Consular Report of Birth Abroad

The United States Embassy in Mexico City strongly encourages all U.S. citizens who have children born in Mexico to register them as U.S. citizens as soon as possible after the birth of the child. Upon registration, the child will be issued a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America (CRBA), which is an official record confirming that the child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth.  A CRBA can be issued only at an U.S. consular office overseas, and only before the child reaches 18 years of age.

Applications for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad are accepted by appointment only for the U.S. Embassy Mexico City Consular District – see Scheduling CRBA appointments below.  The application and physical presence statement may be picked up at the Embassy’s American Citizen Services Office, or they can be e-mailed upon request.  All forms must be completed prior to the scheduled appointment.

The application fee for a CRBA is $100 USD. Some parents choose to apply for a CRBA and passport for their child at the same time. Please click on the following for the passport requirements for minors as well as associated passport fees.

Additional information is available on the Department of State’s website at http://www.travel.state.gov/law/family_issues/birth/birth_593.html.   

Scheduling CRBA appointments – The applying parent should email the completed DS-2029 as well as the Affidavit of Parentage and Physical Presence to MexicoCitypassport@state.gov.  

In the email, please be sure to include the applicant’s name, parent's contact information and the completed forms. Once the information has been reviewed, a reply e-mail will be sent indicating how to schedule the appointment.

Generally, parents seeking to obtain a CRBA for a child born after November 1986 must be able to demonstrate to the interviewing consular officer that:

• The child is the biological child of at least one U.S. citizen parent; 
• At least one of the parents was a U.S. citizen on the date of the child’s birth; and  
• The U.S. citizen parent resided in the United States for the required period of time. 

For more information on these requirements, please go to the Department of State’s website at http://www.travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_5199.html.  Please note that the period of physical presence in the United States required to transmit citizenship to a child born abroad varies, depending on the date of birth of the child and the marital status of the parents.

At the time of the appointment, the parents of the child must present:

• Original or Certified Copy of the Mexican Birth Certificate, a provisional copy cannot be accepted.
• Proof of Parent’s Citizenship: Please show one of the following documents for one or both parents: US Passport (valid or recently expired), original U.S. birth certificate or original Certificate of Naturalization.
• Proof of Both Parents Identity: driver’s license, state ID card, Mexican voting card (IFE), passport, etc.
• Marriage Certificate: If parents are married, please provide an original or certified copy of the marriage certificate and any prior divorce decrees (if applicable).  If the parents were not married at the time of child’s conception, please provide proof of the existence of the relationship at that time.
• Proof of parents’ presence in Mexico:  INM tourist card, FM-2, FM-3, Mexican passport, etc.
• Prenatal Documents and/or documents from hospital where the applicant was born: ultra sounds, prescriptions, medical records, identification bracelet, crib card, discharge orders, hospital bill, photos of the mother during pregnancy and in the hospital before and after the birth.  

Proof of the transmitting parent’s physical presence in the United States:

• For more information on this requirements, please go to the Department of State’s website at http://www.travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_5199.html. 
• The period of physical presence need not be continuous.  Presence must be proven with concrete evidence (school transcripts, tax forms with accompanying W-2, Social Security earnings statement, pay receipts, passport with entry and exit stamps, etc.).