Embassy of the United States

If your child has a claim to U.S. citizenship, it will be necessary for the U.S. citizen parent(s) to execute an application for a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" before a consular officer. This Report is official evidence of citizenship issued to a person under the age of 18 who was born abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s) and acquired citizenship at birth.

An application for a Consular Report of Birth must be made, in person, through a pre-arranged appointment.  The child must accompany the parents to the Embassy or Consulate. You may also apply for your child's first passport when you report your child's birth.

Note: If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, and that parent is not presently in this country, please contact the Embassy or Consulate for further instructions.

Please read the following information provided on this page before scheduling an appointment and note Please note, that original/certified documents should not be laminated as doing so will invalidate the document.

To Apply for your child's Consular Report of Birth Abroad you will need the following:

1. Complete Form DS-2029 (PDF - 1,004kb): Application for Consular Report of Birth;
2. Supporting Documents; and
3. Although not required by law, we recommend that you present one passport photograph at the time of the interview.  We will reject any photographs that do not meet the specified requirements. Vending machine photographs and photographs printed on a home computer are unacceptable.

Please remember to bring all required application forms and documentation with you to the appointment.  If you do not, you may be required to schedule a new interview.

• Child's Foreign Birth Certificate:  This is the British birth certificate issued by local authorities.  The document must show the parents' names.  There is a short-form birth certificate, which does not show the parents' names and is not acceptable for documenting your child as a U.S. citizen. 
• Evidence of Parents' Citizenship and Identity: Your current passport is the preferred form of proof.  Your U.S. birth certificate or naturalization certificate is also acceptable, but you must also present photo identification.
• If you are married, we need to see your original certificate issued by local, state, or national government authorities. If married in the United States, please provide a state certificate issued by the civil authorities. If your marriage certificate is in a language other than English, a certified translation must be provided.
• If you have prior marriages, we need to see your original divorce decree, annulment, or the death certificate.  If divorced in the United Kingdom, please submit the Decree Absolute and Decree Nisi.  If your document is in a language other than English, a certified translation must be provided. 
• Proof that the U.S. citizen parent has lived in the United States long enought to transmit citizenship to his/her child.  How long is long enough?  That will depend on whether the parents are married, and whether one or both is a U.S. citizen.  How you can prove you were physically present will depend on your situation.  Examples of acceptable evidence include: current/previous passports showing entry/exist stamps, school/college transcripts and miltary records.  The more that you can provide, the easier it will be for the consular officer to approve the report of birth.  Further information concerning physical presence requirements is available by clicking on this link.  

Application Fee

The application fee is $100.00. The fee is paid on the day of the appointment.  Accepted payment methods are:

• Credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club, or Debit card - Visa or Mastercard only using the Card Payment Form;
• International Money Order to the exact U.S. dollar amount made payable to the "United States Disbursing Officer";
• Banker's Draft drawn in U.S. dollars only on a bank in the United States made payable to the "United States Disbursing Officer"; or 
• If applying for the service in London or Belfast, cash - dollars or sterling equivalent.

Please Note: We are not authorized to accept personal checks. Money Orders or Banker's Drafts must have been issued within the last five months.  The Consular Report of Birth fee is a  non-refundable processing fee and is retained by the Department of State  whether or not the Consular Report of Birth is issued.

To Apply for Your Child’s First U.S. Passport (in conjunction with a Consular Report of Birth Application) you will need the following:  

1. Completed form DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport click here for Form DS-11 [PDF - 1,004kb].  Please ignore pages one and two of the printed instruction pages, as they do not apply when applying for your passport in the United Kingdom.  Form DS-11 must be printed on separate sheets of paper; do NOT print this form on front and back of the same sheet;
2. Any foreign passport that the child may currently hold or is included in;
3. One passport photograph: We will reject any photographs that do not meet the specified requirements. Vending machine photographs and photographs printed on a home computer are unacceptable;
4. If only one parent is able to accompany the child to the appointment, we will require Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) completed by the absent parent.  It must be notarized before a U.S. Notary Public, British Notary Public, or British Solicitor.  The notary or solicitor must place his/her official seal upon the document.  U.S. Embassies and Consulates can also notarize Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent).  Please note this document must be no more than 3 months old and accompanied by one of the following:
   • Valid U.S. or foreign passport;
   • Clear photocopy of the identity and signature pages';
   • U.S./U.K. driver's license; or
   • U.S. military ID.

Application Fee.

The fee for an applicant under the age of 16 is $105.00; those aged 16 and over is $135.00.  Payment is made on the day of the appointment.  Accepted payment methods are the same as previously stated.

Please Note:  The fee is a non-refundable processing fee and is retained by the Department of State whether or not the passport is issued.

Applying for Your Child’s Social Security Card

If your child is under the age of five, and you are applying for both a Consular Report of Birth Abroad and a first U.S. passport you may also submit Form SS-5 to apply for a Social Security Number Card for your child.  You should bring the form with you to the Embassy and hand it to the Consular Officer at the time of your application.  Please do not mail the form to the United States, as this may delay the application. 

The Federal Benefits Unit of the Embassy in London will process the application.  It will generally take 3-4 weeks for the card to be mailed directly to you from the United States.

Download the Checklist

You can download our handy checklist to make sure that you have all the required documentation to report the birth of your child and/or apply for their first passport.  Download the checklist here. 

Scheduling the Appointment

You are required to report the birth of your child in person through a pre-arranged appointment. Please note that if you also wish to apply for your child's first U.S. passport, it is not necessary to book separate appointments for these services.  On scheduling an appointment, you will receive a Confirmation Sheet.  Please print this page and bring it with you to the interview.  

If you reside in England or Wales and will be reporting the birth of your child at the U.S. Embassy in London, please follow this link for further information.

If you reside in Northern Ireland and will be reporting the birth of your child at the U.S. Consulate General in Belfast, please follow this link for further information. 

If you reside in Scotland and will be reporting the birth of your child at the U.S. Consulate General in Edinburgh, please follow this link for further information.