Getting a new born's birth certificate urgently.

indianabones · 1 October 2017 at 5:37PM

Our due date is Dec 8. We have 2 family (my brothers) weddings abroad which are on the 19th and 20th of December. In an ideal world I would love to have to get a passport and Visa to travel for the baby in that 10 day period. However the problem appears to be the birth certificate. Currently Birmingham Registrar are issuing appointments 3-4 weeks later.

I've emailed and called the office about it but they're not helpful, giving the usual crappy answer wait until the baby is born. Which doesn't help me. If I can get the birth certificate the day after birth or 2nd day after birth I will be able to do the rest on time.

Question is:

Is it possible to get urgent appointments? Perhaps if someone cancels?
Has anyone been in a similar boat, if so how did you manage?

Nicki · 1 October 2017 at 8:36PM

How do you know the baby will arrive on or before the due date? Unless there are medical reasons why not, he or she could still be on board by 19 December!

Have you checked whether you can register the birth at the hospital? That might speed things up for you, and according to gov.uk this is possible in some parts of the UK.

Also worth checking if you haven't already what the airline rules are. Some airlines won't let you fly until baby is at least 14 days old, and some will need a fit to fly letter for newborns.

I have to confess I wouldn't even contemplate it with a newborn. My third child had medical problems which needed readmitting to hospital and which were only caught during the home visits from the midwives after he was born (he was checked by paediatrician before he left hospital) so I tend to be cautious when they are so young and vulnerable.

iammumtoone · 1 October 2017 at 9:14PM

indianabones wrote: »

usual crappy answer wait until the baby is born.

Why is that a crappy answer of course they have to wait until the baby is born as they don't know when it will be born!

My son was late, so late I had to be induced. They made me wait 2 weeks to see if he came naturally then I had to ring the hospital every morning to see if they were busy and had time to fit me in! Think it was about three days before they had a place for me.

I then needed a cesarean and was in hospital myself for a week after the birth.

I am afraid your timelines are too tight.

sulphate · 1 October 2017 at 9:24PM

I agree that your timelines are too tight, you could be late or have problems etc.

Forget the idea and look forward to a Christmas at home with your family.

indianabones · 1 October 2017 at 9:29PM

sulphate wrote: »

I agree that your timelines are too tight, you could be late or have problems etc.

Forget the idea and look forward to a Christmas at home with your family.

Well I actually think it might be early by a day or two, so maybe the tight timeline may be slightly less tight, I can get the passport, visa and tickets in 5 days, but the key part is the birth certificate. If somehow I got the certificate inside 1/2 days the rest would fall into place.

Tigsteroonie · 1 October 2017 at 9:36PM

Even if baby did arrive on due date, and you could get a birth certificate next day, you also have to factor in photo of baby; one week fast track passport service involves an appointment; probably cannot get visa without passport ... it's all very tight with only ten days. And as others say, it relies on baby arriving on time or early with no complications.

You'd have to phone your local Registrar to ask whether they have short notice cancellation options. I'd be asking now so that, if computer says no, you don't get your hopes up and start prebooking the passport and visa appointments.

eta. Between 08/12 (birth date) and 19/12 (wedding) there are actually only six working days. Even tighter.

iammumtoone · 1 October 2017 at 9:48PM

indianabones wrote: »

Well I actually think it might be early by a day or two

I am sorry but you have no way of knowing that especially at this stage. Nearer the time the midwife might be able to tell you if baby is in the right direction and ready, but its still no guarantee, it will come when its ready.

I suspect at the time if you explain the situation and urgency the registry office will mange to squeeze you in, the people working there are human and I am sure they will try to help where possible.

You might want to think about getting travel insurance quotes for a baby that young now just to see if it is available and the cost.

sweetilemon · 1 October 2017 at 11:05PM

In answer to your question - what about registering the baby in another area? We got an appointment the same day I phoned. Not sure if this is allowed but I would presume so?

In practical terms, I have to agree. It's very risky taking such a young baby away when mum will be in recovery and baby will be very vulnerable. Maybe best to set up a Skype call to be at the wedding. A lot could happen before then though. Nothing is planned or guaranteed when it comes to having children.

indianabones · 2 October 2017 at 8:40AM

Thanks for the input everyone.

The doctors have said it's pretty safe to travel with a new born provided the baby is healthy and they can usually tell this within a few hours. New born babies will usually sleep the entire flight anyway is what the midwife said.

I know it's a tight schedule, I'm not even going to pretend the chances are good. But if it's even slightly possible I'm going to try. It would be devastating for my young daughter to not go to her uncle's weddings, she's been going on and on about it for months now.

"In answer to your question - what about registering the baby in another area? "

Other areas are much quicker than Birmingham, which not surprisingly appears to be the worst in terms of appointment dates. However if the baby is born in Birmingham then even if you book and appointment in another area, it still has to be passed to the Birmingham office to be registered. Well at least that's my understanding.

Since the Halycon and the City Hospital in Birmingham are the same distance from home, we might go to the Halycon this time.

peachyprice · 2 October 2017 at 4:39PM

indianabones wrote: »

It would be devastating for my young daughter to not go to her uncle's weddings, she's been going on and on about it for months now.

Why would your daughter have to miss her uncle's wedding?

Nothing wrong with dad taking your daughter and the baby staying at home with it's mother.

pjcox2005 · 2 October 2017 at 4:51PM

peachyprice wrote: »

Why would your daughter have to miss her uncle's wedding?

Nothing wrong with dad taking your daughter and the baby staying at home with it's mother.

No, but it's pretty understandable that if possible all the family would want to be together, so if they get the all clear, mum is in agreement etc, then why would you not prepare as best you could for the tight timeframe.

No specifics to add but surprised by comments. Think for passports you can get same day appointments now if willing to drive, not sure how you can speed up the birth certificate point apart from perhaps trying to speak at the registry office about the situation in person.

Getting a new born's birth certificate urgently.

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