Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Making it all official: the paperwork after giving birth in Switzerland
Giving birth in Switzerland was generally a positive experience for me. I say generally because there were two bumps: the lack of anesthesia during surgery and the paperwork afterwards.
After the birth there are two very important Swiss documents an expat needs for their child: the birth certificate and a residence permit.
The birth certificate is the first document you will receive after the birth. However, the Swiss require certain documents before the birth certificate is issued. The documents needed (for a married couple) are birth certificates for each parent and the marriage certificate. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the Swiss require that all of these documents be issued within 6 months of the birth.
I have no idea why this rule exists but I think it's ridiculous. The information doesn't change. The seal from the issuing authority doesn't change. All that changes is the issuing date. But we don't ask questions here, it's a rule so we follow it!
Luckily you can order documents online through www.vitalcheck.com. They ship internationally too so you don't have to worry about contacting your state's department from abroad.
It's easier to have these documents with you when you go to the hospital to give birth. At least that is what I hear. I had the documents with us but somehow things got messed up. I have been told that if you have the documents with you at the hospital you can just fill out the forms required for the birth certificate then. Well, we were never given forms. So, we left the hospital thinking everything that needed to be done was done.
A week later we got a letter from the Gemeinde house asking that we bring the paperwork down for them to review. So we took the documents over there and they made sure we had everything we needed. The Gemeinde house then filled out forms and sent them to us several days later to review. After we made sure everything was correct, we signed the forms, returned them to the Gemeinde house, and waited for the international birth certificate to arrive.
The process took a lot longer than I expected. Unfortunately, we needed the birth certificate to move forward on the residence permit and the other documents necessary for US expats, a passport and report of birth abroad.
The passport and report of birth abroad require several forms. The package can be obtained by emailing the embassy or consular agency for your canton. Be careful filling out the forms, the agencies are, shall we say, very particular about the information being correct, legible, and complete. I've heard stories of parents being asked to fill out the forms a second time because their handwriting wasn't clear enough. Also, make sure you have the correct photographs for your infant, the US passport photo size is different than the rest of the world- 5 cm square. No budging on this rule.
Once you have the birth certificate and have completed the application packet from the embassy/consular agency, you have to mail it in to be processed. Directions for this process are included in the packet you will receive from the embassy/consular agency.
After the packet is received, the embassy/consular agency will contact you to make an appointment. Both parents should attend this appointment with the child, it makes the process easier. And don't worry if you've filled out the forms correctly or not, you will be told if something is wrong and given the chance to fix it t this appointment.
Give yourself plenty of time for the appointment, the office can get busy!
Finally, after your appointment, all you have to do is wait for the passport and record of birth to come in the mail.
As far as the residence permit goes, we are still working on that. We got a letter from the Gemeinde house listing some things they need. Hopefully we will have Betti's permit in hand soon.
Got all that? Good! It's quite a process compared to what is done after a birth in the US. For Marion all I had to do was fill out some forms in the hospital. The passport application was also pretty easy- my local post office processed passport applications without requiring an appointment.
All in all, it really isn't all that difficult of a process as long as you follow the rules and are prepared. It was a bit of a headache for us to make sure the Gemeinde house had all that they needed (I think we made a total of three trips there to get the birth certificate) but it hasn't been for others. So if you are expecting in Switzerland, I hope you have a great birth and smooth paperwork process afterwards!
After the birth there are two very important Swiss documents an expat needs for their child: the birth certificate and a residence permit.
The birth certificate is the first document you will receive after the birth. However, the Swiss require certain documents before the birth certificate is issued. The documents needed (for a married couple) are birth certificates for each parent and the marriage certificate. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the Swiss require that all of these documents be issued within 6 months of the birth.
I have no idea why this rule exists but I think it's ridiculous. The information doesn't change. The seal from the issuing authority doesn't change. All that changes is the issuing date. But we don't ask questions here, it's a rule so we follow it!
Luckily you can order documents online through www.vitalcheck.com. They ship internationally too so you don't have to worry about contacting your state's department from abroad.
It's easier to have these documents with you when you go to the hospital to give birth. At least that is what I hear. I had the documents with us but somehow things got messed up. I have been told that if you have the documents with you at the hospital you can just fill out the forms required for the birth certificate then. Well, we were never given forms. So, we left the hospital thinking everything that needed to be done was done.
A week later we got a letter from the Gemeinde house asking that we bring the paperwork down for them to review. So we took the documents over there and they made sure we had everything we needed. The Gemeinde house then filled out forms and sent them to us several days later to review. After we made sure everything was correct, we signed the forms, returned them to the Gemeinde house, and waited for the international birth certificate to arrive.
The process took a lot longer than I expected. Unfortunately, we needed the birth certificate to move forward on the residence permit and the other documents necessary for US expats, a passport and report of birth abroad.
The passport and report of birth abroad require several forms. The package can be obtained by emailing the embassy or consular agency for your canton. Be careful filling out the forms, the agencies are, shall we say, very particular about the information being correct, legible, and complete. I've heard stories of parents being asked to fill out the forms a second time because their handwriting wasn't clear enough. Also, make sure you have the correct photographs for your infant, the US passport photo size is different than the rest of the world- 5 cm square. No budging on this rule.
Once you have the birth certificate and have completed the application packet from the embassy/consular agency, you have to mail it in to be processed. Directions for this process are included in the packet you will receive from the embassy/consular agency.
After the packet is received, the embassy/consular agency will contact you to make an appointment. Both parents should attend this appointment with the child, it makes the process easier. And don't worry if you've filled out the forms correctly or not, you will be told if something is wrong and given the chance to fix it t this appointment.
Give yourself plenty of time for the appointment, the office can get busy!
Finally, after your appointment, all you have to do is wait for the passport and record of birth to come in the mail.
As far as the residence permit goes, we are still working on that. We got a letter from the Gemeinde house listing some things they need. Hopefully we will have Betti's permit in hand soon.
Got all that? Good! It's quite a process compared to what is done after a birth in the US. For Marion all I had to do was fill out some forms in the hospital. The passport application was also pretty easy- my local post office processed passport applications without requiring an appointment.
All in all, it really isn't all that difficult of a process as long as you follow the rules and are prepared. It was a bit of a headache for us to make sure the Gemeinde house had all that they needed (I think we made a total of three trips there to get the birth certificate) but it hasn't been for others. So if you are expecting in Switzerland, I hope you have a great birth and smooth paperwork process afterwards!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Seven weeks.
And having fun with the camera.
I think that last shot deserves a close up.
Adorable even when out of focus.
I think that last shot deserves a close up.
Adorable even when out of focus.
Girls Trip Part 3: Bern, Switzerland
Grammie, Marion, Betti, and I arrived in Bern late Monday afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we got started on our tour of the Old Town of Bern.
First stop, the Bern cathedral, or Bern Münster.
The Moses fountain in the square in front of the cathedral. Bern is filled with fountains- they are everywhere. Apparently they were added in the 16th century to show the power and wealth of the city.
Betti was hungry so, while we fed her, Marion enjoyed chasing pigeons in the square.
We continued towards the Zytglogge, or clock tower, after Betti finished her bottle.
The Zytglogge clock is one of the three oldest clocks in Switzerland.
Down the street from the clock tower we ran into a market and a street musician.
Marion was just itching to dance, every limb was twitching. But for some reason she held back. Could my social butterfly be getting a touch of shyness?
We were pretty tired after our walk so we headed back to our hotel to order room service, aka a picnic in our room. Marion loved room service!
The next day we went to the bear pit.
We arrived a little early so we had lunch at the Altes Tramdepot restaurant located in the tourist center. If you go there, try their beer. Good stuff! Marion enjoyed the lunch and her new hat. I couldn't resist grabbing it in the kiosk also located in the tourist center at the bear pit.
After lunch, it was time to see the only bear left in the pit, Pedro. The city of Bern is building a new bear pit in response to years of complaints that the old bear pit is inhumane.
Pedro woke up from a nap ready to eat. He made his way over to where we were standing and sat in front of us, obviously used to the eating ritual. We had purchased food for him and were ready to feed the old bear. Pedro was visibly tired and moved very slowly. But he was also hungry.
Pedro preferred to have the food tossed into his mouth, rather than on the ground in front of him. When you are a 28 year old bear, I guess you earn that preference!
Sadly, I just learned that the bear pits are now closed because Pedro passed away. Rest in peace Pedro, nice meeting you.
We came home after the bear pits after an exhausting, but enjoyable trip. We saw a lot in our short trip and loved every minute of it!
First stop, the Bern cathedral, or Bern Münster.
The Moses fountain in the square in front of the cathedral. Bern is filled with fountains- they are everywhere. Apparently they were added in the 16th century to show the power and wealth of the city.
Betti was hungry so, while we fed her, Marion enjoyed chasing pigeons in the square.
We continued towards the Zytglogge, or clock tower, after Betti finished her bottle.
The Zytglogge clock is one of the three oldest clocks in Switzerland.
Down the street from the clock tower we ran into a market and a street musician.
Marion was just itching to dance, every limb was twitching. But for some reason she held back. Could my social butterfly be getting a touch of shyness?
We were pretty tired after our walk so we headed back to our hotel to order room service, aka a picnic in our room. Marion loved room service!
The next day we went to the bear pit.
We arrived a little early so we had lunch at the Altes Tramdepot restaurant located in the tourist center. If you go there, try their beer. Good stuff! Marion enjoyed the lunch and her new hat. I couldn't resist grabbing it in the kiosk also located in the tourist center at the bear pit.
After lunch, it was time to see the only bear left in the pit, Pedro. The city of Bern is building a new bear pit in response to years of complaints that the old bear pit is inhumane.
Pedro woke up from a nap ready to eat. He made his way over to where we were standing and sat in front of us, obviously used to the eating ritual. We had purchased food for him and were ready to feed the old bear. Pedro was visibly tired and moved very slowly. But he was also hungry.
Pedro preferred to have the food tossed into his mouth, rather than on the ground in front of him. When you are a 28 year old bear, I guess you earn that preference!
Sadly, I just learned that the bear pits are now closed because Pedro passed away. Rest in peace Pedro, nice meeting you.
We came home after the bear pits after an exhausting, but enjoyable trip. We saw a lot in our short trip and loved every minute of it!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Girls Trip Part 2: Vevey/Montreaux, Switzerland
With a 70% chance of rain in the forecast, we decided to drive the coastline of Lake Geneva instead of staying in Lausanne.
The weather forecast for Lausanne was as dependable as the weather in Zurich. It was beautiful and sunny for our drive.
The vineyards outside Vevey.
We stopped in Vevey for a walk around the town. It was a nice town and, we learned, home to Charlie Chaplin for a bit.
I'd love to know the history behind this sculpture. A fork? In the lake? Eh, why not?
Funky swiss trees. Brian and I are trying to figure out if we can bring one back to the states. They are pretty cool looking! I'm guessing customs wouldn't be cool with that though.
We decided to attempt to get a portrait of Marion in front of some spring flowers. But there was a horse behind me. The sessions didn't last long.
And she got her horsie ride.
Next stop was the Chateau de Chillon outside of Montreaux. This was by far the coolest castle I've ever been to. It has a long history and the tour takes you through practically every room in the castle. We saw everything- bedrooms, bathing rooms, latrines, the chapel, the basement areas, accounting areas, the sentry, the clock tower, the keep... well, you get the picture. It was obvious why this is a popular destination.
The audio tour on an iPod was a nice touch too.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and highly recommend this castle to everyone! And, of course, we couldn't leave without picking up a bottle of the castle wine. For lunch we went to the restaurant across the street from the castle. I had the most amazing risotto with shrimp and asparagus. It was fantastic!
After lunch, we packed everyone up and headed to Bern. To be continued...
The weather forecast for Lausanne was as dependable as the weather in Zurich. It was beautiful and sunny for our drive.
The vineyards outside Vevey.
We stopped in Vevey for a walk around the town. It was a nice town and, we learned, home to Charlie Chaplin for a bit.
I'd love to know the history behind this sculpture. A fork? In the lake? Eh, why not?
Funky swiss trees. Brian and I are trying to figure out if we can bring one back to the states. They are pretty cool looking! I'm guessing customs wouldn't be cool with that though.
We decided to attempt to get a portrait of Marion in front of some spring flowers. But there was a horse behind me. The sessions didn't last long.
And she got her horsie ride.
Next stop was the Chateau de Chillon outside of Montreaux. This was by far the coolest castle I've ever been to. It has a long history and the tour takes you through practically every room in the castle. We saw everything- bedrooms, bathing rooms, latrines, the chapel, the basement areas, accounting areas, the sentry, the clock tower, the keep... well, you get the picture. It was obvious why this is a popular destination.
The audio tour on an iPod was a nice touch too.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and highly recommend this castle to everyone! And, of course, we couldn't leave without picking up a bottle of the castle wine. For lunch we went to the restaurant across the street from the castle. I had the most amazing risotto with shrimp and asparagus. It was fantastic!
After lunch, we packed everyone up and headed to Bern. To be continued...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Twins, 3 years apart
We can't get over how much Betti resembles Marion as a baby.
Here's Marion at 9 weeks.
And Betti at 6 weeks.
Definitely sisters!
Here's Marion at 9 weeks.
And Betti at 6 weeks.
Definitely sisters!
Friends
Marion thought Betti looked lonely in her chair so she decided to help her sister out.
Betti was thrilled.
Betti was thrilled.
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