Consular Report of Birth Abroad

A child born to a U.S. citizen parent usually acquires U.S. citizenship at birth. More detailed information on the acquisition of U.S. citizenship is available on the main webpage of the Consular Affairs Bureau of the Department of State. The same webpage contains information on how to obtain a Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen. Parents may download the Application for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad.  Consular Affairs Bureau of the Department of State created a new page dedicated to Reports of Birth Abroad. 

The Report of Birth Abroad is the child's proof of U.S. citizenship and can be used to acquire a U.S. passport. Parents are encouraged to contact the Embassy as soon as possible after the birth of the child.

If the child was born out-of-wedlock (see Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad for clarification) to a U.S. citizen father, Affidavit of Parentage, Physical Presence and Support is a required document to submit.  Completing this form prior to the visit to the Consular Section to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will save our customers time and is therefore, recommended. 

NEW!

Redesigned Consular Report of Birth Abroad

The Department of State is pleased to announce the introduction of a redesigned Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, or Form FS-240).  The redesigned CRBA, which is an official record confirming that a child born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents acquired U.S. citizenship at birth and serves as proof of citizenship, has been updated with a variety of state-of-the-art security features to help prevent fraud and identity theft.

Beginning January 18, 2011, overseas posts will still document the citizenship of children born overseas to U.S.-citizen parents, but the CRBAs will be printed at our passport agencies in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and New Orleans, Louisiana, using the information provided by overseas posts.  By centralizing production and eliminating the distribution of controlled blank stock throughout the world, we will help ensure uniform quality and lessen the possibility of fraud. Additionally, the Department will no longer issue the DS-1350 Certification of Report of Birth Abroad. Instead, the Department will simply provide new FS-240s in response to requests for additional, replacement, or amended CRBAs.