How Do I Get a Copy of My CRBA: Form, Fees, and Mailing

To get a copy of your CRBA, mail a notarized Form DS-5542, a photocopy of your valid photo ID, and a $50 check or money order to the U.S. Department of State’s Passport Vital Records Section in Sterling, Virginia. There is no online option. Processing runs about four to eight weeks after the office receives your package, not counting mail time on either end.¹

Who Is Allowed to Request a Copy

The State Department will only issue a certified replacement to a short list of requesters:

The person named on the CRBA, if they are 18 or older.
A parent listed on the original CRBA, for a child under 18. A legal guardian may also request one, but must include a copy of the court order granting guardianship.
An authorized government agency.
A third party holding notarized written permission from the person named on the CRBA (if that person is 18 or older).

Requests from anyone outside these categories will not be processed.²

What Goes in the Envelope

Three items, all mailed together.

A Notarized Form DS-5542

Complete Form DS-5542 in full. It asks for the name on the record at birth, any adoptive names, date and place of birth, parents’ or legal guardians’ full names, passport details if you have them, and the FS-240 serial number if known. Sign it in front of a notary and include your mailing address and phone number.¹

A Photo ID Copy

Send a legible photocopy of both the front and back of a valid photo ID. A state driver’s license, state non-driver photo ID, military ID, U.S. passport, VA ID, or prison ID all qualify.²

Payment

The fee is $50 per certified copy, paid by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Write your full mailing address on the check. Do not send cash.³

Where to Mail It

Send the complete package to:

U.S. Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213¹

Use certified mail or a tracked delivery service. A lost envelope means starting the request over from scratch.

Fees, Return Shipping, and How Long It Takes

$50 buys one certified copy. Need more than one? Add $50 for each additional copy. Two return-shipping choices:

USPS First Class Mail at no extra cost, delivered one to two weeks after processing finishes.
1-3 Day Delivery for an added $22.05, bringing the total to $72.05.¹

Plan on four to eight weeks of processing from the day Vital Records receives your package, plus mail time both ways. Incomplete packages sit until the missing item arrives. Older records without a known serial number can take longer because staff have to search archives by hand.²

There is no expedited processing. Paying for faster shipping only speeds the trip back to you, not the review.

Checking on a Request You’ve Already Sent

Once your DS-5542 is in the mail, you can ask for a status update through the web form on the State Department’s vital records page. Staff will reply within 21 days, but only if the answer is not already posted on the site. To change the mailing address on a pending request, call 202-485-8300 rather than using the web form. Do not send a second request while the first is being processed.¹

If You Also Need Something Corrected

Typos, name changes, adoption, and legitimation are handled through the same office, but the request is an amendment rather than a straight copy. You send a notarized written request describing the correction, certified copies of the documents that justify it (foreign birth certificate, marriage certificate, court-ordered name change, or adoption decree, depending on the situation), and either the original FS-240, a replacement FS-240, or a notarized statement about its whereabouts. The fee is $50 and processing runs about four to six weeks.⁴

Requesting a Deceased Person’s CRBA

The rules are stricter. The State Department will issue a copy to the deceased person’s parents or legal guardians, who must submit proof of their own identity, proof of their relationship to the deceased, and evidence of death such as a death certificate. Anyone else must supply either the parents’ consent or proof that both parents are also deceased.⁵

If a CRBA Was Never Filed for You

CRBAs are only issued for children under 18. If you were born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent but no CRBA was filed while you were a minor, you cannot obtain one now. The path forward is a first-time U.S. passport application at an embassy or consulate, where officers will evaluate whether your parent had enough U.S. physical presence to transmit citizenship under the law in effect when you were born. The issued passport then becomes your working proof of citizenship.⁶

1
U.S. Department of State. How to Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)
2
U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. How to Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad
3
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – Foreign Birth and Death Certificates
4
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan. Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)
5
U.S. Department of State. Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for Deceased Individuals
6
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the Netherlands. Claiming Citizenship (Age 18+) – Born Outside the United States