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Report of Birth Abroad
 

The birth of a child abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s) should be reported as soon as possible to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate 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 CRBA or form DS-2029 which can be loaded at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/156216.pdf (PDF 52.34kb), is considered a basic United States citizenship document. An original DS-2029 is furnished to the parent(s) at the time the registration is approved.

Reporting the Birth

A Consular Report of Birth can be prepared only at an American Consular Office overseas while the child is under the age of 18. Usually, in order to establish the child’s citizenship under the appropriate provisions of U.S. law, the following documents must be submitted:

  1. an official record of the child’s foreign birth; (e.g. hospital Birth Certificate, Commune Birth Certificate)
  2. evidence of the parent(s)’ U.S. citizenship (e.g. a certified birth certificate, current U.S. passport, or Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship)
  3. evidence of the parents’ marriage, if applicable
  4. Affidavit of Parentage and Physical Presence (DS-5507)
  5. A service fee of $100 is prescribed under the provisions of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 22.1, item 9, for a Consular Report of Birth.
  6. 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.