Bringing daughter to Russia

[Bruce]

For those of you guys who have married a Russian woman and had a child here in the USA, how do you approach the visa / passport issues?  We already got our daughter an American passport for the trip to Russia this summer.  We will attempt or at least start the process to get her Russian citizenship tomorrow at the Russian embassy (armed with the paperwork my wife thinks we need). 

A.  How do you guys go about getting your child into and out of Russia to visit family etc. when she does not become a Russian citizen / get a stamp in her mother's passport?

B.  How do you guys go about getting your child into and out of Russia when she does not become a Russian citizen.

My wife is covered because she already has her I-131 for the trip to Russia this summer.  She is in a long AOS, currently 1 year 6 months in the wait since AOS paperwork was accepted by the BCINS.

By the way, I assume our daughter will get out of the USA with her passport and into Russia with her mother's stamp / dual citizenship.  Then she'll reenter the USA with her US passport.  Am I way off in my thinking?

Thanks

[BC]

Bruce,

As long as the child is listed in the mothers passport no problem entering RU. 

Yes, when leaving and re-entering the US a US citizen should use their US passport.

If you apply for RU citizenship you should prepare an informal declaraition that as father you agree that your child receives RU citizenship.  This document will be notarized/legalized by the RU CO.  Your presence is usually required to sign the document.  Ask for a copy.

[Bruce]

It costs $235 just to process the paperwork at the Russian embassy for our daughter - and my wife translated all the documents.  BC, thanks for the information, I'll ask for a copy and fill you in on what has changed, if any. 

 I know some of you think it is a mistake to have dual citzenships for children born here.  Some day I hope my child will choose what is best for her - and hope its the good old USA, but no one can absolutely predict the future. 

There always is the fear that a mother could run back to Russia and one could never see their child again.  I just always try to do the right thing.  If the shoe was on the other foot, I would want it that way.  Our relationship is excellent and I'll take my chances. 

Maybe I should give a trip report on the Russian embassy in New York. 

[Goombah]

Please do post about your experience.   Evia and I are hoping to be in the same situation sooner rather than later.

Kevin

[ConnerVT]

Maybe I should give a trip report on the Russian embassy in New York. 

Interesting place.  Get there early, so you will have a place up the stairs, and closer to the door, than the other people crowded outside, waiting to get in.

My wife did a great job begging/guilting the man at the door (which opens every 20 minutes or so) to let her in.  At first, she tried physically standing in the doorway, only to be pushed away.  Later, with the help of a command performance by our son (whom quickly learned to cry and pout on command), they finally worked their way inside.  Only took about 3 hours of waiting to get inside the embassy, another hour or so to get his photo added to Mama's passport (which he was already listed in).

[BC]

Bruce,

No mistake.  My wife could easily go back to RU with our child but then again any effort on my part to prevent this by using the childs citizenship as 'protection' is indeed wrong and would always be a black mark in our relationship.  A wife and kids should not be pawns in the life of a WM.  A golden cage is still a cage.

I admit though that such thoughts as you describe did cross my mind. We were going through a rather rough period back then but luckily I realized that a relationship based on fear was none at all..

I'm sure you understand.

btw for some reason the RU consulate in Rome insisted on the certificate of birth issued by the hospital instead of the certificate issued by local government officials.  Maybe they felt the hospital or doctors certificate was more 'neutral' regarding citizenship as it was not issued by a government authority. You might want to check about this with the consulate.

IIRC the price you mentioned was the same here.

[Bruce]

You need a birth certificate with exemplification.  My one experience to date with the Russian embassy in New York was very positive.  It happened in early October 2005.  I rang the bell and explained in my broken Russian that I want to make a Russian passport for my daughter and had some questions.  I explained my wife was too pregnant to travel.  So, the old short guard came to the door and let me in.  He immediately escorted me through the room with all the people waiting for passports to the back.  There are seats there and about four, maybe five girls behind glass doors, sort of like bank windows.  There are seats in front.  I never went up stairs.  There easily could be different sections.  It is a fairly large building.  In the back are two offices.  In the smaller office a guy came out to help me.  He explained what I needed to do in broken English, but fluent and had a few questions, so he went back inside into the big office.  I assume his boss came out and said no problem with doing what I want ie. Russian citizenship for our daughter because her mom is Russian, was happy to meet me and was glad Americans are interested in getting Russian citizenship for their children etc.  He went back inside and the other guy was then able to answer my questions.  He left us his card.  The guy I spoke with was the consulate general for the Russian embassy in New York and he was very helpful.  We were worried about if official translation was necessary for the documents which would cost $895 by their recommended service.  He advised my wife who luckily is too fluent in English to translate the documents herself to save us the fee, which is what we are doing.  We believe we have our ducks in a row, but we'll find out tomorrow.  I hope my second trip to 9 East 91st street is as easy as the first.  I suppose if I do the talking things will work well, but I am sure my wife will do all the talking.  I do know at one point I will have to agree to permit our daughter to become a Russian citizen, which does believe in dual citizenship - but I'll know for sure what happens tomorrow.  I do not want to relinquish her American passport.

[mischief]

 I know some of you think it is a mistake to have dual citzenships for children born here.  Some day I hope my child will choose what is best for her - and hope its the good old USA, but no one can absolutely predict the future. 

 

Since your child is a girl I don't see any problems to have dual citizenship unless she wants to be a president of the US.  Though for my son I don't even consider it.

[mischief]

dbl

[Bruce]

We made it to the embassy at 10:45 am.  They close at 1 for lunch.  You go up three steps into a room full of Russians with passport problems / visa issues for the most part.  There is a new younger guard who is not as friendly as the last older guard who lets you in to the next part, where there are four ladies handling the visa issues and two guys behind them, one taller guy with a bigger desk and one smaller guy with a smaller desk - Dimitri is the guy with the smaller desk and his boss is the taller guy with the bigger desk.  I saw the mess when we entered the room with our four month old in her car seat and I instructed my wife to explain to the guard that we were here to obtain Russian citizenship for our daughter.  The guard told us to get to the back of the line.  I went outside and called Dmitri, the counselate general.  He told me to go inside and he would have us inside in two minutes.  The guard just let us in when we got back inside the embassy, so no problem getting to the back to do business after the phone call.  He explained everything to us in about 15 minutes and gave us more new forms to fill out.  No bathrooms around anywhere.  My wife found a hotel close to where we parked on the street.  25 cents for every ten minutes, maximum of one hour, which I refilled two times before we left - a lot would be $20 plus so I got off cheap on that one, and I was parked 1/2 a block from the embassy.  The parking around the embassy is tough to get. 

All our documents were translated properly by my wife - with a couple of mistakes (she translated more than they need) - that we'll  reprint for when we come back.  Dimitri gave us a bunch of new stuff to fill out, we had to pay $45, which is a room heading out the door on the right, which my wife payed in cash.   We filled out the documents in our car and returned at 12:30 (after 1/2 hour feeding / diaper changing in the car).  Why do we have to come back?  I had our daughter's original birth certificate and had it exemplified.  However, I needed to get it certified and place an apostile on it.  So, I have to take the exemplified birth certificate to two other NYC offices and back to them to get the birth certificate how the need it.  So, we'll go back next Wednesday to finish after I get the birth certificate in the form they need it over the course of the next week - hopefully.  Dimitri explained that nobody gets their documents done right the first time, though sometimes its right by the second visit.  Hopefully, we'll be in that camp.

[Bruce]

Yesterday I went to one NYC office to have my daughter's exemplified ($15) birth certificated certified by the county clerk ($3) that she was born in and then to another office where an apostile ($10) was affixed to the top of it all.  Now I am ready to go back to the embassy to get my daughter Russian citizenship as well as her American, since she was born here etc.  I am just logging in the steps I've had to take to jump through the hoops.

[BC]

Bruce,

One trip service is never possible.. Unfortunately for us that means a 400 mile drive.  We figured this in and planned around business trips anyway so turned out all right.

oops.. I did forget about the apostille stamp..

[Bruce]

BC, you are one patient man.  Good planning around business trips.  I am fairly patient and was lucky yesterday in my dealings with the NYC bureaucratic offices.  Yes, one has to plan on many trips to get paperwork done according to meet requirements.  I figure most people know it is a hassle.  However, by outlining my steps I hope it will make things easier for the next guy who wants to do the same thing .

[BC]

Bruce,

If I could put the patience I've needed throughout this venture into cans or bags I could make a million or two selling it on the street.

I think jb coined the phrase 'you need the patience of a saint'..

As a conservative he obviously underestimated. [jab jab jab]

:D:D

p.s.  we basically received a RU version of 'Report of birth abroad' that will is used to formally apply for RU citizenship the next time we are in RU.  They did however list our child in my wifes passport clearing all travel and visa hurdles.  The consulate here at that time was not able to do more since we still maintain propiska in RU.  Let us know how it all turns out for you.

[Bruce]

Well, all the paperwork for Russian citizenship for our daughter was approved.  In three weeks we come back to the embassy to pick up my wife's passport.  It will have our daughter stamped in it.  At that time we can apply for a separate international passport for her.  She'll have to get an internal Russian passport some day in Tver.   I did not realize it is up to the consulate whether your daughter or son can get Russian citizenship or not.  Watch out, if they do not like your face or your wife pisses them off somehow - no approval for your kid. 

In any event, there was a different guard this time.  He was not as officious as the guard last week.  We quickly got in with our daughter, brought the correct birth certificate with certification and apostile (yes, you can get it in the USA), my wife corrected her mistakes and it was pay the fee this week (money order for $235), get approved by the counsel official, leave the wife's International passport and return in three weeks to pick it up.  Three weeks from now we can get our daughter her own Russian passport for $100 plus $15 charge to mail it to us (worth it because it saves us a trip to the Russian embassy). 

One thing that I learned is that in order for our daughter to travel with me out of Russia, we must get written permission from my wife.  This would only happen if somehow my wife was incapacitated when we visit Russia.  I am not counting on travelling with my daughter without my wife out of Russia. but just thought I'd pass out that tidbit. 

One cool thing is our daughter can now get free medical coverage while she is in Russia - which I'm not sure is a good thing.  I figure that in the future they'll be spending most of their summers with their grandparents in Tver and the village, so thats one extra plus besides easier travel for children born to a Russian wife here.