Please say "hello"...

[Greji]

Congratulations Halfnip!! She is very cute!!
I hope you don't plan to name here 3/4nip. It's not very PC you know.

We are expecting our first next month.

Have you decided on citizenship?

I have one kid with a 3/4, and he did the same that I did for his siblings for citizenship (US) and Japan.

He added both family names to the koseki for the Japanese and also for the birth registration/passport for the US. Most J-horse-pitals don't issue a foreign styled birth certificate unless you request one and then it maybe in Japanese only, so it is a simple manner in having them add the names. They may even have the capability to make it in English, which helps in the future (not always having to get/or make certified translations).

If you are from a country which recognizes duo-nationality such as Japan and the US, this would be:
i.e.: Jane Jone Yamada Doe for the US registration/passport and
Yamada Jane Jone Doe on the Japanese koseki.

It is a bit cumbersome with the longer/extra name, but saves a million little questions/confrontations with dumb bureaucrats in the future.

All of my childrens passports in Japan and the US are done the same way and we haven't had any problems and has saved immeasurable time and explanations.

I think citizenship should always be opted for duo-nationality whenever possible. We can never tell exactly where this might count, but it could make a world of difference for the child in the future. As one example, one of my daughters went to a private school in the states and paid the minimum as a US resident citizen would pay to attend. Two Japanese exchange students who were in the same year at the same school with her, were paying almost two million yen a year more as a non-resident of the state and also as a non-US resident (separate charges). We can never predict what the future holds for the children, so I think it is just common sense to try to make sure they can get on the playing field in either country!
Just my two yen worth......

[dimwit]

For Canadian Citizenship and changing the name the procedure is simple; just requires filling out one extra form.

BTW congrats Halfnip and enjoy the next six months of intermittent sleep.

[halfnip]

I think citizenship should always be opted for duo-nationality whenever possible. We can never tell exactly where this might count, but it could make a world of difference for the child in the future. As one example, one of my daughters went to a private school in the states and paid the minimum as a US resident citizen would pay to attend. Two Japanese exchange students who were in the same year at the same school with her, were paying almost two million yen a year more as a non-resident of the state and also as a non-US resident (separate charges). We can never predict what the future holds for the children, so I think it is just common sense to try to make sure they can get on the playing field in either country!
Just my two yen worth......

Good post, boothie. I'm currently getting ready to apply for her US passport and all and will follow with the Japanese one per your previous comments a while back. With us, my wife has changed her koseki to reflect my last name, so our little girl has my last name, first name, middle name registered at the ward. So, in other words, the wife's name will not be listed anywhere. Not on her Japanese passport or on her US passport. Most Jap/Foreign couples keep their wife's name on the koseki, but we figured we may as well as change it, as it didn't hurt anyways.. So, this way both passports SHOULD come out the same (I won't know for sure until we start processing things)---HOPEFULLY.

One thing is that since the Japanese do not recognize middle names, it just looks like our girl has a long name---we gave her a Japanese first name and foreign middle name. So, on all her "records", she will not be known strictly by just Last name/First name as is common in Japan. The wife finds this to be strange, but that's just the way the shit hits the pan. I am the same way, all of my info at the Japanese banks has by middle name on it, since my "alien" card has by middle name (because that's what's listed on my passport)..

Now, what I am really wondering about is how to keep the little one still with her eyes open to snap that picture for her passports without kicking up a shitstorm.

[Greji]

Good post, boothie. I'm currently getting ready to apply for her US passport and all and will follow with the Japanese one per your previous comments a while back. With us, my wife has changed her koseki to reflect my last name, so our little girl has my last name, first name, middle name registered at the ward.

You will find times when this helps such as was posted about airline tickets. Having all names listed stops room temperature IQ types at the various counters from saying "Hey, the name is different, or not listed on the passport", which takes un-necessary time to explain that your baby son, or daughter, is not Bin Laden, or has not been kidnapped from the local nursery.

Also, the US Embassy is pretty good about this should the koseki read a bit different, probably because most "birth certificates" are translations, when you apply for the new passport, you enter the name yourself and with no glaring differences, they will accept as is.
[quote]Now, what I am really wondering about is how to keep the little one still with her eyes open to snap that picture for her passports without kicking up a shitstorm. ]

Been through six of those sessions and it is impossible!

[GomiGirl]

OK - hijacking the thread a bit. What happens when one parent has two passports already and the other parent has say a japanese passport. Can the child get three?

[halfnip]

Why not? As long as you go through the process, it's definitely possible. I think the point is that the parent has to be a dual citizen of a country that recognizes dual-citizenship. Say, if you have a mother that's Japanese and a father who's from the UK, then you apply for citizenship for your kid in both countries. You then pack up your bags (speaking of the kid) and move out to Oz and eventually apply for citizenship there as well. Viola---! You've got 3 passports.

I've heard of someone with 4 before---sort of like credit cards, I guess.

[GomiGirl]

Yes well the father already has UK and Australian passports - dual citizenship due to his father's birthplace was the UK. The mother is Japanese.

It was just a question as it is then the grandfather that was born in the UK so is the grandchild eligible for a UK passport? A question for the embassy I think.

[FG Lurker]

Yes well the father already has UK and Australian passports - dual citizenship due to his father's birthplace was the UK. The mother is Japanese.

It was just a question as it is then the grandfather that was born in the UK so is the grandchild eligible for a UK passport? A question for the embassy I think.

If the father had the UK passport at the time the child was born I would expect it to be a fairly straightforward process. It doesn't really matter how the father got his passport, he is a UK citizen and as such there shouldn't be any problem to pass it along to his kids.

[Greji]

OK - hijacking the thread a bit. What happens when one parent has two passports already and the other parent has say a japanese passport. Can the child get three?

It would depend on the countries of the two passport parent. If they recognize duo-citizenship and the child's birth was properly registered with both embassies, there should not really be a problem. The Japanese side would be automatic following entry of the birth on the koseki.

Sometimes there are strange rules that are mendrokusai, but can be done. The US for example states that a child born outside of the United States to one U.S. Citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen parent may be entitled to citizenship providing the U.S. Citizen parent had been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for five years, at least two years of which were after s/he reached the age of fourteen. This period of physical presence must have taken place prior to the birth of the child.

If the US citizen parent cannot satisfy this residence requirement, they must apply to register the child as a US citizen born abroad and the embassy will refuse the request. They then take the refusal document and submit it with an application for immigration to the US visa. Being a child of a US citizen, this is a rubber stamp approval. They must then take the child and travel to the US or a US possession such as Guam and immediately upon clearing the immigrations the child is a US citizen. Upon their return to Japan, they submit the child's passport with the immigration stamp and they will register the child as a US citizen.

This is a shit load of work and one of my sons (can't remember which), who was raised, educated and lived his entire life in Japan (minus one year in the states), had to go through this to register his daughter.

The reason for this is that the US Congress in all its wisdom passed a huge omnibus immigration bill some years back (the only one on immigration they have been able to pass lately) and the idea was to define citizenship for green carders. The language of the bill left out provisions for ex-pats and their children and effectively banned them in some cases. So the above is a workaround that the embassy is using until such time as the congress fixes the present law, or passes a new one (I would not hold my breath waiting for either).

But going back to the original question, if the other two countries recognize duo, or multiple citizenship, it is entirely feasible, as Japan will recognize the child of a Japanese national.

[eighty5er]

Wow congratulations! That's a healthy looking baby for sure, must be a great feeling becoming a parent.

I was wondering, is growing up in Japan problematic for hafu kids? Or is this overrated? I never see anything about this but it's something I've been trying to figure out.