.

fogdear (99 posts) • 0

as far as I understood it China does not allow dual citizenship. So, regardless of your own country's rules, it's China's rule that its citizens are not allowed dual citizenship. but if you're married and you're wife is chinese then you should be able to get a spouse visa.

Greginchina (239 posts) • 0

I already said that China doesn't recognize dual citizenship. Hence the problem - the child's foreign passport is not valid until they have entered China on it. To do that they need an exit permit. Kunming is now reluctant to give them without first getting hukou/citizenship and then renouncing that citizenship. It is only once you have entered China on a foreign passport that you are a foreigner.

My spousal visa/work permit situation is not an issue. I am talking about foreign citizenship for a child.

Quester (233 posts) • 0

Here is a link to a blog concerning some of these issues:
www.shanghaiexpat.com/MDForum-viewtopic-t-50190.phtml
In that discussion, they state that within the first month to obtain from the foreign parent's consulate a 'Report of Birth Abroad', and then use this to apply for the foreign passport.
However, that may be before the rule changes that you mentioned, but perhaps something in the discussion will provide you with useful information.
Wish you all the best in sorting it out!

Greginchina (239 posts) • 0

Thanks Quester, I dont have any problem getting the foreign passport. I'm heading to the British consulate in Chongqing on Monday and should be done within a week. The real issue is with the Chinese government. A British passport is of no use until it is used to enter the country. We cannot leave the country without an exit permit. Kunming no longer gives out exit permits unless you've first got hukou and then formally renounced chinese citizenship. Apparently!

TheSwedishGuy (64 posts) • 0

Hope you are able to solve it! I had a friend who had to deal with the local government for ages before he got the exit permit for his son.

Kunming is a bureaucratic hell hole... I took my pregnant wife with me to Sweden as fast as I could since the government in Kunming wouldn't even recognize our marriage (we got married in Sweden). Sometimes I wish my wife was from Shanghai, Beijing or any other "more civilized" part of China. We had our son the 30th last month and we lucky that he got his Swedish citizenship before China found him ;)

Good luck mate!

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