# Baby born abroad - what to do?



## Guldsandal (Jun 20, 2012)

Hi

I have finally got my 820 visa approved. My partner and I have plans on starting a family. I would like to give birth in my home country, among friends and family as my parents health condition no longer allow them to travel.

- What do we do in terms of visa/paper wise for the baby when travelling back to Australia with the baby?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx


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## Guldsandal (Jun 20, 2012)

*And how much does this visa cost?*


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## Adventuress (Jan 8, 2012)

Hi Guldsandal,

Everything depends on whether your partner is an Australian citizen or an Australia permanent resident.

If he/she's an Australian citizen, everything is very easy and all you need to do is apply for "citizenship by descent" for your baby. This may be done at your nearest Australian embassy. You will need to fill out "Form 118" and pay $120.

Here is the fact sheet:
Child born overseas to an Australian citizen
Here are the details on the fees and forms:
Citizenship fees

Note also that as a citizen by descent, your child will only be able to pass on his/her citizenship to his/her children, when that time comes, if he/she has lived in Australia for a minimum of 2 years. (This may change in the next 25 years as government policy and public opinion becomes stricter on these issues).

On the other hand, if your partner is an Australian permanent resident, things are nowhere near as easy. Here is the information directly from DIAC:



> Children born to a permanent resident of Australia
> 
> Children born in Australia automatically acquire Australian citizenship if at least one parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of the child's birth.
> 
> ...


The cost for a child visa is $2060, almost as much as a partner visa, and I imagine that the process is just as tough. There's also the issue of what to do if you need to be in Australia while your child's visa is being processed - you would need to take your baby on a tourist visa which might only be granted for 3 months with a NFS condition, etc. etc. etc. - in other words, a big headache! (Unless there is a better option of which I am ignorant)

I really hope that you fall into the former category and that things will be smooth sailing for you!

Best of luck!


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## Guldsandal (Jun 20, 2012)

Hi Adventuress

Thank you so much - that is excellent advice!

Luckily the coming dad is an Australian citizen. 

- I just wonder... do you have to have the visa for the baby BEFORE you fly back to Australia?

- And how long would it roughly take to get it?
I would have to apply in another country (Germany), as Denmark don't have an aussie embassy for visa purposes.

Would like to fly back to Australia as soon as possible after the birth.

Thank you


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## Adventuress (Jan 8, 2012)

Hi again,

Phew! You can breathe easy becuse he's a citizen!

The information I've found indicates that you will have to wait a month to process everything, if you get on to it from the day of birth.

It's a two-step process. First thing you need is the citizenship of descent certifcate, for which you will have to apply to London, not Berlin, as it's London that processes citizenship applications for most if not all of Europe. Then, after you have the citizenship certificate in hand, you will need to apply for an Australian passport for your baby, so that he/she can actually travel out of Denmark and into Australia.

This is what London says about time to process citizenship applications:



> The average processing time is 2 weeks from when we receive the application to when we issue the certificate. However if the application is not submitted with the all the required documents there may be significant delays.


Then, once you have this, you can apply for your baby's passport at the Australian Embassy in Denmark. This is what the Australian Passport Office in Denamrk says about processing times:



> The Australian Passport Office has a 10-working day turn-around for the production of passports, excluding any posting time. We strongly advice all clients to apply for their passport at least 1 month prior to leaving.


So you might end up being in Denmark for a little while to sort out all this paperwork. But look on the bright side - at least it's not a 14 month wait for a child visa! 

Here are all the links you need that explain the aplication processes and requirements. The quotes above were also taken from these two pages.

Citizenship by descent in London
Passport services in Denmark

Good luck!


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## Guldsandal (Jun 20, 2012)

Thank you Adventuress

Those are REALLY good tips!
I would never have known to apply in London instead if you havent had told me. Thank you SO much 

Have you had a baby abroad as well...?
If so - how did it go?


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## Adventuress (Jan 8, 2012)

Hi Guldsandal,

You're very welcome  It's a leeeetle too early for us to have a baby but when it does happen it may indeed be abroad so I like to be up to speed 

Best of luck with everything, and I hope it all goes according to plan xx


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

Adventuress said:


> Hi Guldsandal,
> 
> You're very welcome  It's a leeeetle too early for us to have a baby but when it does happen it may indeed be abroad so I like to be up to speed
> 
> Best of luck with everything, and I hope it all goes according to plan xx


You know when that happens you're going to have to announce it here... just sayin.'


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## Guldsandal (Jun 20, 2012)

Thank you...I like to be on top of things as well. ;-)

Im enrolling in Medicare next week, but have heard that you have to pay for most of the tests when pregnant etc. yourself., which I guess could amount to a fortune!

I think Medibank have a 11months wait with everything pregnant-related, and I might be pregnant before that.

- What do people do...?
Is there any other insurance companies that doesn't have such a long wait?

@Colleggirl: I sure will...


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## Adventuress (Jan 8, 2012)

CollegeGirl said:


> You know when that happens you're going to have to announce it here... just sayin.'


Oh, of course, CollegeGirl! But I think I shall have to announce the grant of my husband's visa first, otherwise that other thing ain't gonna happen anytime soon


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## Adventuress (Jan 8, 2012)

Guldsandal said:


> Thank you...I like to be on top of things as well. ;-)
> 
> Im enrolling in Medicare next week, but have heard that you have to pay for most of the tests when pregnant etc. yourself., which I guess could amount to a fortune!
> 
> ...


Hmmm, that is a very good question, and unfortunately not one that I know the answer to offhand as I'm the (female!) Australian sponsor of my husband, so it's not something that concerns me personally...

But looking around on the Internet I found a couple of links that might help:
This discussion on a baby forum
This discussion on another forum about pregancy and temporary residency

I think everything will be easier for you because you don't plan to actually give birth in Australia, so you just have to cover tests and check-ups and things.

And here is an informative quote from a private health insurer:



> One thing most people don't know is that in Australia, health insurance can only cover you for in-hospital services.
> 
> This means, most medical expenses during pregnancy will not be covered by your [...] health cover until you arrive in the hospital to have your baby (but they may be covered, at least in part, by Medicare). Health insurance cannot cover you for outpatient services such as GP and Obstetrician visits, scans or blood tests.


It may be that you can get everything done under Medicare (free) if you go through a public hospital, but the tricky part is finding a public hospital that does all the things you need. I hope the links help a little, and if you find a definitive answer to your question it would great if you could for us here too


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