Friday, January 10, 2014

Paperwork Shuffle

Sorry about the lack of posting this week, but we've been doing a major paperwork cha-cha-cha to get Jari's Consulate Report of Birth Abroad and U.S. passport. It looks like a copy machine vomited all over the boat, but with any luck our kiddo will be a U.S. citizen in six to eight weeks. Also, I would like to say that the Consulate in Puerto Vallarta has an amazing staff, especially Kelly Trainor who was just lovely to work with.

I won't go into all the stuff you have to have to prove citizenship when born overseas. Charlotte from Rebel Heart does it superbly here. But suffice to say it's a lot of documentation, including pictures of me while pregnant, ultrasound reports and receipts from the hospital. 

Funnily enough, my mom went through the same process back in the early 70s when she had my older brother in Gibraltar, and my how things change. For one thing, they traveled for a full year without getting him a passport. That includes crossing through the Panama Canal and the South Pacific islands, and she definitely doesn't remember having to gather documentary evidence of pregnancy when they finally went to get Dave's passport in Fiji. There was no Homeland Security. No one ever questioned that he was their kid, and who would steal a baby anyhow? And then take him on a boat? Crazy talk. Times were different back then, no question.

Also, the State Department used to be way more cavalier with their passport photo requirements. I have to say that these days trying to take a regulation passport photo of a newborn is perhaps a special layer of hell for parents. That is some serious frustration. First of all, it has to be a neutral white background. The baby has to be looking right at the camera with a neutral expression (what baby has a neutral expression?!). Both ears have to be showing, and the list goes on. It's akin to taking a picture of a wet noodle that occasionally starts screaming.

You want to know what my brother's passport picture was back in the 70s? Him sitting on the boom with the mast and the sky as the background. Pretty much the greatest passport picture ever. Granted, he was older when they took the photo,  making him less noodle-like, but, wow, was the State Department way less testy back in the day. 

Anyway, enough talk. Let's check out the baby's passport photo blooper reel!
















9 comments:

  1. I can imagine how the whole process is going these days. I was born in Germany while my dad was stationed there in the military. Funny that I have to go to the State Dept. in order to get a copy of my birth certificate. I was in one place in Colombia working on getting married in a past life, and they wanted my birth certificate. They saw I was born in Germany and wanted a German birth Certificate and I had to explain to the officials that it just didn't exist. Eventually it was accepted.

    At least your little one will already have some stories as he gets older. ;-)

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    1. Yeah, it's pretty darn complicated these days, but we are hoping for a smooth process. The consulate people did tell us that the Mexican birth certificate is the only one that counts, so I'm glad we got 10 copies of it.

      Paperwork confusion aside, you should count yourself as lucky, Dan, cause from what I'm discovering being a dual national has a lot of advantages.

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  2. I love it!! We were fortunate enough to have the help of the military here in Italy. We still had to have some crazy things to get Clyde's passport, but we have it now. He is officially an American! He was a gypsy baby for a few weeks though, since he wasn't Italian or American. Here is his passport pics.

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1471314_546685958758070_601111930_n.jpg

    Can't wait to meet Jari!!

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    1. Nathan, Clyde is too cute! That bow tie is very stylish, perfect for a little Italian. I can't wait until they meet up!

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  3. Why is it that in the photo of Jari screaming, he looks like Vlad?

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    1. Lol! I don't know, but I can for sure say that I've never seen Vlad make a face like that.

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  4. I laughed at the blooper reel, I feel for you... Bureaucracy, bah. We're also dealing with that here in NZ, (for different purposes), crazy stuff huh. By the way, we met someone who knows you! The yacht Skye (Ayree? Not sure how he spells it) Dutch guy with Bulgarian partner (whom we haven't met, she's in the States now)? They're expecting a baby in Ferbruary... Small world eh?

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    1. We love Skye! We spent Christmas with them last year in the San Blas, and Ari (also not sure on spelling) and Maya are amazing, some of our best cruising buddies. I just wish that we had been able to continue on in the same direction. Please give them our love and tell them congratulations on their new baby. I think Panama might be the new fertility drug. :)

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  5. haha, that blooper reel is pretty funny. CUTE facial expressions. I bet all the paper work is a mess but in the end he'll be able to go to Tijuana as he pleases and the States! Really a neat concept to have dual citizenship.

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