How to obtain a baby’s passport after a birth abroad

A baby leaves the hospital with no passport. The passport is an application, and it cannot start until the local birth certificate exists.

Book the embassy or consulate before the due date if they allow it. Ask whether both parents must attend, whether the marriage certificate must be apostilled, and how they transliterate names. Ask what photo they accept for a newborn. These are not details you solve in a taxi.

If the child is entitled to two nationalities, decide the order. Some countries want their registration before you leave. Some will do it later at home. The constraint is the airline: most will not carry a newborn on a parent’s passport alone.

Add the processing days to the mother’s medical recovery. A family that books the flight home for day five is often early. A family that books nothing is stuck. We put a window in the plan, not a fantasy date.

If one parent cannot be present, say so months ahead. Consent rules are strict and a last-minute absence is how passports slip.