German birth certificate - will this be an issue?

[GardenStream]

I just found out that kindergarten registration is in 2 days. DS was born in Germany and his birth certificate is in German without any English translation. It doesn't look anything like an American birth certificate in that it doesn't look very official.

This will be the first time I have to show the birth certificate for anything. Will I have any problems registering him for school with his German birth certificate?

I'm already walking in there with a signed vaccine exemption and don't want to cause any additional complications if I can help it.

[Emmeline II]

Does he have a US passport? Birth certificates are used to establish age and identity; a passport would serve the same function.

[GardenStream]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II 

Does he have a US passport? Birth certificates are used to establish age and identity; a passport would serve the same function.

Good thinking, I'll take his passport too.

Thank you

[Plaid Leopard]

I just happened to see this in new posts.

I'm curious how he was able to get a US passport without a consular report of birth abroad? Two of my children were born in Germany, and we had to report their births at the US embassy before we could apply for their passports.

Also, we were given several different copies of the birth certificates at the Burgeramt, one of which had French and English translations on it.

[Plaid Leopard]

I just happened to see this as I was browsing.

I'm curious how he was able to get a US passport without a consular report of birth abroad? Two of my children were born in Germany, and we had to report their births at the US embassy before we could apply for their passports.

Also, we were given several different copies of the birth certificates at the Burgeramt, one of which had French and English translations on it.

[GardenStream]

Originally Posted by Plaid Leopard 

I just happened to see this as I was browsing.

I'm curious how he was able to get a US passport without a consular report of birth abroad? Two of my children were born in Germany, and we had to report their births at the US embassy before we could apply for their passports.

Also, we were given several different copies of the birth certificates at the Burgeramt, one of which had French and English translations on it.

We needed a passport ASAP. We took DS to the embassy a couple weeks after he was born and had his birth certificate with us. We did the pictures and everything that day and got the passport in the mail 2 days later. We were give a certificate of citizenship the day we went to the embassy and his social security card came in the mail about 6 months later.

We went to our Rathaus a couple weeks before DS was born to fill out the paperwork, turn in our translated marriage license, and have our chosen name approved. The communication didn't go well and everyone was passing around a German-English dictionary to try and communicate. Then we went in everyday for 2 weeks asking if the birth certificate was ready yet and were told to try again the next day. Thankfully, we got it a couple days before our appointment at the embassy.

We had other American friends there at the same time, they both had babies there too, and they said their experience was nothing like ours. I don't know, maybe it was that we lived in different towns

[Linda on the move]

It's also possible to get a certified translation of a document. A friend of mine did this for her adopted, Russian born dd. If you need to go that route, a university could help get you in touch with someone.

[DariusMom]

Originally Posted by Plaid Leopard 

I just happened to see this in new posts.

I'm curious how he was able to get a US passport without a consular report of birth abroad? Two of my children were born in Germany, and we had to report their births at the US embassy before we could apply for their passports.

Also, we were given several different copies of the birth certificates at the Burgeramt, one of which had French and English translations on it.

I was wondering this, too. We had to report DS' birth and got a consular report of birth abroad. Of course, I've since lost it and need to get another one, but that's another story!

ETA: Oops. Didn't read your reply upthread.

[Tjej]

You got a certificate of citizenship for your son?  Are you sure that wasn't the consular report of birth abroad?  It has been a few years but IIRC we didn't get a separate citizenship cert, just the birth report and then a passport.

Tjej