Korean Job Discussion Forums

Darrish · Joined: 16 Jan 2008

My wife is currently in the hospital. There have been complications with her pregnancy and it appears she is not going to be able to carry the baby to full term. The doctors are going to induce and try to deliver the baby next week, which is still about six weeks early.

Obviously, we are both nervous but everyone is confident the baby will survive. She will just need to stay in the hospital for at least a month after being born. Here's where the problem comes in - my wife and I are both American and have to get a passport for the baby pretty much immediately in order to get her visa processed as a dependent. I am aware that Korean immigration has a one month grace period for getting the paperwork complete on infants. However, this isn't possible if she's premature and in an incubator for a month.

Our contract is up in August and we plan to leave Korea and return to the US.

Does anyone have any experience with immigration concerning a situation like this? I'm aware this is a fairly unique circumstance but I hope that someone could provide input on where to proceed from here.

Lekker · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Location: Seoul

Have you tried going to the embassy? Your situation is unique and immigration might need someone with a bit of push to get your point accross. Or maybe the embassy as usual is worthless.

Hanson · Joined: 20 Oct 2004

I don't know what Americans have to provide for a passport/citizenship, but for me (Canada) and some other friends (Australian), the baby doesn't have to be present for the paperwork to be submitted and your application to go through.

My Australian friend had a premature baby and took the passport picture with a digital camera with the appropriate background as specified on the application guidelines, had it cropped at a photo-printshop and submitted that with the appropriate papers (Birth Certificate, Parents' Paperwork, Application Form, etc...).

Good luck with everything and congrats, dad!

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

IF neither of the parents is a Korean national:
Take a photo of the baby. Take it to a photo shop and get it cropped to match the requirements for the passport.

Take your documents to the embassy, register the birth with YOUR embassy and apply for the baby's passport.

Take the receipt and documents (from the baby's birth registration and passport application) to immigration and register the baby. You will be within the 30 day period and stay legal.

When you get the passport back, pop into immigration again (at your convenience) and get the F3 stamped into the passport and apply for baby's ARC.

This is all assuming one of the parents is NOT Korean.

IF one of the parents is a Korean national, the 30 day registration requirement is gone. Register the baby at the GU office like any Korean national. Get the baby's US passport at your convenience.

.

Darrish · Joined: 16 Jan 2008

Unfortunately, as US citizens we both have to be there with child in order to proceed with documentation.

From http://seoul.usembassy.gov/report_of_birth.html

icicle · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do Korea

I would go with what the previous posters have said - Your case is clearly a case outside of the ordinary - Under normal circumstances you would have no problem in taking your baby with you - But you will -

So as soon as the baby is born - In your position I would contact the Embassy and ask them what you will need to do to get the passport for your baby - so that you can do things within the 30 day timeframe - I would be very suprised if they don't have procedures in place for situations like this - Or at the very least alternative options they can use in exception cases -

Zaria32 · Joined: 04 Dec 2007

Just get a letter from the doctor in Korean and English saying the baby can't leave the hospital. No biggie...

jbpatlanta · Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Location: Daejeon

There is no 30 day requirement to get the baby's passport. The 30 days is only for immigration. Since you both are Americans you have to register the birth at immigration. As long as you start a file with them you can wait longer than 30 days.

Get a letter from the doctor stating the baby has to stay in the hospital. Take that to immigration and tell them. They will open a file for your baby. After you get the passport, go back to immigration.

prairieboy · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Location: The batcave.

Hello all,

Our baby was born this past Thursday on May 29. He was a few weeks early but right at the leading edge of what's considered normal for the term I guess.

Anyway, we brought him home on the weekend...sleepless nights are sooooo lovely.

My wife is Korean. So as I understand from checking the Embassy site, and from what I've read, as long as we register the baby's birth at the nearest Gu office (I guess city hall in our case), I can take my time getting him his Canadian passport. Is this right?

Any extra info anyone has to add would be much welcomed.

Cheers

lastat06513 · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:04 pm Post subject:

First of all, I really hope everything is alright and I really want to wish you and your new family the best of luck under the circumstances.

I'd go to the US Embassy's Citizen's Service Center and get the guidelines you need to help you apply for your child's passport. And if a passport is needed, if I were you, I'd spare no expense in trying to expedite the application if it is possible......and necessary......

Again, best of luck to you

Katchafire · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject:

poet13 · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:46 pm Post subject:

Congratulations prairieboy! Yes, documents at your convenience...but do it soon. The longer you wait, for some reason, the longer it takes to get them. If you apply right away, you should have him squared away pretty quickly.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

prairieboy · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Location: The batcave.

Just an update on the progress so far.

My wife went to the gu office yesterday and registered the birth of our son. He now has a Korean ID number. So he has Korean citizenship.

This means that I don't have to rush with the Canadian side because there will not be any Korean immigration issues with my son.

I will update on the process with the Canadian Embassy and Citizenship process when I do it for my son.

Cheers

Darrish · Joined: 16 Jan 2008

Well, here's my update to this story. The baby was born last Thursday via c-section and has currently been in an incubator since that point. She is doing very good and the doctor is confident she will be out in two weeks.

The nurses told me I had to register the birth of my baby at the local office. I already have a birth certificate from the hospital and my child is not eligible for Korean citizenship so I assumed they must be confused. We were told we the first non Korean couple to ever have a baby at the hospital.