Birth Certificate for a U.S. Citizen Born Abroad: What a CRBA Is

A child born overseas to a U.S. citizen parent doesn’t receive a U.S. birth certificate. The birth is recorded by the country where it happened, and that foreign birth certificate is the child’s actual birth record. To document the child’s U.S. citizenship, parents apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), issued as Form FS-240 by a U.S. embassy or consulate. The CRBA costs $100, requires an in-person appointment with the child present, and is available only while the child is under 18.¹

What the CRBA Is and Isn’t

The State Department is direct about this: a CRBA is not a birth certificate, and it is not proof of the child’s legal parents or of custody.¹ What it does is certify that the child was a U.S. citizen at the moment of birth. You’ll use both documents going forward. The foreign birth certificate establishes the facts of birth (date, place, parents); the CRBA establishes U.S. citizenship for a passport, school enrollment, Social Security, and federal benefits.

Who Qualifies for a CRBA

A child born abroad doesn’t automatically become a U.S. citizen just because a parent is one. Federal law sets different residency requirements depending on the parents’ citizenship status, and this is where families are most often surprised.

Both Parents Are U.S. Citizens

If both parents are U.S. citizens, the child is a citizen at birth provided at least one parent lived in the United States or its territories at some point before the birth.² There’s no minimum length. Any period of prior residence works.

One U.S. Citizen Parent and One Non-Citizen Parent

The threshold is much higher here. The U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for at least five years before the child’s birth, and at least two of those years must have come after the parent turned 14.² A parent who moved abroad shortly after age 14 can fall just short of the post-14 requirement.

Time abroad on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces, working for the federal government, or with certain qualifying international organizations counts toward the five years. So does time abroad as a dependent in one of those households.²

One U.S. Citizen Parent and One U.S. National Parent

If the other parent is a U.S. national (generally a person from American Samoa or Swains Island), the citizen parent needs only one continuous year of physical presence in the United States before the child’s birth.²

Documents to Bring

The application form is DS-2029, which collects information on the child and both parents.³ Most embassies now handle it through the eCRBA system on MyTravelGov, though details vary by post.

Plan to bring originals and photocopies of the following:

The child’s foreign birth certificate from the local civil registry.
Proof of the U.S. parent’s citizenship: a valid or expired U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or prior CRBA.
The non-citizen parent’s passport, or two forms of government-issued photo ID.
The parents’ civil marriage certificate, if applicable, plus divorce decrees or death certificates for any prior marriages.
Evidence that the U.S. citizen parent meets the physical presence rules above.

Any document not in English must be accompanied by an English translation. Requirements for who can translate vary by embassy, so check with the post where you’ll apply.

Proving Physical Presence

Physical presence is where applications most often stall. You need documents that place the citizen parent inside the United States during specific periods. Accepted evidence includes U.S. school transcripts, W-2 wage statements with an employer letter, U.S. passports showing entry and exit stamps, military service records such as a DD-214, banking or credit card statements tied to U.S. locations, and Customs and Border Protection entry and exit records obtained by FOIA request.⁴ Overlapping evidence is stronger than any single document. A passport showing entries but not exits, for example, doesn’t tell the officer when you were actually in the country.

How to Apply

The process begins online at most posts. You’ll create a MyTravelGov account, start an eCRBA application, upload supporting documents, pay the $100 fee, and then schedule an in-person interview at the embassy or consulate.⁵ The fee is non-refundable, even if the application is denied. If your embassy doesn’t accept online payment, you can generally pay at the appointment.

The child must appear in person. One or both parents may attend; the State Department doesn’t require both.⁵ A consular officer reviews the originals, asks about the family’s history and the citizen parent’s time in the United States, and decides whether the statutory requirements are met.

After the Appointment

You won’t leave with the CRBA in hand. Approved documents are printed at a centralized facility and mailed. A typical wait is roughly three to four weeks after approval, though some posts take longer. If you applied for the child’s first passport at the same time, the two documents may arrive separately.

Before you sign anything, check that the names, dates, and place of birth on DS-2029 match the foreign birth certificate exactly. Mismatches are a leading cause of requests for additional evidence.

If Your Child Is Already 18

CRBAs are issued only to applicants under 18.¹ Missing the deadline doesn’t erase citizenship acquired at birth; it just means the CRBA isn’t the right document anymore. Adults can file Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS applies the law that was in effect on the applicant’s date of birth.⁶ The N-600 is optional. Many adults simply apply for a U.S. passport, which serves as both a travel document and proof of citizenship.

Getting a Social Security Number

Once you have the CRBA, the next practical step is a Social Security Number. The Social Security Administration accepts the FS-240 as proof of U.S. citizenship for a first-time SSN application. You’ll also present the child’s foreign birth certificate for proof of age, along with documents establishing your identity and relationship to the child. SSA requires originals and won’t accept photocopies or notarized copies. There is no fee. Children age 12 or older applying for a first number must appear in person for an interview.⁷

If you live overseas, you can begin the application at ssa.gov and finish it at a U.S. Social Security office during your next visit. Getting the SSN promptly matters for tax reasons: claiming the Child Tax Credit requires a valid SSN, and an ITIN doesn’t qualify.⁸

Replacing or Correcting a CRBA

Replacements and corrections are handled in the United States, not by the embassy that issued the original. Submit Form DS-5542, a photocopy of your valid photo ID, and a $50 check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State.⁹ DS-5542 must be signed before a notary public.

If you’re correcting an error rather than requesting a duplicate, you’ll also need original or certified documents supporting the change and the original CRBA itself. If the original was lost or destroyed, include a notarized statement explaining what happened.⁹ Mail the packet to the Passport Vital Records Section of the U.S. Department of State in Sterling, Virginia; the current address is on the State Department’s website.

1
Travel.State.Gov. Birth of U.S. Citizens and Non-Citizen Nationals Abroad
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1401 – Nationals and Citizens of United States at Birth
3
U.S. Department of State. Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America
4
U.S. Embassy & Consulates. The Consular Report of Birth Abroad and Proving Physical Presence
5
U.S. Embassy & Consulates. Consular Report of Birth Abroad
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Certificate of Citizenship
7
Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for Children
8
Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit
9
Travel.State.Gov. How to Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)