My wife is going to have a baby like maybe tomorrow. I am here for her, in Manila. She got her visa today.

We already requested a packet from fedex with the forms.

One form says:

The embassy will contact you regarding your interview. The requirements of that interview:

"Personal appearance of both parents and the applicant"

Here is the problem. It might take some unknown time to get another requirement, the NSO birth certificate.

I can't take off from my job and fly half-way around the world at the drop of a hat.

The website for the embassy says nothing about this.

Whats the deal? Is it waivable? Is the NSO Birth certificate waivable?

Procedures are procedures and rarely are deviated from. Questions are best asked of the consulate directly

I had to do the same thing for my daughter in Viet Nam. Appearances of both parents was NOT required. There is a waiver that the patitioner can fill out and the other parent can take to the consulate. However, we both showed up. The Vietnamese birth certificate was a requirement. But source of information....American Citizen Service Unit at the consulate.

After many efforts I managed to get through to the embassy on the phone.

They only accept calls for consular reports of birth abroad betwen 2-4. I had to call 30 times in a row to finally get a live operator.

It is correct that I do not need to be present. All I had to do was file the included "permission for my kid to get a US passport" form (whatever it's really called). Nothing said that the form was a waiver.

What a relief. I just hope that NSO does not screw up in getting me a birth certificate in a timely fashion, as is customary.