General Information

For complete information about the legal basis by which a child born abroad to one or two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship, please visit the Department of State’s website.

The American parent must bring the child to the office with the following documents, either in the original or certified copy:

• The child's birth certificate (virkatodistus) issued by the local authorities at the place of birth. This document is available from your local Maistraatti or Magistrate. The document MUST show the newborn child's complete name, date and place of birth, and both parents' names.
• Child's Birth certificate given at the hospital at the time of birth. This is a document, that you must separately request, explaining that it is needed to complete a U.S. report of birth. (The midwife in Finnish hospitals generally issues the document and it only indicates that the mother has given a live birth to a boy/girl baby on a specific date.)
• Evidence of the U.S. citizenship of the child's parent(s).
• If the child’s parents are married, the marriage certificate of the child's parents. If the marriage took place in Finland, you should bring a "virkatodistus".
• If either of the child's parents has been married before, evidence of termination of that marriage such as an original certified copy of the decree or dissolution or divorce or a death certificate.
• Fees: Please see under Fees and Payment Methods

In certain cases, it may be necessary to submit additional documents, including affidavits of paternity and support, divorce decrees from prior marriages, or medical reports of blood compatibility. All evidentiary documents should be certified as true copies of the originals by the registrar of the office wherein each document was issued.

On request we will send you form DS-2029 (PDF 52KB), “Application for a Consular Report of Birth”. All questions on this form must be answered. Particular attention should be paid in replying accurately to the question: “Precise periods of physical presence in the United States of the U.S. citizen parent”.

Obtaining Copies of the Report of Birth 

The Consular Report of Birth (Form FS-240) is a basic citizenship document. The original report has been sent to the Department of State for its permanent retention, together with the documents which you submitted and which constitute the supporting evidence of your child's acquisition of United States citizenship. The certification (Form FS-240) which you have received from this office may later be used in registration for school, obtaining employment, and for similar purposes.

If you wish to have additional copies of the consular report of birth, you may obtain them by writing to the U.S. Department of State, Passport Services Correspondence Branch, CA/PPT/PS/PC Suite 510, 1111 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20522-1705. A request for a FS-240 must include the original. If the original FS-240 is not available (lost) a notarized affidavit attesting to its disposition is necessary. Your request should include complete identifying information: full name of the child, date and place of birth, names of parents, serial number of the FS-240, if possible, and the consular office which recorded the birth.

The request for a certified copy of the Consular Report of Birth must be accompanied by the required fee. Send a check or money order in the amount of US 50.00 payable to “Department of State”.

Dual Citizenship

Should your child also have claim to the citizenship of another country, you should be aware of the following U.S. law:

“Under Section 215 (b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1185 (b) it is unlawful, except in specific circumstances, for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States without a valid passport”.

U.S. citizens who arrive at the port of entry without the required valid U.S. passport may be required to apply for a passport waiver, for which a separate fee may be collected.

Application for U.S. Passport and Social Security Number

Below are links to two applications you will need to print out and complete in order to obtain a U.S. passport and social security number for him/her. Make sure to review the instructions for each form carefully before completing the forms. After completing all forms you should email or mail them to us.

• Application for U.S. passport
• Application for a Social Security Number (PDF 239 KB)