Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen

General Information

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA or Form FS-579)

A (CRBA or Form FS-579) is an official record of U.S. citizenship issued to a person under age 18 who was born abroad to United States citizen parent(s) and acquired citizenship at birth.  Schools, the Social Security Agency, and other institutions throughout the United States accept it and give it the same credence they give to birth certificates issued by state authorities in the United States.

Only the child's biological parent or legal guardian, preferably the U.S. citizen parent, can apply for a CRBA by completing the form.  Additionally, the child must make a personal appearance at the US Embassy.  The application must be made before the child's eighteenth birthday.  We encourage parents to document their child(ren)'s citizenship as soon as possible after the birth(s). Delays in reporting of the birth of your child could cause inconvenience and possibly deprive your child of this valuable document because persons age 18 and over are not eligible for a CRBA.

Applications for a CRBA and passport of the child(ren) may be submitted simultaneously.

The CRBA fee is $65.00, payable either in U.S. or CFA currency; cash only. The fee is subject to change without notice.

In order for a child to be documented as a U.S. citizen, the U.S. citizen parent(s) must:
Meet the residence requirements in the U.S. to transmit citizenship (the requirements depend on the date of the child's birth and the legal relationship between the parents at the time of birth),

Establish a legitimate, legal and biological relationship with their child and

Have been a US citizen at the time of the child's birth.
Children born out of wed-lock to a U.S. citizen father must be legally legitimated.

NOTE: Adopted children do not acquire citizenship automatically upon adoption. However, they may be eligible for citizenship through naturalization pursuant to a lawful admission into the US as a permanent resident. (See our Adoption or the Department of State's Child Citizenship Act of 2000 page for more information.)

NOTE: Biological children of US citizens who do not meet the above requirements and therefore did not obtain US citizenship at birth may be able to obtain US citizenship under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.