Birth of a U.S. Citizen or Non-Citizen National

You may apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) if your child was born in a foreign country and at least 1 parent was a U.S. citizen when your child was born.

A CRBA documents that a child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth.

• Upon application, the Department may issue a CRBA to a child born abroad who acquired U.S. citizenship at birth through his or her U.S. citizen parent(s).
• A CRBA application must be submitted before the child turns 18 unless otherwise authorized by the Department.
• The parent(s) through whom the child acquired U.S. citizenship must be listed on the CRBA.
• A U.S. citizen parent who must be listed on the CRBA may ask the Department to also list another parent.
• A CRBA is not a birth certificate. 
• A CRBA is not proof of the child’s legal parents or custody.

You can apply online at most U.S embassies and consulates:  

• Visit the website for the U.S. embassy or consulate for your destination to get steps on how to apply.  
• Visit MyTravelGov to start the process of applying online.  

A transmitting U.S. citizen parent, who will not be present for the CRBA appointment, may complete Form DS-5507 PDF or present other evidence meeting the requirements of the law if:  

• The parent who will be present for the CRBA appointment is not a U.S. citizen; or 
• The transmitting parent is a father, and the child was born out of wedlock. 

The transmitting U.S. citizen parent completing the DS-5507 can sign it under oath at a U.S. embassy or consulate or before a U.S. notary public, or before a local official who registers births under oath. 

Our Vital Records Office  can help you replace or change a CRBA and can provide more copies of a CRBA upon request at any time. 

If you were born in one of the U.S. territories listed below, you were not born in a foreign country and so are not eligible for a CRBA. You are, however, a U.S.  citizen or national and eligible to apply for a U.S. passport.

The locations and time periods include:

• Puerto Rico after April 10, 1899 
• U.S. Virgin Islands after January 16, 1917 
• American Samoa after February 15, 1900 
• Guam after December 23, 1952 
• Swains Island after March 3, 1925 
• The Panama Canal Zone before October 1, 1979 
• The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands after January 8, 1978 (8PM EST) 
• The Philippines before July 4, 1946