Nothing will ever say
that you are born in Sri Lanka but a Sinhala Birth Certificate. Check it out!
 |
| Yes, it is handwritten. |
The process of getting
it is quite simple. The hospital
will give you the document and information on where to register the birth. It is not done in the City Hall as it
is done in the Philippines but in an “outsourced” “office” (where we went to
was more like a house) that takes care of the Registration of Births and Deaths
as well as the English Translation.
Took care of the registration and we were able to get the copies a
little over 2 weeks after.
Today, I also had the
documents authenticated by the Ministry of External Affairs Consular Services
Division as part of the requirements for the Report of Birth to the Philippine
Consulate. Luna had to stay home
of course (they were serving 500+ people and I couldn’t risk exposing my lovely
daughter to all the germs that could bring!). The process was again, fairly simple. The Consular Services is at the Old
Board of Investments Building at the Fort (NOT Bonifacio ok! Haha!). Head straight to the 5th
floor to get your form and your number.
They will be calling your number to submit your forms and pay the fee
(for foreign nationals, it is Rs. 1,000 per form). You go back to the waiting area where they will release your
authenticated documents. I got
there around 8am and left around 1pm. Quite long but not bad I must say.
Some tips, the office
opens at 6am – I suggest for you to beat the rush (and the heat) and get there
as early as possible. If you are
one of the first ones to arrive, your document (sans any problems of course!)
will be released only after 2 hours.
If you get there a bit later, of course it will take more time – like
what happened to me. Not to
mention there will be more people which makes the waiting room really, really
hot (the A/C can’t handle the crowd).
Moreover, there is a cut-off time of 3pm.
The process is smooth
(I’m impressed actually!) but there’s a lot of waiting time so go with a full
batt of your phone/iPad/etc. (my iPhone only had 20% of battery to begin with),
a book/magazine and other paraphernalia to while away the time. No worries with bringing food or drinks
as concessionaires are there where you can buy drinks of your choice and some
shorteats.
As you know, having your
own documents enable you to go on more adventures (uhm, you can’t really travel
without a passport for example, right?).
For Luna, as she is not born in her “own” country, the process is a tad
bit more tedious. But the process
is turning out to be her mother's (and father's) mini-adventures as well.
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