Can my baby get citizenship if born abroad?

Sometimes, and only sometimes. Two different rules get called ‘citizenship by birth’, and families lose money confusing them.

Jus soli means the place of birth matters. A child born in the United States is a US citizen, other than a diplomat’s child. A child born in Brazil or Mexico is generally a citizen of that country. A child born in Canada is Canadian on the same kind of rule. The parents do not become citizens in any of these places.

Jus sanguinis means the parents’ nationality matters. A child born in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Thailand, Vietnam, or the UAE is not a citizen of that country merely because the hospital is there. Germany adds a narrow exception when a foreign parent has already lived there lawfully for a defined number of years. Portugal and Spain have residence-based routes for children born there. They are applications, not a stamp on the day of delivery.

Chile and Peru apply jus soli with an exception for foreigners who are only in transit. A tourist entry can fall on the wrong side of that line. Ask counsel before the birth if you are counting on it.

The child’s second passport, the one from you, is a separate act at your embassy. A local birth certificate does not board a plane. Start that list in the second trimester.

We will plan a birth in a country where you already have a life. We will not plan a trip whose purpose is a passport.