*each country has different procedures but I will give you the gist of my experience* tips are geared towards Canada and Colombia. So, be ready to ask many questions when visiting your consulate or embassy.
For those of us who venture overseas for work or pleasure have met various women and even some of us have had children born overseas.
Congratulations, it's a blessing. Here are some tips.
1. Healthcare. Is the mother covered? Does her policy cover births and how long is the coverage for the baby until you have to get a separate policy. For Colombia, depends which city you live in as certain providers have more if an imprint. In Medellin, it's SURA. My advice, get the policy that costs roughly 200,000 Cop. Per month. The mother will get many check ups and their clinics are located mostly in poblado which I am sure is close to many of you who live there.
2. Getting the Canadian passport. First, you got to apply for citizenship then you get a temporary passport while the application is in process. Here, you will have to go the CDN embassy in Bogota to bring in the passport sized photos etc. All the details are online via the official government website. Here is a tip, certain documents need to be translated and notarized. However the Canadian site didn't specify that in Colombia this has to be done in the ministry of foreign affairs in Bogota ( which translate and notarize the Colombian born child's documents) now things may have changed. Just, notarize and get ofificial
translations from the ministry in bogota.
* keep all emails, receipts* things get lost and not updated or inputed into the processing centres. They process thousands of files. Last thing you need is for you to get a notification or find out that they don't have your payment or application for citizenship and passport. Trust me things get lost on their end.
3. Permission letters for children travelling outside of the country. Fairly simple, both parents go to a notary ( notaria in Spanish) and bring the child's documents ( registro de naciemento) birth certificate and your IDs. You will need to get notarized documents for each round trip. So, the Canadian side you will need it and Colombian side. Note, when me child left Canada they didn't ask for the notarized permission letter. However, coming back through customs they did. Odd.
Anyhow, Colombia is more complicated. Don't bother going to a notary here in Canada that get the letter translated into Spanish. That wont work for Colombia. If you are in Canada, and you need the permission letter for your child leaving Colombia. Go to the consulate or embassy and get a Notificación Reconocimiento Salida de Menor.
However, if both mom and dad are in Colombia get the letter from the local notary and that will work.
Tip: they have letters I have heard afterwards that are dated for 18 years. Meaning, all you need to do is visit the notary once instead of each time you want to leave the country. Saves you time, money and trips to the consulate if you happen to be out of the country.
Note: the Colombian foreign services accept USD only in Canada. No Canadian dollars. It's an inconvenience. So when you are paying for
certain things visas etc, can't pay in local currency.
4. Canadian healthcare. 3 month waiting period once child obtains citizenship officially. You will get a letter in the mail. See the specific provincial rules on eligibility. For Ontario, it's 3 months. Travelling for the first 6 months once enrolled is limited to no more than 30 days as you will lose coverage and have to start the 3 month waiting period to re enroll. After the first 6 months, your child can be out of Ontario for about 100 days??? See the OHIP website for details as these stipulations do change. Likewise, those of us who are out of the country beware that you can Lose coverage too if gone too long.
Recap, go to the embassy/consulate for both countries. Get all the information. Then find out which notarys they recommend etc, like I said, in Colombia certain docs need to be taken to their ministry of foreign affairs, not just a translated notarized document done by some notary in Medellin etc. (Even though it's licensed). It will save you trips in those dreaded bogota taxis going to the various givernment offices.
Good luck
For those of us who venture overseas for work or pleasure have met various women and even some of us have had children born overseas.
Congratulations, it's a blessing. Here are some tips.
1. Healthcare. Is the mother covered? Does her policy cover births and how long is the coverage for the baby until you have to get a separate policy. For Colombia, depends which city you live in as certain providers have more if an imprint. In Medellin, it's SURA. My advice, get the policy that costs roughly 200,000 Cop. Per month. The mother will get many check ups and their clinics are located mostly in poblado which I am sure is close to many of you who live there.
2. Getting the Canadian passport. First, you got to apply for citizenship then you get a temporary passport while the application is in process. Here, you will have to go the CDN embassy in Bogota to bring in the passport sized photos etc. All the details are online via the official government website. Here is a tip, certain documents need to be translated and notarized. However the Canadian site didn't specify that in Colombia this has to be done in the ministry of foreign affairs in Bogota ( which translate and notarize the Colombian born child's documents) now things may have changed. Just, notarize and get ofificial
translations from the ministry in bogota.
* keep all emails, receipts* things get lost and not updated or inputed into the processing centres. They process thousands of files. Last thing you need is for you to get a notification or find out that they don't have your payment or application for citizenship and passport. Trust me things get lost on their end.
3. Permission letters for children travelling outside of the country. Fairly simple, both parents go to a notary ( notaria in Spanish) and bring the child's documents ( registro de naciemento) birth certificate and your IDs. You will need to get notarized documents for each round trip. So, the Canadian side you will need it and Colombian side. Note, when me child left Canada they didn't ask for the notarized permission letter. However, coming back through customs they did. Odd.
Anyhow, Colombia is more complicated. Don't bother going to a notary here in Canada that get the letter translated into Spanish. That wont work for Colombia. If you are in Canada, and you need the permission letter for your child leaving Colombia. Go to the consulate or embassy and get a Notificación Reconocimiento Salida de Menor.
However, if both mom and dad are in Colombia get the letter from the local notary and that will work.
Tip: they have letters I have heard afterwards that are dated for 18 years. Meaning, all you need to do is visit the notary once instead of each time you want to leave the country. Saves you time, money and trips to the consulate if you happen to be out of the country.
Note: the Colombian foreign services accept USD only in Canada. No Canadian dollars. It's an inconvenience. So when you are paying for
certain things visas etc, can't pay in local currency.
4. Canadian healthcare. 3 month waiting period once child obtains citizenship officially. You will get a letter in the mail. See the specific provincial rules on eligibility. For Ontario, it's 3 months. Travelling for the first 6 months once enrolled is limited to no more than 30 days as you will lose coverage and have to start the 3 month waiting period to re enroll. After the first 6 months, your child can be out of Ontario for about 100 days??? See the OHIP website for details as these stipulations do change. Likewise, those of us who are out of the country beware that you can Lose coverage too if gone too long.
Recap, go to the embassy/consulate for both countries. Get all the information. Then find out which notarys they recommend etc, like I said, in Colombia certain docs need to be taken to their ministry of foreign affairs, not just a translated notarized document done by some notary in Medellin etc. (Even though it's licensed). It will save you trips in those dreaded bogota taxis going to the various givernment offices.
Good luck