Reports of Birth - Changes in 2011

December 16, 2010, updated January 19, 2011

The Department of State is pleased to announce the introduction of a redesigned Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, or Form FS-240). The redesigned CRBA, which is an official record confirming that a child born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents acquired U.S. citizenship at birth and serves as proof of citizenship, has been updated with a variety of state-of-the-art security features to help prevent fraud and identity theft.

Beginning January 2011, overseas posts will still document the citizenship of children born overseas to U.S.-citizen parents, but the CRBAs will be printed at our passport agencies in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and New Orleans, Louisiana, using the information provided by overseas posts. By centralizing production we will help ensure uniform quality and lessen the possibility of fraud. Additionally, the Department will no longer issue the DS-1350 Certification of Report of Birth Abroad. Instead, the Department will simply provide new FS-240 forms in response to requests for additional, replacement, or amended CRBAs.

Unfortunately, in order to upgrade our systems to accommodate this change, we are unable to produce CRBA documents for the time being. We will still accept CRBA appointments during this time for the convenience of parents; submitted documents will be held at the Embassy and processed as soon as CRBAs are able to be produced in the U.S.

We are uncertain when the change will be successfully completed, so please check this page for updates.

For children needing to travel in the meantime, it remains possible to obtain a U.S. passport, provided the child’s U.S. citizenship can be proved. Please contact us at consulbratislava@state.gov if this applies to you, and we will help you navigate the process.