# How to apply for passports and Visa for new born baby in dubai- Born in Dubai



## Phillipa Mauger

Hi all

Please can someone help me, we are trying conveice at the moment but wanted to check what the process is with visa's and passports here in dubai. My husband is french and I am south african, how do we go about getting a french and south african passport for the baby, I know south africa takes up to 4 months to get a passport back to you, i read that i would need to get a baby visa within 120 days or we get fines 100 aed per day, that is ludicrous, how are we to help the home countries passport process that cant be our fault? If someone can shed some light on the french passport application for new borns and the south african process that would be great. Also what is the documents that both consulates would require from us? 
Thanks so much

Phillipa


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## rsinner

If I were in your position i would check up the website of the respective consulates in Dubai, and also call them up to get first hand accurate information.

South African Consulate General, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

No information on the french consulate or embassy website (why is it not surprising), but probably worth a call
Consulat Général de France à Dubai 
Ambassade de France à Abou Dabi


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## Lita_Rulez

Phillipa Mauger said:


> Hi all
> 
> Please can someone help me, we are trying conveice at the moment but wanted to check what the process is with visa's and passports here in dubai. My husband is french and I am south african, how do we go about getting a french and south african passport for the baby, I know south africa takes up to 4 months to get a passport back to you, i read that i would need to get a baby visa within 120 days or we get fines 100 aed per day, that is ludicrous, how are we to help the home countries passport process that cant be our fault? If someone can shed some light on the french passport application for new borns and the south african process that would be great. Also what is the documents that both consulates would require from us?
> Thanks so much
> 
> Phillipa


Hey there !

First of all, breath 

I think there is a small confusion in the list of requirements. Now, I am no PRO, so take what I will tell you as an information to be double-checked, but having gone through the steps 4 months ago, I do not think they will be much different.

First of all, I do not believe the 120 days limit applies to a baby Visa, but to the birth certificate. 

Depending on which hospital you will select, the service for obtaining the birth certificate may greatly vary. 

My understanding is that there is only one hospital un Dubai that is entitled to deliver birth certificates : Al Baraha Hospital (do* NOT* go there for delivery if you can avoid it).
Other hospitals are authorised to deliver a "Birth Notification", which you will have to provide for the issuance of the actual Birth Certificate. Now some of them will just hand you the application, call you back in 3 to 5 days for collection, and then tell you to go to Al Baraha Hospital.
Others will propose to do all the paperwork for you (against a "small" fee, of course).

Now, once you have you papers in hand, you need quite a few trips in order to get this Birth certificate. You'll have to go there to deposit your request. You will then have to go again to collect your processed Birth Certificate (in arabic).
Next is the typing center, for a translation in english.
Next, you will need to get this validated by 2 different ministries (the ministry of
health and of foreign affairs, if memory serves).
I do not remember all the details, because at this point, someone seeing my face proposed "do you want our services to do it for you ?", and obviously I said yes.
I paid an extra 250 AED, and 5 days later, presto, the documents were delivered to my office.


The third option, is to use the services of a company that will take care of ALL the hassle for you, get your first set of papers at the hospital, and deliver the birth certificates to your door. Easy, simple, carefree. Your midwife will probably be able to advise you on different names, I have one as well (don't know if you can post a company name on the forum like that, so I'll wait until I am told it's OK or PM you), and I would have gone that route if they had been available at the time my wife delivered. But it was EID...

------------------------

Now, once you have your glorious official Birth Certificate (both the Arabic version and a certified copy translated in English), you would think that you could go to the French consulate to request the Passport. 

You'd be wrong.

First, you need to have the familly register (the french "Livret de famille") updated to show filiation. This will be a request made at the french consulate, and will take a couple of days. Once you have it in hand, you can the request the passport.

The biggest issue there is that for French passport they are now very touchy on the "rules" for pictures. You will need to go to a photographer that understands what "photograph for a French passport" means (ie, the face takes 98% of the frame). The photo center a few blocks down of the consulate obviously now is proficient at this.

After that (and filling out the necessary forms, obviously) it is only a game of waiting. 2 to 4 weeks is the usual delay, mine got here in just over 2 weeks.

I probably still have the list of requirements somewhere, but your best bet is to call them when you get close to the date, as the paperworks required may change.

The residency Visa was then processed by our PRO in 24 hours (passport, birth certificate in arabic + residency visa from both parents).


I do not know about the South African procedures, but honestly, I would not get too bent out of shape over it. If you are really worried, the midwife my wife and I went to see is from South Africa, and she could probably give you all the answers.

And as a more general advice, I would strongly suggest you look into the antenatal classes options with midwives around Dubai, as they will give you solid advices on the steps leading up to delivery, obviously, on what to expect after delivery, but also on important things beside the actual birth, that can ease your mind and help you focus on the wonderful thing that will be happening to you then 

I can not give enough praise to the one we consulted with. :clap2:


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