U.S. Embassy in Colombia

Eligibility Requirements

To apply for a CRBA at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota or the U.S. Consular Agency in Barranquilla, your child must be under the age of 18 and must appear in person for the interview. 

 Both parents should attend the interview.  To see if your child may qualify for U.S. citizenship at birth see Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship at Birth by a Child Born Abroad  and Birth of U.S. Citizens and Non-Citizen Nationals Abroad.  

 To be eligible to apply for a CRBA online, you MUST answer all the following criteria with YES. 

1. Was the child born in Colombia or Venezuela? 
2. Is the child under the age of 18? 
3. Was at least one parent a U.S. citizen or U.S. non-citizen national when the child was born? 
4. Can you use an internationally accepted credit/debit card or a direct payment method from a U.S. dollar denominated bank account (also known as “ACH”) to pay online for your Consular Report of Birth Abroad application? 

If any of the above statements do not apply to you, please contact us by filling out our ACS Contact Form.

Required Documents

At the time of the appointment, parents and child must appear in person and present the following documents:

View checklist in PDF (233KB)

1. Child’s Colombian birth certificate (original and one notarized copy). You must submit a certified copy of the child’s Colombian birth certificate. Colombian authorities generally issue two types of birth certificates; you must present the long-form version. If you have not registered your child’s birth in Colombia, you can do so at a Colombian notary’s office. Please visit the website of the Colombian Superintendent of Notaries  for Spanish-language information about Colombian notary services.

2. Parent(s)’ proof of identity and citizenship (original and one photocopy), e.g., one copy of photo page of passport(s), cédula or driver license. The originals will be returned.

3. Proof of physical presence of the U.S. citizen parent(s) in the United States sufficient to demonstrate the required time period  . This may include school transcripts, tax records, pay slips, lease agreements, passport stamps, Colombian entry/departure records, etc. Photocopies are acceptable.  We do not need original documents.

4. Parents’ Marriage/Divorce Certificate(s):

• • If parents are married, please provide an original or certified copy of the marriage certificate.
  • If parents were not married to each other at the time of child’s conception, please provide proof of the existence of the relationship at that time.
  • If one parent has sole custody, please provide the custody order.
  • Regardless of whether the parents were married to each other at the time of child’s conception and birth, both parents should also provide divorce or annulment certificates for any prior marriages, if applicable.

5. Prenatal records, that is, medical documents obtained during the pregnancy that show the baby’s due date.

6. Both parents and child should be present for the CRBA appointment in order to help establish biological relationship.

• Amend the Colombian birth certificate prior to issuance of the CRBA.
• If local authorities will not amend the original birth certificate to include the requested given name, you may request an immaterial name change on the U.S. passport or CRBA, such as dropping a last name (either patrilineal or matrilineal).
• For a material name change on the U.S. passport or CRBA, if amendment of the local birth certificate would entail unusual hardship, or is not provided for under Colombian law, the parent must provide:
  • An explanatory affidavit.
  • Supporting evidence reflecting use of the correct name.
  • Verification that the vital records office cannot or will not amend the original record.
• If the name change is requested after the issuance of the CRBA, obtain a legal name change via court order in the United States.

You may also be required to provide the following:

• Social Security Earnings Report for U.S. Citizen parent (RECOMMENDED) ssa.gov 
• Colombia Migration Report for both parents (RECOMMENDED) migracioncolombia.gov.co 
• Proof of relationship between parents and child (may include family photos before, during, and after the pregnancy; money/wire transfer receipts; hospital records; Colombian migration report; etc.)
• In some cases, consular officers may request DNA evidence to prove the biological relationship, a costly and time-consuming process. If DNA testing is requested during the interview, you will receive further instructions DNA Instructions.

IF ONLY ONE PARENT CAN ATTEND

If one custodial parent is not able to attend, s/he must submit a notarized Form DS-3053 Statement of Consent. The form can be downloaded here .  At the time the DS-3053 form is presented, a copy of the same identity document used to notarize the form must also be provided.

Alternatively, the applying parent may furnish one of the following documents:

• Child’s birth certificate listing only applying parent;
• Court Order granting sole custody to the applying parent (i.e. the absent parent has no access to the child.  Child’s travel must not be restricted by that order;
• Judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent, or death certificate of non-applying parent.

If the parents were not married at the time of the child’s birth and the U.S. citizen father is not able to attend the appointment, Form DS-5507 Affidavit of Parentage, Physical Presence and Support is required.  The form can be downloaded here (PDF). The form must be completed, signed and notarized, and should be presented along with a copy of the same identity document used to notarize the form.

Third party attendance at passport and CRBA appointment interviews

Generally, immediate family members may accompany passport or CRBA applicants to their appointment interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and all minor children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Passport or CRBA applicants also have the option of being accompanied by an attorney at their appointment interview.  Attendance by any third party, including an attorney, accompanying an applicant is subject to the following parameters designed to ensure an orderly appointment interview process and to maintain the integrity of the adjudication of the application(s):

Given space limitations in the consular section, not more than one attendee at a time will be allowed to accompany an applicant (or the applicant’s parent or guardian if the applicant is a minor).

Attendance by an attorney does not excuse the applicant and/or the minor applicant’s parent or guardian from attending the appointment interview in person.

The manner in which a passport or CRBA appointment interview is conducted, and the scope and nature of the inquiry, shall at all times be at the discretion of the consular officer, following applicable Departmental guidance.

It is expected that attorneys will provide their clients with relevant legal advice prior to, rather than at, the appointment interview, and will advise their clients prior to the appointment interview that the client will participate in the appointment interview with minimal assistance.

Attorneys may not engage in any form of legal argumentation during the appointment interview and before the consular officer.

Attendees other than a parent or guardian accompanying a minor child may not answer a consular officer’s question on behalf or in lieu of an applicant, nor may they summarize, correct, or attempt to clarify an applicant’s response, or interrupt or interfere with an applicant’s responses to a consular officer’s questions.

To the extent that an applicant does not understand a question, s/he should seek clarification from the consular officer directly.

The consular officer has sole discretion to determine the appropriate language(s) for communication with the applicant, based on the facility of both officer and applicant and the manner and form that best facilitate communication between the consular officer and the applicant.  Attendees may not demand that communications take place in a particular language solely for the benefit of the attendee.  Nor may attendees object to or insist on the participation of an interpreter in the appointment interview, to the qualifications of any interpreter, or to the manner or substance of any translation.

No attendee may coach or instruct applicants as to how to answer a consular officer’s question.

Attendees may not object to a consular officer’s question on any ground (including that the attendee regards the question to be inappropriate, irrelevant, or adversarial), or instruct the applicant not to answer a consular officer’s question.  Attendees may not interfere in any manner with the consular officer’s ability to conduct all inquiries and fact-finding necessary to exercise his or her responsibilities to adjudicate the application.

During a passport or CRBA appointment interview, attendees may not discuss or inquire about other applications.

Attendees may take written notes, but may not otherwise record the appointment interviews.

Attendees may not engage in any other conduct that materially disrupts the appointment interview.  For example, they may not yell at or otherwise attempt to intimidate or abuse a consular officer or staff, and they may not engage in any conduct that threatens U.S. national security or the security of the embassy or its personnel.  Attendees must follow all security policies of the Department of State and the U.S. embassy or consulate where the appointment interview takes place.

Attendees may not engage in any conduct that violates this policy and/or otherwise materially disrupts the appointment interview.  Failure to observe these parameters will result in a warning to the attendee and, if ignored, the attendee may be asked to leave the appointment interview and/or the premises, as appropriate.  It would then be the applicant’s choice whether to continue the appointment interview without the attendee present, subject to the consular officer’s discretion to terminate the appointment interview.  The safety and privacy of all applicants awaiting consular services, as well as of consular and embassy personnel, is of paramount consideration.