Getting an Australian passport for HK born baby

nicolejoy

nicolejoy

Registered User
I'm currently pregnant with my first child, due late Oct, early Nov. I know often with first babies, women often go overdue - so my baby could be born as late as say mid November if my due date is "later" rather than "earlier", and if I go late as well...

I want to get back to Australia for Christmas with my husband and the baby - and I need to know if I have enough time to get the baby Australian citizenship and an Australian passport in this time.

Do I need to apply for citizenship and have that approved before I can begin the application process for the passport? Approximately how long would the whole process take? Is it possible to pay extra to rush it? Both my husband and I are Australian citizens - me through birth, him through naturalisation - so there should be no problem...

Anyway - I've looked online for info and found some, but nothing which really answers the question of do I have enough time and can I rush it, if needs be!!

Thanks!

Nicole
 
Hi Nicole,

I am also Australian and will be getting an Australian passport for my first baby (I'm due 3rd of May).

Were you looking at the Hong Kong Australian consulate website for the info?

I've been told you need to apply for the Citizenship by Descent for your baby (see information down the bottom of the page on this weblink: http://www.hongkong.china.embassy.gov.au/hkng/VISMG_Citizn.html ) and then the passport. It says that the processing time for this document is 2 weeks (the Citizenship by Descent). I can't find information on how long the passport takes though on the website.

Perhaps you can give the Consulate a call on 2827 8881 to enquire?

There are also a few aussie mums on here too, so maybe they can provide some information on how long it took from their experience.

Belinda
 
Actually I just found the passport information - it says it takes a minimum of 10 working days to process provided all the required information has been received.

I'm printing out all the forms at the moment and making sure I get all my documents together, as we want to travel soon after bubs arrival too.

This is from the passport applications information list on the consulate's website:

Passports Australia aims to issue a full validity travel document in a minimum of 10 working days
provided you have met all the statutory requirements and given us all the information we need. If
you have an urgent and unforseen need to travel, it may be possible to issue you with an Emergency
Passport at an additional cost to the applicant. Strict conditions are applied to the issue of an Emergency Passport which will be explained to you at the time of application.

This link has more info about Emergency Passports : http://www.hongkong.china.embassy.gov.au/hkng/SRVAU_EmgPp.html

I don't know if you could qualify for the Emergency passport though, the last line on the link above states:

The issue of an Australian Citizenship Certificate will take on average ten working days. The issue of a full validity Australian Passport will take a further ten working days. Parents should take this into account when planning travel with newborn children.

So it looks like the turn around is usually about 4 weeks.

Belinda
 
Last edited:
I applied the citizenship for my baby in 11-Jan, and got it on 21-Jan, so it takes 7 working days for process. After got the citizenship, then I applied the passport, it also takes around 7 working days. So, I think it should be enough time for you to get it. Be remember, you need to get the HK certificate first.
 
I am also in a very similar situation. The above info is all correct from what I've researched (10 days for citizenship, another 10 for the passport). I asked if we can pay extra to rush it and the answer was no.
I also don't know how long it takes to get the HK certificate?
Also, keep in mind that you or your baby may not be physically ready to fly within 6 weeks of the birth. Touch wood, you will both be 100% fine, but if there are any small complications (i.e. jaundice, slow lung development etc. you may find yourself grounded for a while longer.

Good luck!
 
A lot of those complications are more associated with premature birth though right? And so if the baby is premature, we should have MORE time to get all the papers sorted out right?

I also wanted to ask - has anyone in my situation gotten a Hong Kong passport for their baby first to make it quicker, and then changed to Australian citizenship later on? I know that's not ideal but maybe it's our best choice, I don't know... and I want to have it "planned" so that I know what I'm doing when the baby is born!!

I REEAALLYY want to get back to Australia for Christmas. I've been in Hong Kong for the past 2 Christmases, and I'll CRY if I have to endure another one here!!
 
The steps to getting an Australian passport if your baby is eligible for citizenship by descent:
1. Get the birth certificate - the hospital registers the birth and then you need to collect the certificate. Check how often your hospital sends in the registration forms, eg, Matilda only does it on a Monday for the previous week's deliveries so if you deliver on a Tuesday then you can't get the certificate until the following week. But I expect if you explain your circumstances then they may be able to register it earlier (might need to pay a fee?).
2. Apply for citizenship by descent, which is approx 10 working days
3. Apply for Australian passport, which takes 10-14 working days. Make sure that the photo is correct, as they can be really picky about this and can slow the process.
4. Once you have the passport then you need to go to HK immigration to get the baby's visa. This was really quick, might have even been same day.

I don't think your baby would be eligible for an HK passport.

Good luck! Hope you make it home for Christmas!!
 
I totally understand how much you want to go back for coming christmas.
From what I know, you cannot use any other passport to get into Austalia if you have an Australian citizenship. My sons have American passports and are Australian citizenship. So I wo'nt recommed that you do HK passport first, and change to Austalian ones. It's just too risky for future problems. Why don't you go to Austalian Consulate to clarify your questions in person? They had been very helpful when my aunt had some problems with her expired visa last time. Good Luck!
 
We have 2 little Aussies born in HK and followed the same procedure tstmum described. We first travelled overseas when my eldest was 5 weeks. So whilst it is all a sleep-deprived hazy memory now, we did get everything done within the first 5 weeks. I recommend you get all the forms filled out NOW then all you need to do after the birth is do the photograph (which might not be easy if you have a sleepy newborn). Also, I sent my husband out to do ALL the form filling/lining up/running around after baby arrived.

If you really want to be in Australia for Christmas, I suggest you go earlier and have the baby there !

Are you or your husband Chinese? The reason for asking is that I "think" one of the parents has to be Chinese before your baby can qualify for a HK passport.
 
To be eligible for a HK passport, either you or your husband must be Chinese.

From memory once we had the application in, the Australian passport was about a week.
You will have time to get birth certificates, Oz citizenship, and the passport, but the tricky bit is the passport photo.
Unfortunatley the Aust. govt are just as fussy with babies photos as they are with adults.

The baby must have it's eyes open, mouth closed, head dead straight etc.
As my son cried just about every minute he was awake for the first 3 mths, it took us 11 weeks to get our photo!

Of course most people manage just fine, and I've had many friends that travelled as early as a few weeks after the birth.
 
My husband and i and my first born are all australian citizens with aussie passports. My second child was born in HK but we are yet to organise his passport :( It hasn't stopped us travelling there however. Our travel agent simply organised a visa. It was free of charge and took a day. It ended up being a photocopied bit of paper that we tucked into my husband's passport. I'd do this. You'll have just had a baby. Concentrate on that for the first few months, have your holiday, then come back and arrange the passport.
 
jane01 said:
Are you or your husband Chinese? The reason for asking is that I "think" one of the parents has to be Chinese before your baby can qualify for a HK passport.
Click to expand...

My husband was born in Hong Kong and moved to Australia when he was about 6. After he got Australian citizenship, his whole family renounced their Chinese nationality because his Dad suffered a lot under communism. So although he was BORN in Hong Kong, he isn't a "Chinese national" so he has a permanent ID card, but only one star instead of three (the same as if he'd just lived here for 7 years and then gotten his permanent ID like that)...
 
Matty said:
Unfortunatley the Aust. govt are just as fussy with babies photos as they are with adults.

The baby must have it's eyes open, mouth closed, head dead straight etc.
Click to expand...

That is completely insane! Within a few months, the baby will hardly even resemble his/her passport photo anyway!! They should be more lenient for babies, I think!!
 
aussiegal said:
My husband and i and my first born are all australian citizens with aussie passports. My second child was born in HK but we are yet to organise his passport :( It hasn't stopped us travelling there however. Our travel agent simply organised a visa. It was free of charge and took a day. It ended up being a photocopied bit of paper that we tucked into my husband's passport. I'd do this. You'll have just had a baby. Concentrate on that for the first few months, have your holiday, then come back and arrange the passport.
Click to expand...

How does that work? Does the baby have a passport at all?? Or they don't need a passport that young? Can you give me more info about that?? Thanks!!
 
I had the same situation in Nov 2007 and took my baby back to Oz for xmas so you should be ok. The steps above are correct, first get a birth certifcate (apply for this when in hospital and get your husband go collect it), then go to the Australian consulate and apply for a citizenship certificate. This will take two weeks, but when you go to collect it take all your passport application stuff with you and apply for that when you're there (they let me do it). Just make sure you get the right photo for the bub so your passport application doesn't get rejected.

And the best thing you can do is call the consulate and have them send you (1) citizenship application and (2) passport application and have all this filled out BEFORE you go to hospital (as much as you can, anyway).

Good luck!
 
nicolejoy said:
How does that work? Does the baby have a passport at all?? Or they don't need a passport that young? Can you give me more info about that?? Thanks!!
Click to expand...

I'll have to ask my husband but if i recall correctly our baby had his british passport already. It is much easier to get a british passport (if you are eligible of course) than it is an australian. I guess he travelled on the british passport and used a visa to get into Oz.

i second the comments about the ridiculousness of trying to get a newborn to look at the camera for a passport photo. we took hundreds of photos at home before we got one we could use. We just emailed it to a photo/camera shop and they put it on a suitable background.
 
I don't have a British passport - although I have grandparents who were born there. I don't want the hassle/expense of getting one - there's no benefit to me, I don't think... I don't even know the requirements and all that...

One of the hard things is knowing whether to book the ticket BEFORE the baby is born, or whether to wait and book it after - but then it'd DEFINITELY be more expensive, and harder to get tickets... it's Christmas time!! I know it'd be "easier" to just travel say in March or something instead - but Christmas is really important to me... ugh. I'm already stressing! Maybe I should be induced at 38 weeks or something ;) ;)
 
Nicolejoy,
Don't worry, you will have sufficient time to get the AUS passport.
More important, due to the miainland Chinese the birth registry is full all the time. So go there earlier(1/2 hr before it open)to make sure you will get the quota for the day. If you already download all the forms and have the right photo ready, you could apply for the citizenship certificate on the same day (Aus consulate close at 12N)
Regarding the ticket booking, I will suggest you to book it in advance since there are limited bassinet seat on one flight.(one of my friend end up have to hold the baby to NY) If they ask for the age of the baby, make it up, as long as it is under 6 months,its OK. I did it before(CX) for my baby girl for Easter since my due day was March. You could always adjust the DOB later but you have to decide on your baby's name before she born.

Good luck and relax.....
 
I applied for baby's citizenship & passport last Oct. Can't recall exact processing time for each. But I remember we started applying on 8 Oct and already flying out on 19 Oct!!

And don't forget...you have to get an Aussie, not related to you, with certain professions (banker, lawyer,etc) to sign one of the application forms, can't remember it's for citizenship/passport. You can download the application forms from the Internet to check it out.

For photos, I just took baby to Fotomax and they can keep taking until you find one suitable (with then 7-month old baby looking straight to camera with the mouth closed....argh!).
 
milb said:
And don't forget...you have to get an Aussie, not related to you, with certain professions (banker, lawyer,etc) to sign one of the application forms, can't remember it's for citizenship/passport. You can download the application forms from the Internet to check it out.
Click to expand...

Not if you are applying from abroad. For overseas applications, proof of identity can be completed by "a citizen of the applicant's country of residence" [i.e. Hong Kong] employed in one of the stated occupational groups.

(It's in the fine print on the application form.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top