Consular Report of Birth Abroad

A Consular Report of Birth (CRBA) is evidence of United States citizenship, issued to a child born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents who meet the requirements for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). ADD – Please note that a CRBA is not a travel document; even if your child holds another nationality, he or she must enter and exit the United States on a U.S. passport.  If you plan to travel with your child we strongly recommended that you submit an application for your child’s U.S. passport at the same time as the CRBA appointment.

Please note that due to the complexity of the CRBA process, applicants cannot make an appointment for to complete the CRBA interview via our website. Please send your request for a CRBA interview to MuscatACS@state.gov. Applicants seeking a CRBA that schedule a passport or notarial appointment through the American Citizen service website will be required to reschedule their appointment.

CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18th birthday, and we recommend that the parents apply for the CRBA as soon as possible after the child’s birth. For applicants older than age 18 who have never been issued a CRBA, please refer to Possible Derivative Claim to U.S. Citizenship. Anyone who has a claim to U.S. citizenship must be in possession of a valid U.S passport to enter and exit the United States, even if they have citizenship of another country, as well.

In order to transmit U.S. citizenship to your child, you will need to meet the following criteria:

  • At least one parent having the nationality of United States at the time of child’s birth
  • The existence of a blood relationship between the child and U.S. citizen parent(s)
  • U.S. citizen parent(s)’ presence in the United States prior to the child’s birth
  • Proof of the U.S. citizen parent(s)’ legitimate/legal relationship

Note: for CRBA and first-time passport applications, the name of the applicant should match their birth document(s). Material changes to the applicant’s name must be supported by an amended document or other name change evidence. An affidavit from the parents is not sufficient to establish a material name change. The only exception to this regulation is when obtaining an amended birth certificate would present substantial hardship or if local vital records offices will not amend a birth certificate.

If the U.S. citizen parent does not meet the transmission requirements and the child is under 18 years of age, the child may be eligible for expeditious naturalization.

You may be asked to provide additional documentation at the time of your interview. By regulation you will have 90 days to submit the requested documentation or the case will be closed for insufficient evidence to establish U.S. citizenship of the applicant. All fees are non-refundable.