Overview
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Congratulations on your child's birth!
Your new baby needs a first passport, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (similar to a birth certificate) and a Social Security number. On this page we'll tell you what you need to do to get all three items.
| Did You Know...?
Many passport/report of birth applications are initially refused because applicants forget to bring one or more items of required documentation, or forget to bring originals. So, to avoid making a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th journey to the Embassy with your entire family in tow, please make sure you have all of the items you will need for a successful application.
Please read further for more infomation.
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It is important to start this process as soon as possible after your child is born. In the case of urgent, unexpected travel, your child will need a passport. In addition, you may need to secure a Japanese visa for your child, which also requires a passport.
That said, the only "deadline" for completing this process is before your child's 18th birthday.
For more information on where to apply, including our phone and FAX numbers and directions, please contact the office serving your part of Japan.
Once you have assembled all the necessary items (see below), you'll need to come by our office with your child. (U.S. military parents in Japan should check with their base Personnel Office for more information on application procedures at your specific installation).
Your child's Social Security card will be sent to you directly by the nice folks at Social Security. Please allow three to six months for the card to arrive.
PDF reader software such as Adobe Acrobat is required to view and print the downloadable forms on your computer. The Acrobat software is available for a free. The forms are also available at the Embassy and our Consulates at no charge. Note that the form you print must have black print on white paper. The paper must be 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, or A4 size. Thermal paper, dye-sublimation paper, special inkjet paper, and other shiny papers are not acceptable.
Citizenship is proven though an official birth certificate or naturalization/citizenship certificate, a Consular Report of Birth and/or a valid or expired (issued no more than 15 years ago) passport. Originals only please. We will copy your documents and return them to you the same day.
Follow this link to learn how to obtain a copy of your birth certificate.
Or, follow this link to learn how to obtain other vital records.
In all cases, including U.S. military births born off-base, the preferred birth document is the Japanese Shusshou Todoke Kisai Jiko Shomeisho.
There are similar documents also issued by the local Japanese ward or city office, but unfortunately none are acceptable (such as the Shusshou Todoke Juri Shomeisho or Koseki Tohon) UNLESS they include the child's and parents' full names, the date and place of birth and seal of the ward or city official who certified the document.
In instances where both parents are not Japanese, the only document the ward or city office will issue is the Shusshou Todoke Kisai Jiko Shomeisho.
The birth certificate issued by the Japanese hospital is not acceptable.
English-language birth records/documents are only accepted when issued by the U.S. military hospital in Japan where the baby was actually delivered.
To make it a bit easier to obtain the correct document, you may wish to print out and bring along the following note to ease communication (your computer must have Japanese language fonts installed and selected to view the kanji below):
| アメリカ大使館領事部旅券課にて私の子供の米国籍を申請するために、出生届記載事項証明書、出生届受理証明書、戸籍謄本のいずれか一部が必要ですので、発行をお願いします。ご不明な点がありましたら、アメリカ大使館領事部旅券課、電話 03-3224-5000（午前 9:00 ～ 午後 17:00、月曜日から金曜日）までお問い合わせ下さい。 Please provide me with a copy of my child's "Shussei Todoke Kisai Jiko Shomeisho," or "Shussei Todoke Juri Shomeisho," or "Koseki Tohon" as requested by the Consular Section, American Embassy or Consulate. Should you have questions, please contact the Consular Section at 03-3224-5000, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thank you. |
If the original document is not in English, you will need to provide a translation. You may be able to use our standard fill-in-the-blanks birth translation form.
You or your spouse may do the translation; there is no need to hire a professional.
You'll need to bring along your official marriage certificate; again, originals only please. We will return the original document to you. All documents not in English must be translated; you may do the translation yourself.
If your marriage document is in Japanese, you'll need to provide us a translation. What most couples choose to do is to translate their Japanese-language marriage certificate using our fill-in-the-blanks forms.You or your spouse may do the translation; there is no need to hire a professional.
If you have the large-style Japanese marriage certificate, please use this form to translate it.
If you have the small-style Japanese marriage certificate, please use this form to translate it.
If your child was born out-of-wedlock, or within six months of your marriage, please follow this link for some additional requirements.
Proof of Termination of All Prior Marriages of Parents
Please bring along official divorce or death certificates, originals only.
If you divorced in Japan, please provide a translation of your divorce decree. You may be able to use our standard fill-in-the-blanks divorce translation form. You or your spouse may do the translation; there is no need to hire a professional.
You can download form DS-2029 (formerly known as FS-579) to print out and complete by hand.
The law on acquisition of American Citizenship varies if one or both biological parents are also Americans, and if the child is born in or out of wedlock. Follow this link to learn more about acquisition of American Citizenship.
Affidavit for Child's Name
If your child has one Japanese parent, the child's name on the Japanese birth certificate and the Family Registry may only be listed as a "Japanese" name (Nakamura Mariko) and may exclude the English name (Sarah) and/or the middle name (Abigail).
If you would like your child's U.S. passport to be issued in her English name (Sarah Abigail Jones) instead of her Japanese name (Mariko Nakamura), please complete an Affidavit of the Newborn Child's Name.
Download the Affidavit of the Newborn Child's Name. Complete the form at home, but please do not sign it. The American Citizen parent will sign the form at our office.
Passport Application (DS-11)
Please submit one copy of Form DS-11, available for download (forms are also available for pick-up in our office). Though the instructions for world-wide use say only 8.5" x 11" paper is acceptable, we can accept A4 sized copies if you print it out at home.
Two-Parent Consent for Passport Issuance
All applicants under the age of 16 must meet the requirements listed in the Law on Passport Applications for Minors. In most instances this means that both parents must sign your child's passport application, even if one parent is not an American.
Parents can consent in one of two ways:
Both parents can come to the Embassy or Consulate with their passports and sign together, in person, or...
One parent may sign in person and the other parent give his/her consent through a written affidavit (One parent signs and submits second parent's signed consent; download the affidavit form. The form must be notarized). Follow this link to learn more about these requirements. Note the parent who signs in person will need to still have a copy of the non-present parent's passport with him/her. We need to see the original passport of at least one American Citizen parent in these first-time, Report of Birth cases.
Written consent by both parents must be given either in person at the Embassy or one of our Consulates or that written consent must be notarized. Previously a simple signature would suffice. Japanese notarials are acceptable. Notarials done on US military bases are acceptable. Notarials for this purpose can be done at no charge at the Embassy or one of our Consulates. All notarized statements must be in English. A FAXed copy of the notarized consent form is acceptable.
Unacceptable photos are the number one cause for delays in our processing Reports of Birth.
The photos must be 2" X 2" (5 cm X 5 cm) with a white background.
Please make sure your child's eyes are open in the photo. One way to do this is to drape a white sheet over one (sitting) parent, who also holds the baby's head and neck upright under the sheet. The other partner takes the photo. A second way is to place the child on a white blanket on the floor and take the photo while standing over him/her. You can also go to a professional photographer if you prefer.
Be careful with the size - "passport photos" you get at a local photographer's shop are likely too small and are intended for Japanese people to use to obtain a Japanese passport. The photo in your current US passport may be a different size from what is needed for a new passport, as standards have changed from time-to-time.
Here's what your photo should look like:
The photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches with the face size as specified. Your browser may not display the graphic above as the right size.
The best way to make sure your photos are the right size is to download and print out a passport application (see above). The drawing of a properly-sized photo is right on the application form.
Social Security Number Application (SS-5)
Please download and complete form SS-5-FS. Don't send it to Social Security; instead, for everyone except U.S. military personnel, submit the completed form to the Embassy or Consulate along with the other forms and documents needed for your child's report of birth and first U.S. passport.
U.S. military parents must apply separately for a Social Security Number, through designated military channels, not through the Embassy or Consulate.
Your child, even a newborn, must appear in person at our offices at the time you make the application. Military children will appear before the designated passport agent on base. There are no exceptions or waivers possible for this requirement.
Self-Address Expack 500 Envelope
Please bring along a pre-purchased "Expack 500" envelope, available at Japanese post offices and most convenience stores for 500 yen. The "Expack 500" provides express return of your documents and includes a barcode so you can track your documents as they make their way through the Japanese postal system.
Persons using an APO address should include a regular 8.5" X 11" self-addressed envelope marked "MPS", except on Okinawa where things will be returned to you by military courier. Please note: persons using an APO address cannot use the "Expack 500".
The fees are US$65 for the Consular Report of Birth, US$85 for the passport, for a total of US$150. We accept only cash, US$ or Japanese Yen. We cannot accept checks at any of our offices in Japan.
We accept credit cards at the Embassy in Tokyo and at our Consulates in Fukuoka, Naha, Osaka, and Sapporo, where you may pay using your VISA, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club or American Express card. Please also be prepared to pay with cash if the credit card verification system is temporarily unavailable. Credit card payments are billed in U.S. dollars.
In some situations, how long one or both American parents lived in the U.S. can affect your child's acquisition of citizenship (follow this link to learn why). If we have questions about this, you may be asked to bring in work, social security, tax, school or records to demonstrate the parent's period of physical presence in the U.S.
Evidence of U.S. Citizen Parent's Physical Presence Together at Conception
In some situations, such as if your child was conceived out-of-wedlock, we may ask for evidence of the biological parents' physical presence at the time of conception. Such evidence might include passports, military travel orders, leases, etc. In some complex cases, we may need to request a blood or DNA test.
If your child has one Japanese parent and one American parent, the child likely is a dual national (U.S. and Japanese Citizen). As a Japanese citizen, s/he does not need a visa for Japan. Follow this link for more information on dual nationality .
If one or more parents is in SOFA-status, check with your base legal advisor or personnel officer for details.
If both parents are non-Japanese (say, American father, Chinese mother), and your child will stay in Japan over 60 days from birth, the child will need a Japanese visa.
If the child will depart Japan permanently before 60 days after birth, the child will not need a Japanese visa.
If your child needs a Japanese visa, local law requires that you apply for that visa at the nearest Japanese immigration office within 30 days of the child's birth. To avoid any penalties, you must apply within 30 days of the child's birth whether you have her U.S. passport or not. Please contact the nearest Japanese immigration office for more information. You cannot obtain a Japanese visa at the American Embassy and we cannot advise you of the application requirements for a Japanese visa.
If your child was born in Japan then the processing must be done in Japan. While you can file the documents at another U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad, that office is required to send them to us in Japan for processing. This will delay things, so it is best to complete this whole procedure while you are still in Japan.
You can get the details here on obtaining copies of your child's Report of Birth.
See homepage3.nifty.com/amdack/english/E-contents/E-chira.html for more details, or call AMDA International Medical Information Center Tokyo at 03-5285-8086 or AMDA International Medical Information Center Kansai at 06-4395-0555.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.
