Overview – Consular Report of Birth Abroad
A child born outside the United States may be a U.S. Citizen at birth if one or both parents meet the requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Sections 301 or 309. A major requirement is that at least one parent must be a U.S. citizen at the time of the child’s birth. Either parent may apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America (CRBA) on behalf of their minor child. The CRBA documents the child’s U.S. citizenship.
When to Apply: We recommend that parents apply for the CRBA as soon as possible after the child’s birth. You must submit your child’s CRBA application before their 18th birthday. Unlike a passport, the CRBA is not a travel document. However, you can apply for the child’s U.S. passport at the same time as the CRBA. You should apply for a passport well before any travel to the United States. U.S. law requires U.S. citizens to enter and leave the United States using their U.S. passport, even if they hold another nationality and passport.
Applying for a CRBA is a simple process. You must gather the required documents and submit them online. The online system allows you to upload required documents and pay the application fees. Once the application is complete the Embassy will contact you to schedule your in-person CRBA interview. On the day of your appointment, you will go in person with your child to the U.S. embassy, consulate, or office providing consular services. One or both parents may go with your child to the appointment. If the applying parent is not a U.S. citizen, the U.S. citizen parent must complete form DS-5507. The consular officer will review your documents at the interview and let you know of any problems or questions.
How to Apply for a CRBA
You must complete the application for a CRBA online via MyTravelGov, where you are required to upload all required documents and submit payment prior to the in-person interview. This allows the consular officer to check the documents you submitted before you visit us in person. If there’s an issue or missing document, we can contact you to fix it before your appointment. On the day of your appointment, you must provide the original versions of the uploaded documents. Follow these steps to apply online:
- Register for a MyTravelGov account. Use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome web browser. Visit the MytravelGov portal and select “Sign In.” Then, select “login with login.gov.” If you do not have a login.gov account already, select “create an account” to create one.* Watch this video to learn more about creating your account: US State Department MyTravelGov Online Account Creation Tutorial 2022 – YouTube.
- Create an eCRBA application. Select “Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)” on the MyTravelGov homepage. Choose “New Application,” and follow the prompts.
- Schedule an in-person interview. After you submit the eCRBA application and payment, you will see a confirmation screen with a “Schedule” button. Please note, Embassy Kampala does not use this online scheduling feature. Please be advised that, due to high demand, the waiting time for CRBA appointments can be up to 90 days. We recommend that you plan accordingly and submit your appointment request as early as possible.
- Attend your appointment with your child at the scheduled time. Bring all necessary original documentation with you. Original documents will be returned to you after reviewing your application. You must provide English translations for all foreign language documents. The child must be present at the time of interview. Only one parent is required at the CRBA interview, although its preferable if both parents attend the interview. Bring an interpreter if you cannot speak English.
*Note: Applicants must have a Login.gov account to access eCRBA services on the MyTravelGov portal. If you already have an eCRBA application in progress, use the same email address to create your login.gov account. This will link your existing application to the login.gov authentication system.
CRBA Fees
The Consular Report of Birth Abroad fee is $100 USD per child. Payment must be made through Pay.gov. You will be prompted to complete the online payment after submitting your eCRBA application.
Which U.S. Embassy should you apply to?
CRBA applicants should make an appointment at their nearest U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or office providing consular services, based on where they currently reside and ideally in the country where the child was born. Final decisions on CRBA applications are made by the U.S. Embassy located in the country of the child’s birth. For example, if a child is born in Uganda and resides in Uganda, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala will interview and complete the CRBA application. However, if a child was born in Kenya and currently resides in Uganda, although the applicants can be interviewed at U.S. Embassy Kampala, the CRBA case will be transferred to U.S. Embassy Nairobi for final decision. Due to ongoing conflict in Sudan, CRBA cases for all children born in Sudan will be transferred to U.S. Embassy Cairo for final decision.
What documents are required to apply for a CRBA?
The eCRBA application will guide you through the process and help you understand which documents to provide, as well as what type of documents are acceptable. You must provide supporting documents to show:
- Record of child’s birth
- Evidence of biological relationship between the child and parents
- Proof of U.S. nationality for transmitting parents(s) (typically, a U.S. passport, birth certificate, or U.S. Naturalization Certificate)
- Parents’ identification
- Evidence of parents’ marriages and/or termination of marriages by death or divorce
- Evidence of legal relationship and financial support (only in certain cases)
- Residence and physical presence in the United States, its outlying territories, or qualifying U.S. government service overseas prior to the child’s birth
- If one parent is not a U.S. citizen or if the U.S. citizen parent passing citizenship to your child is not present, that parent who is not present should complete Form DS-5507. Use this form to list the periods of time the parent, who is not present, spent in the United States. The original signed and notarized document must be presented at the interview.
- If your child was born out-of-wedlock, and the father is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen U.S national, use Form DS-5507. The father of the child must sign Form DS-5507 at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or in front of an official who registers births or gives oaths.
You must scan, save, and upload documents in each section of the eCRBA application prior to the day of the interview. You must bring the original documents to the in-person interview where a consular officer will verify all original documents.
Children Born Through Surrogacy
If your child was born abroad through surrogacy, you may apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) to document your child’s U.S. citizenship.
Click here for detailed Information on CRBA Requirements for Surrogacy Cases
CRBA Eligibility Requirements for children born in Uganda
To apply for a CRBA in Uganda, your child must have been born in Uganda and you must travel to U.S. Embassy Kampala for an in-person interview. The U.S. citizen parent must have become a U.S. citizen prior to the child’s birth, and the CRBA application must be submitted prior to the child’s 18th birthday. For CRBA applications submitted in Uganda, the following evidence will be required:
PROOF OF IDENTITY AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
Applicant’s government-issued, long form birth certificate
Please bring the original, government-issued, long form birth certificate. In Uganda, this birth certificate is issued by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). The main NIRA office is located at 16 Upper Kololo Terrace (at the Kololo air strip) in Kampala, other NIRA locations are listed on their website. A birth notice issued by a hospital is not sufficient.
NOTE: The names of the child and parent(s) listed on the birth certificate must appear in the same order. For each name, the surname should be listed first and then the given name(s). If there is a discrepancy with name order on the birth certificate, you will be asked to get a new one.
Evidence of parent’s U.S. citizenship
The U.S. citizen parent must have been a U.S. citizen at the time of the applicant’s birth. The U.S. citizen parent(s) must present original proof of his/her U.S. citizenship, such as a valid or expired U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Naturalization, or Certificate of Citizenship.
Passport/Identification document for non-U.S. citizen parent
A non-U.S. citizen parent must bring his/her passport or other form of photo identification, such as a national ID or refugee ID.
PHYSICAL PRESENCE/RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
Evidence of physical presence in the United States
The U.S. citizen parent must provide proof of sufficient physical presence in the United States before the applicant’s birth in order to transmit citizenship. If only one parent is a U.S. citizen they must provide evidence to establish 5 years physical presence, 2 of which were after age 14, in the U.S. before the child’s birth. Documents that may establish your physical presence in the U.S. include income tax transcripts from www.irs.gov, income tax returns and W2s, school transcripts, old passports, a Military Statement of Service or DD-214 Separation Statement (military members only).
LEGITIMATION/LEGAL RELATIONSHIP
Parents’ marriage certificate, if applicable
Please bring the original marriage certificate, issued by a court or religious authority having legal authorization to perform marriages in the country where the marriage took place. Ugandan marriage certificates should be certified by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB). For marriages outside Uganda, please bring certified translations if the certificate is not in English.
Divorce and annulment decrees/death certificates, if applicable
Both parents must provide evidence of termination of all prior marriages. Please bring certified translations if the decrees or certificates are not in English. Please bring the original divorce decree/annulment decree/death certificate. For a death that occurred in Uganda, please provide a NIRA death certificate or an original Consular Report of Death Abroad issued by the U.S. Embassy.
BLOOD RELATIONSHIP
Prenatal records and/or other evidence of mother’s pregnancy
Please bring original documents that show evidence of the mother’s prenatal (antenatal) medical care. These are helpful in establishing the existence of the pregnancy as well as the biological relationship of the applicant to the mother, regardless of her citizenship.
Evidence of the couple’s physical presence in the same location at the time of conception
If the parents do not habitually reside together, please provide the parents’ passport(s) with entry/exit stamps to confirm they were together at the time of conception. If the original passport(s) will not be presented during the interview, notarized copies of all the pages of the passports may be presented. Note: Documents should be notarized by a U.S. commissioned notary or U.S. consular officer. Flight records and/or entry and exit records from a country may also be helpful.
NOTE: DNA testing is a useful tool for verifying a stated biological relationship when no other form of credible evidence is available. However, DO NOT initiate DNA testing unless it was recommended by a Consular Officer for your pending CRBA application. The Embassy WILL NOT accept a DNA test conducted independently outside of Department of State procedures.
Additional Resources
- Access the eCRBA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
- You can view an eCRBA application how-to-guide.
- For questions or concerns please contact KampalaCRBA@state.gov.
Other Important Information
Passport applications: Passport applications must be completed and submitted separately from the eCRBA process. It may be possible to complete and submit a passport application on the day of the in-person CRBA interview. See passport application requirements.
Social Security Number applications: Please note that an application for a Social Security Number can only be submitted after receiving the original Consular Report of Birth Abroad and Passport. To obtain a Social Security Number for your child, see further details.