Q: obtaining UK passport for child born in Japan (UK/Japanese parents)

[smalldog]

I would also suggest you register your child for the UK Consular Birth Certificate.

Whilst it cannot be used for a Passport Application, it will serve as life-long proof of your child's British Citizenship.

https://www.gov.uk/register-birth-abroad

I did this for the first child then didn't bother for any of the subsequent ones. It is expensive, and ultimately has been pointless so far - never used it at all for the one child who is registered. Their passports are just as good for showing they are British citizens.... YMMV

If you would like your child to have a middle name in the UK then this is an important step and money well spent, as trying to do it retroactively is MUCH harder.

[JosefK]

in the process of applying for my son`s UK passport and in addition to the usual documents I sent I have now been asked to supply these documents as well.

-school records
-medical records
-mother's antenatal records

They must have us on a terror watch list or something as all my mates applications didn`t get this extra level of scrutiny. Anyway, has anyone else had similar requests for these documents and if so what did you send them that satisfied these requirements? I would guess the mothers book "Boshi Kenko Techo" would be ok for mother`s antenatal records but not sure about the other two.

[Tkydon]

in the process of applying for my son`s UK passport and in addition to the usual documents I sent I have now been asked to supply these documents as well.

-school records
-medical records
-mother's antenatal records

They must have us on a terror watch list or something as all my mates applications didn`t get this extra level of scrutiny. Anyway, has anyone else had similar requests for these documents and if so what did you send them that satisfied these requirements? I would guess the mothers book "Boshi Kenko Techo" would be ok for mother`s antenatal records but not sure about the other two.

Which document(s) did you provide for 'Birth Certificate'?

How old is the child?

[JosefK]

For the birth certificate I sent the Koseki Tohon and also Hospital birth certificate. showing both the child’s and parents’ details

I sent the Koseki Tohon as I presumed this was the "Family registration form" from the below info I found somewhere deep on the UK Gov site. Maybe this wasn`t the correct form? I see mention of numerous other forms on this forum (Japanese Certificate of Delivery / Birth Notification Document / Certificate of Acceptance of Birth Notification - Shussei Shoumeisho / Shussei Todoke / Shussei Todoke Juri Shoumeisho) so maybe one of those would have been better?

from the UK Gov website
========================================================================================================
There are 2 types of certificates acceptable from Japan for UK passport purposes:

Family registration form – this is each city or ward office’s record of their citizens – acceptable for HM Passport Office nationality and parental responsibility purposes, it will show:
child’s name
child’s date of birth
parent(s)’ name(s)
parent(s)’ date(s) of birth
parent(s)’ place(s) of birth

Birth registration form – parents use this form to register a child’s birth in their city or ward office - acceptable for HM Passport Office parental responsibility purposes it will show:
child’s name
child’s date of birth
child’s place of birth
parent(s)’ name(s)
parent(s)’ date(s) of birth
===========================================================================================================


My son is 18 so maybe being an adult is another reason for the extra scrutiny? First UK passport.

Also to add another layer of complication my wife is dead set against sending the original Mother`s Book along with a certified translation. I asked the helpline if there were any way to comply without sending the original and they replied "We need the original document or a certified copy from the issuing authority. To get an official copy of a document please contact the authority that issued the original." The issuing authority would be the city we were living in when my son was born but would it even be possible to get such a certified copy from them? I highly doubt it but will give them a call in the morning.

[Tkydon]

It seems the acceptable documents are

Shussho Todoke Kisajiko Shomeisho
or
Shussho Todoke Juri Shomeisho

The Shussho Todoke Kisajiko Shomeisho is not (easily) available after about 1 year after birth

The Shussho Todoke Juri Shomeisho can be obtained easily by the person who registered the birth from City Hall.

[Tkydon]

The Shussho Todoke Kisajiko Shomeisho is the 'Official Birth Certificate' mentioned on the UK Consular Birth Certificate Registration Page.

It is after the Registration at City Hall, and is a City Hall Certified Copy of the Hospital Document.

The Shussho Todoke Juri Shomeisho is the Certificate of Acceptance of Registration, and includes all the same fields that exist on a standard UK Birth Certificate, with the Certification Stamp of the Mayor of the City. This can also be obtained from City Hall by the person who made the registration, or by anyone with a Power of Attourney - Ininjo - 委任状, from the person who made the registration. Ininjo - 委任状 Pro-Forma is available on the City Hall Website.

I have advised many people to use the Shussho Todoke Juri Shomeisho, and they have all received their passports without any problems, without exception.

If you do not supply one of these documents, the Passport Agent has to determine eligibility by various other means.


Not useful for the Passport Application, but you may also want to register for the Consular Birth Certificate as alternative life-long proof of British Citizenship even without a passport, or if the passport is expired.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... gistration

[kuma]

HMPO has published a long overdue "Knowledge Base" for Japan.

This is designed for HMPO staff, but might be useful for the likes of us in Japan trying to navigate HMPO processes.

Included in the Knowledge Base is a section on documents.

[Tkydon]

HMPO has published a long overdue "Knowledge Base" for Japan.

This is designed for HMPO staff, but might be useful for the likes of us in Japan trying to navigate HMPO processes.

Included in the Knowledge Base is a section on documents.

Unfortuately, this document doesn't actually give the names of the documents in japanese. ;-(
It says:

"Family registration form – this is each city or ward office’s record of their citizens – acceptable for HM Passport Office nationality and parental responsibility purposes, it will show:
child’s name
child’s date of birth
parent(s)’ name(s)
parent(s)’ date(s) of birth
parent(s)’ place(s) of birth"

By this they mean a Certified Translation of the Koseki Tohon.

"Birth registration form – parents use this form to register a child’s birth in their city or ward office - acceptable for HM Passport Office parental responsibility purposes it will show:
child’s name
child’s date of birth
child’s place of birth
parent(s)’ name(s)
parent(s)’ date(s) of birth"

By this they mean a Certified Translation of the Shussho Todoke Kisaijiko Shoumeisho, but that document is almost impossible to obtain after the fact, so a Certified Translation of the Shussho Todoke Juri Shoumeisho has proven to be acceptable.


This page for the Consular Birth Certificate Registrations does give the names of the docs in Japanese. It specifically states:

https://register-a-birth-abroad.service ... -to-submit

" Documents you'll need to submit
Check you have the documents listed below to continue with your application.
You'll receive an email at the end of the online application, which includes the list of the documents below and where you need to post them.
Document originals
the child's local birth certificate ('shussetodoke kisaijiko shomeisho') - it must have the name and address of the hospital
a copy of the family register ('koseki tohon') which has been certified by the ward office (if one of the parents is Japanese)
a name confirmation form that says how you would like the child's full name to be registered, if the name differs from the name on the local birth certificate or Japanese family register (the rules are on the form)"


And it should read Shussho Todoke, not Shusse Todoke...

[JosefK]

Thank you for the thorough reply, having a bit of a nightmare with this and appreciate the help. To be fair to the UK Gov the help line and webchat service is very efficient and I`m going back and forth with them.

I did register my son`s birth at the British Consulate in Osaka at Birth but as you say it is not accepted for a passport application.

[Tkydon]

Thank you for the thorough reply, having a bit of a nightmare with this and appreciate the help. To be fair to the UK Gov the help line and webchat service is very efficient and I`m going back and forth with them.

I did register my son`s birth at the British Consulate in Osaka at Birth but as you say it is not accepted for a passport application.

Send them the original and a Certified Translation of the Juri Shoumeisho as the next step and see what they then say.