The Frau has been writing a lot. But not on this blog. Because having a baby is a lot of work. Having a baby abroad is even more work–at least when it comes to paperwork.
There are Swiss and international birth certificates, foreigner cards, passport applications, reports of birth abroad and social security forms, plus photos required for several of these forms, not to mention in-person visits to the U.S. Consulate office in Zurich, the migration department in Aarau, and the city office in Baden. All with a baby who can't even hold her head up yet and a mother who wishes she could put hers down on a big, fat pillow.
Oh, and even more interesting—the price you pay for all this bureaucracy:
Swiss and international birth certificates: CHF 30 each, we ordered three and were also charged CHF 1 for shipping.
Swiss foreigner card for baby (side note: somehow, the Swiss are able to even make a two-month-old look criminal in the photo), valid for four months until it must be renewed again, along with the parents’ cards: CHF 143
Passport photos: Three for CHF 10 (ordered from paspic.com—I highly recommend this site for any passport photo)
U.S. passport/birth reports/social security card: CHF 184
TOTAL: CHF 428 (free headaches included)
