Consulate General of the United States Yekaterinburg, Russia

The birth of a child abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s) should be reported as soon as possible to the nearest American consular office for the purpose of establishing an official record of the child's claim to U.S. citizenship at birth. The official record is in the form of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America. This document, referred to as the Consular Report of Birth (CRBA) or FS-240, is considered a basic United States citizenship document. An original FS-240 is furnished to the parent(s) at the time the registration is approved. A Consular Report of Birth can be prepared only at an American consular office overseas while the child is under the age of 18.

The application for a CRBA requires the following:

• Completed Application for Consular Report of Birth (DS-2029) (PDF 99K)
• The child's local birth certificate
• The parent or parents' proof of U.S. citizenship
• The parents' photo IDs.
• The parents' marriage certificate (if applicable).

• Documents showing legal termination of previous marriages of either parent (if applicable).
• Evidence of the American parent's physical presence the U.S. prior to the birth of the child. In most cases it is necessary to prove five years of physical presence in the U.S. to transmit citizenship. School transcripts, military records or employment records are often the easiest way to prove physical presence.
• The $100 application fee or the equivalent in Russian rubles. Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover) are also accepted.

Please do not sign any of the documents until requested to do so by the Consular Officer.

Both parents are requested to appear at the Consulate, together with their child and the above documents. The Consulate will provide blank affidavits in the proper format.

In certain cases it may be necessary to submit additional documents, including Affidavit of Parentage and Physical Presence (PDF 165K), divorce decrees from prior marriages, evidence of pre-natal care, evidence of prior U.S. residence and/or physical presence, or DNA tests. All evidentiary documents should be certified as true copies of the originals by the registrar of the office where each document was issued.

Whether an American citizen can transmit citizenship to a child born overseas depends on several factors: whether both parents are American, whether the child is born in wedlock, when the child is born. The most common case is a child born in wedlock to one American citizen parent, and one non-American parent. The American citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for five years prior to the birth of the child. In addition, two of those five years must be after the parent reached the age of fourteen. The five years is cumulative so a few months here and a few years there can be used to add up to the five years. When both parents are American, they need only show that one of them has ever resided in the United States (no specified time). An American citizen mother of a child born out wedlock needs to show that she spent one continuous year in the United States. An American citizen father of a child born out of wedlock must have the five years and must have recognized the child and agreed to the child's financial support.

Parents are encouraged to apply for a U.S. passport for their newborn child at the same time that they apply for a CRBA. Parents are encouraged to apply for a U.S. passport and Social Security Number/Card (PDF 164K) for their newborn child at the same time that they apply for a CRBA. Please see our information on Passports for Minors.

For more detailed information on CRBAs and replacement copies of these documents, please see the Department of State's webpage on Documentation of U.S. Citizens Born Abroad.

Appointment System for American Citizen Services

The American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit uses an Appointment System for all services, including passport renewals (and passport extra pages), birth registrations, notarial services, and general inquiries.

Please make your appointment before you visit the Consular Section. Appointments may be made by calling the ACS Unit at 7 (343) 379-3001. Appointments are available Wednesdays (2:00 pm - 4:00 pm) and Fridays (9:00 am - 12:00 pm or 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm).