Job Discussion Forums

alexasmom · Joined: 27 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Hello!

I'm an american living in Toluca and have been here for the past 3 years. No teaching action during that time yet. Maybe when the kids are bigger. At any rate, my second child was just born here 2 months ago. Does anyone have any experience getting the Consular Report of Birth Abroad? I will have to go to DF to apply. Just curious if anyone else has done this.

notamiss · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:26 pm Post subject:

No direct experience on either count, being neither American nor having had kids born in Mexico, but have you already checked the web pages http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/eacs_birth_abroad.html, http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_828.htmll? (Or are you looking specifically for the kind of real-life tips they don't tell you in writing?)

alexasmom · Joined: 27 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Yep. Already checked the websites and know what to do, just want some "real life" experiences.

guatetaliana · Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 12:34 am Post subject:

I know a few people who have done it through DF, evidently it can often take many tries before you get everything they want (similar to getting an FM2/FM3 for Mexico!) Here's someone who wrote up their experience through Guadalajara (it's after the general consulate info they posted):
http://immigrate2us.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6704

PlayadelSoul · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 346 Location: Playa del Carmen

I have done it, twice. It is pretty simple, actually. Make sure you take all the documentation that is required. They will ask you some questions to make sure it is legit, tell you it is approved and will be sent to you in X weeks.

codo · Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 2 Location: La Frontera

My daughter was born in Monterrey in 2001. The only caveat I was given was that the paper document is irreplaceable. You cannot just write in and get and extra copy as you would for US births. I made five extra notarized copies and locked the original away in a fireproof lock box....just need to find the key now.

MELEE · Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 3:22 pm Post subject:

For me it was kind of like the first time I did my taxes after having worked the entire year abroad--this confusing engimatic frustrating emotional journey made to see like an impossible hurdle until you passed it and looked back and said--that's all there is too it????
You must present your child and your spouce (even if that spouce is Mexican) to a US consular or consular agent. That may mean you don't have to go to DF if there is a consular or agent in Toluca, but that's so close there may not be. If you have trouble getting all the documents to prove your presence in the US, as I did, you may not really need them, as I didn't. I actually only proved 3.5 years in the US over the age of 15 rather than the 5 they ask for, but supplied about 4 photos that suggest I went to high school in the US. (me in my Varsity jacket, me with my swin team, me with the Happy Chef). And many people have commented that my pregnancy photos looked faked (I was sooo incredibly huge!!) so I was fretting over that, but maybe someone in the consular office had twins too.
The very worst thing is the forms are kind of confusing and have these tiny little spaces where I had to write things like Heroica Cuidad de Huajuapan de Leon while looking over the form I came up with a list of 10 questions I had about how I should fill it in. So I called the embassy in Mexico City about them. First they only take calls from 3 to 5 pm!!! once I got through the person would only say "Just fill in the forms and if there is a mistake we will send it back to you." I was like but I want to do it right the first time. and serousily the conversation went on about 10 minutes with that infuriating lady only saying the same thing over and over again. Just fill it in and if there is a mistake we will send it back to you. AHHHHHH! Then I called the consular in Oaxaca who only takes calls from 10 to 1. He said, bring everything you have, your children and your husband and come down and we will fill it in together. Which is what I did and that wasn't that hard. Except that he was helping me between helping everyone else so we were there from 10 until 3 pm. Six weeks later it came in the mail.
Good luck and just like INM it will be so much better if you DON'T stress about it. (in other words, do what I say, not what I do!)

I'm MELEE and I approve this message.