Acquiring Bébé's Filipino Nationality

On to administrative stuffs.

Aside from concerns about bébé's health and development, breastfeeding and/or bottlefeeding, and other maman-bébé related stuffs, the administrative side of all these scenarios should be one of those on maman's priority list. Me, being a certified pinay, sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa, pati na rin sa papel, bébé automatically gets dual nationality - French and Filipino. Yes, that's included in the package. All we have to do is to get the necessary papers registered at the Philippine Embassy in Paris, who in return, will forward our papers to the National Statistics Office in Manila.

So for déjà mamans who haven't registered their babies yet and for future mamans, getting the application form for the Report of Birth is the starting point. For mamans residing outside of Paris, just send a letter asking for the said application form with enclosed self-addressed envelope (do you really think they would pay for your stamp?). And don't even bother to call them up, they're almost unavailable and it seems that there's only one person capable of answering your nationality-related questions. The thing is, you would stay on the phone for minutes just to be asked to call up again after so and so minutes...

So to save you from hypertensions, here are the requirements:

- Filled up application forms (3 pages)
- Original and 4 photocopies of birth certificate
- Original and 4 photocopies of marriage contract
- 4 photocopies each of passport of father and mother
- 3 pictures of the child
- Affidavit of late registration for children more than 12 months old (€32.50)
- Affidavit of acknowledgement of paternity for an illegitimate child (€32.50)
- Registration of birth (€32.50) plus (€6.00) for mailing

For applications mailed at the Philippine Embassy, all payments should be made through Mandat Poste only, payable to Ambassade des Philippines.

I just hope bébé could be proud of being a certified pinay..(I was checking on pictures which I could use for her application form, pede na kaya to?)...

Merry Christmas!