Hi All,

My husband and I will be welcoming our first baby in a couple of months, and I understand that a birth certificate is required for registration, and that it needs to be less than 6 months old (I still don't get this requirement!).

I've looked into ordering my birth certificate from the US (specifically New Jersey) and it seems that all the documents they require are very US-specific (US drivers license, residency card, votor registration card etc) and that they may have some issues with sending the certificate to an address other than that stated on the drivers license. Of course, all of my ID (incl drivers license with no address stated) is now Swissified.

Has anyone had any experience of this process and have any advice?

Thanks in advance.

It looks like you can use other forms of ID, and you can request to have the certificate mailed to somewhere other than the address on the DL. See this page. HTH

We've done this. Read this:
http://bern.usembassy.gov/birth_abroad.html

Dan

Sorry, I misread your post. That won't help you much.

I can't remember having to order a new birth certificate but maybe I've just forgotten?

Dan

Whilst you're at it, try getting one for President Obama; Donald Trump is offering $ 5M for a copy, allegedly.

I remember now...in my case I had one of my parents order it.

Dan

Hey guys - thanks for the responses. I had seen that egov page, but it hinted that they might not be happy to send the certificate out of the US or that the ID required might have to be very US-based. I may call them or just try it and see what happens.

danb123 - your link was off topic but actually very helpful! I had assumed our little one would be entitled to US citizenship because I am a US citizen - but it seems that is not the case unles I am married to a US citizen (which I'm not) or have lived in the US for a long period after my 14th birthday (which I haven't). Very enlightening!

do you have a family member there that can get it for you? my wife had the same issue and in the end she asked her dad to go and get it then send it over to CH.

The problem is the staff in the local office are usually not used to dealing with international requests and their online system for ordering has too many requirements and will not ship when the addresses don't match up.

I'm from Pennsylvania and I had my parents get one for me as well. Worked great.

Unfortunately not - I have godparents and friends of the family, but I suspect that they won't hand it over to just anyone.

I shall give this a go and hope they can send it internationally - surely there must be a few US citizens who have left New Jersey for further shores?

It's a little more expensive, but I ordered mine through VitalChek:

https://www.vitalchek.com/birth-cert...-vital-records

They'll ship internationally, although at quite a high cost.

Fabulous! I'm pretty sure I can't be too shocked by the cost, after living in Switzerland for 5 years

Hi,

Probably if you speak with the Vital Statistics Office in New Jersey. They should be able to help you out. Following link provides you the procedure to obtain Birth Certificate in New Jersey, but it has some contact number which will help you speak with people from Vital Statistics Office to clear your queries.

http://www.wikiprocedure.com/index.p...th_Certificate

Given the incoming FATCA law on US tax do you really want to burden your child with American nationality?

She's asking about her birth certificate, not the child's. You need to present your birth certificate when you have a child born here, in order to register the child. It has nothing to do with the child's nationality.

Edit: Sorry missed the further discussion...

Dan

Yes, I understood that, but she also thought her child would be entitled to US citizenship, hence my question.

Yes, hence my edit...

Dan

I just thought I would add the information that I received from the Canton of Vaud regarding Swiss birth certificates of children born to married foreigners. Here, the procedure is

1. Announcement of birth (annonce de naissance)
2. Ordering a copy of the birth certificate (l'acte de naissance)

The first step, according to the "Office de l'etat civil" requires only these two documents:

- Le certificat de famille, si vous êtes en possession d'un tel document ou votre acte de mariage
- une copie de vos permis de séjour et passeport

That is, your marriage certificate, and copies of your permits and passports. This step is usually done by the hospital or clinic where the baby is delivered, so you should bring the documents with you.

I asked specifically about the birth certificates, and they were not required:
"Les actes de naissance ne doivent pas obligatoirement être produits du fait que vos données sont déjà enregistrées dans le registre informatisé de l'état civil."

I believe that this is due to the fact that this is our second child, and we provided our birth certificates when our first was born.

The second step (ordering the birth certificate) can be completed online, by mail, or by phone.

I hope this is helpful to others who live in Vaud!