Report of Birth Abroad
General Information
The birth of a child abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s) should be reported as soon as possible to the Embassy for the purpose of establishing an official record of the child's claim to U.S. citizenship at birth. This official record is a known as the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and is considered a basic U.S. citizenship document.
You can make an appointment by emailing us at LibrevilleACS@state.gov or calling +241-01-45-71-00. Your child must be physically present at the appointment.
A first passport for your child is often processed during the same appointment. Both parents must be physically present in order to process a passport application. Note that your child must enter and exit the United States with a valid U.S. passport, even if he or she has a second nationality.
What to Bring to Your Appointment
- $100 application fee
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad application Form DS-2029. Please do not sign the form until requested to do so by the Consular Officer at the appointment.
- Application for a Social Security Number
- Your child’s original Gabonese or São Toméan birth certificate and one copy
- Current U.S. passport of U.S. citizen parent(s) and government issued photo identification for non-U.S. citizen parent. Please bring the originals and one copy of each.
- Proof of physical presence in the U.S.: If both parents are U.S. citizens, one parent needs to provide documentary proof that they have been in the U.S. before. Please bring a copy of a page of your passport that has a U.S. entry stamp. If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, that parent must provide documentary evidence that he or she lived in the U.S. for five years, two of which were after age 14.
If your child was born in wedlock, please bring the following:
- Original marriage certificate and one copy. Please provide a translation if the certificate is not in English.
- Divorce decrees/death certificates: Parents must show termination of all prior marriages. Please bring the originals and one copy of each. Please provide a translation if the certificate is not in English.
If your child was born out of wedlock, please bring the following:
- Affidavit of Physical Presence Form DS-5507. The U.S. citizen parent should not sign the form until requested to do so by the Consular Officer at the appointment.
If you will also apply for a passport your the child, please bring the following:
- $105 application fee
- Passport application Form DS-11. Please do not sign the form until requested to do so by the Consular Officer at the appointment.
- One passport photo of your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I pay?
A. You can pay in cash at the Embassy. The fee for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad is $100.00, payable in U.S. dollars or FCFA. The fee for the passport is $105.00. The Embassy accepts either dollars or FCFA, but not a combination of both.
Q. How long will it take to process?
A. Both the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and your child’s passport are produced in the U.S. and mailed to the Embassy. You can usually pick up them up two weeks after submitting the applications. We will contact you when they are ready.
Q. How can I document my physical presence in the U.S.?
A. The documents required to prove U.S. presence differ on a case by case basis. The best documents are those that specifically identify your name, date, and location in the U.S. Strong documents could include work, school, or medical records, traffic tickets, and airline boarding passes.
Q. How is U.S. citizenship transmitted?
Requirements for transmitting U.S. citizenship depend on the gender and marital status of the U.S. citizen parent(s). Click here for more information on transmitting U.S. citizenship to a child born abroad.
Q. What if my child was not born in Gabon or São Tomé and Principe?
A. You can still apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad at this Embassy. We will send the application to the U.S. Embassy in the country where the child was born, so processing will take longer.
Q. What if only one parent is able to appear at the Embassy for the passport?
A. The absent parent must provide a completed and notarized Statement of Consent Form DS-3053 and a copy of their government issued photo identification. U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad can notarize Form DS-3053.