HOW TO APPLY FOR A CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD (CRBA)

PLEASE REVIEW OUR SECURITY PROCEDURES PRIOR TO YOUR VISIT.

The American Citizen Services Unit receives applications for Reports of Birth by appointment only.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IN ORDER TO PROCESS A CHILD’S CLAIM TO U.S. CITIZENSHIP, THE U.S. PARENT MUST ESTABLISH THAT S/HE IS THE BIOLOGICAL PARENT. IF YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN, HAVE A FOREIGN-BORN ADOPTED CHILD AND WANT TO REGISTER HIM/HER AS A U.S CITIZEN, PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION IN U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR A FOREIGN-BORN ADOPTED CHILD.

The American Embassy in Caracas strongly encourages all U.S. citizens who have children born in Venezuela to register them as U.S. citizens as soon as possible after the birth of the child. Upon registration, the child will be issued a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America (CRBA), which is an official record confirming that the child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth. A CRBA can be issued only at an American Consular Office overseas, and only before the child reaches 18 years of age.

To register your Venezuela-born child as a U.S. citizen you must:

1. Determine whether your child has a claim for U.S. citizenship:

IF YOUR CHILD WAS BORN AFTER NOVEMBER 14th, 1986: he/she can claim U.S. citizenship if he/she meets ONE of the following conditions at birth:

• BOTH OF THE CHILD'S BIOLOGICAL PARENTS ARE U.S. CITIZENS and at least one parent has had a residence in the U.S. or its territories before the child’s birth.
• ONLY ONE OF THE CHILD'S BIOLOGICAL PARENTS IS A U.S. CITIZEN, the child's parents are married, and the U.S. citizen parent has lived at least five (5) years in the U.S. prior to the child’s birth, with a two-year (2) presence after the age of fourteen (14).
• THE CHILD IS THE BIOLOGICAL SON OR DAUGHTER OF AN UNMARRIED AMERICAN MALE who has lived at least five (5) years in the U.S. prior to the child’s birth, with a two-year (2) presence after the age of fourteen (14). Father acknowledges paternity and must agree in writing to support child until the child is 18 years old.
• THE CHILD IS THE BIOLOGICAL SON OR DAUGHTER OF AN UNMARRIED AMERICAN FEMALE who has spent at least 365 days of uninterrupted physical presence in the U.S. at any time prior to the child's birth.

IF YOUR CHILD WAS BORN BEFORE NOVEMBER 14th, 1986: he/she can claim U.S. citizenship if he/she meets ONE of the following conditions at birth:

• BOTH OF THE CHILD'S BIOLOGICAL PARENTS ARE U.S. CITIZENS and at least one parent has had a residence in the U.S. or its territories before the child’s birth.
• ONLY ONE OF THE CHILD'S BIOLOGICAL PARENTS IS A U.S. CITIZEN, the child's parents are married, and the U.S. citizen parent has lived at least ten (10) years in the U.S. prior to the child’s birth, with a five-year (5) presence after the age of fourteen (14).
• THE CHILD IS THE BIOLOGICAL SON OR DAUGHTER OF AN UNMARRIED AMERICAN MALE who has lived at least ten (10) years in the U.S. prior to the child’s birth, with a five-year (5) presence after the age of fourteen (14). Father acknowledges paternity and must agree in writing to support child until the child is 18 years old.
• THE CHILD IS THE BIOLOGICAL SON OR DAUGHTER OF AN UNMARRIED AMERICAN FEMALE who has spent at least 365 days of uninterrupted physical presence in the U.S. at any time prior to the child's birth.

2. If your child qualifies for US citizenship, assemble and complete the following documents. All documentation must be provided in original and two (2) copies:

• Form DS-2029, Consular Report of Birth Abroad filled out using capital letters in BLACK INK and NOT SIGNED. Please read the instructions carefully before filling out this form.
• Form DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport filled out using capital letters in BLACK INK and NOT SIGNED.
• Affidavit of physical presence/parentage. If the U.S. citizen parent is deceased, you must fill out the Affidavit of Physical Presence when an American Citizen is deceased. This form must be filled out using capital letters in BLACK INK and CANNOT BE SIGNED.
• Form SS-5-FS. to apply for a social security number. You can expect to receive the card from the Social Security Administration in approximately 6 months.
• Child's Venezuelan birth certificate. PLEASE NOTE: Venezuelan birth certificates MUST be legalized (Hague Convention Apostille).
• Child's passport issued by Venezuela or other foreign country if available.
• Hospital’s Certification of Live Birth.
• Valid U.S. passport (s) of American citizen parent (s). Mutilated, altered, or damaged passports are NOT acceptable as proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Up to date photo ID (if recognizable) of the non-U.S. citizen parent issued by a government entity, such as a valid Venezuelan cedula, a Venezuelan or other foreign passport. Mutilated, altered, or damaged identifications are NOT acceptable as proof of identity.
• Marriage certificate, if parents are married. Venezuelan marriage certificate (Acta de Matrimonio) MUST be on sealed paper (papel sellado). U.S. marriage certificate MUST have a raised seal.
• Divorce decree, annulment decree or death certificate: It will be necessary to show termination of all prior marriages.
• You must submit two color passport photos, size 2 inches x 2 inches
(5 cm x 5 cm), taken within the last six months. The photos must have a white background. The photos cannot have any visible grain or dots from the printing process. The photos must have a glossy finish.
• Documents that will certify U.S. parent's physical presence in the United States. School, college or university transcripts, old U.S. passports, certified true job letters or military records can constitute physical presence proof. Income tax records or Social Security reports tend to substantiate some presence, but they DO NOT necessarily satisfy the requirement.

The following documents are NOT considered sufficient proof of Physical Presence in the United States: 1040 Income tax forms without the W-2, Social Security earning statements, driver's licenses, bank statements. You do not need to be physically present in the United States for a specific amount of time in order to report, file or obtain these documents.

The burden of proof falls upon the applicant and it is not, sometimes, an easy one. It is very important to keep in mind that, if the requirement is five years, bringing documents for only five years will probably not be sufficient, as people tend to leave the U.S. for vacation, business or other events, thus subtracting this period of time from the record.

School records are also a good indicator, as long as we remember that, most of the time, school records will result in credit of only nine months per calendar year toward the residency requirement.

To summarize, applicants should make every effort to bring with them records that prove their physical presence in the United States for as long as he/she may be able to bring, not only the minimal requirement and also as diverse evidence as possible. In that way, the chances of having to return with more evidence are minimized. The process is rather simple, if the parents do their homework and bring with them as much evidence to satisfy the requirements of the law. This will expedite the process, help avoid unnecessary delays, and will result at the end in better customer service for our citizens.

NOTE: In certain cases, the consular officer may require that you present additional documentation after reviewing your application, such as medical records from the hospital or clinic where the child was born; invoice from the hospital, pre-natal and post-natal care records, photos of the mother pregnant with the child, etc.

The presence of the child along with the presence of both of the parents CANNOT BE WAIVED under any circumstance.

The fee to apply for a CRBA is $65.00. The passport fee is $100.00 for applicants 16 and over and $85.00 for applicants age 15 and younger. This fee can be paid in cash, either Dollars or Bolivares, or with a credit card issued in the U.S. Checks and debit cards are not accepted.

The Embassy will process the report of birth and passport in approximately 2 weeks. You can come to the embassy to pick up your documents during our regular passport services hours from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays and the monthly staff training day.

If after reading this information you believe your child has a claim to U.S. citizenship please click here to set up an appointment.

In the event that the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) is lost, stolen or mutilated you may request a certified copy of your Consular Report of Birth from the Department of State.

If you don’t meet the requirements to transmit U.S. citizenship to your child and you want to relocate to the United States, please read the information regarding Expeditious Naturalization for Children born outside the United States and the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

If you want your child to visit the United States for pleasure but you don’t meet the requirements to transmit U.S. citizenship to your child you can apply for a non-immigrant visa for him/her. Before your appointment with the Visa Section you must obtain a letter from the American Citizen Services Unit stating that your child/children is/are not American Citizen/s and the reason. In order to obtain this letter you must appear in person before a Consular Officer during walk-in hours to sign an affidavit. Please make sure to bring the original and one copy of the following documents:

• Your most recent U.S. passport.
• Your child’s most recent foreign passport.
• Your child’s birth certificate.
• Affidavit of an Amcit who cannot transmit U.S. citizenship (NOT SIGNED).
• Form DS-11 filled out using capital letters in BLACK INK and NOT SIGNED.
This process normally takes 24-48 hours.


DUAL CITIZENSHIP

Like Americans who possess only U.S. citizenship, dual national U.S. citizens owe allegiance to the United States and are obliged to obey its laws and regulations. Such persons usually have certain obligations to the foreign country as well. Although failure to fulfill such obligations may have no adverse effect on the person while in the United States because the foreign country would have few means to force compliance under those circumstances, the person might be forced to comply with those obligations or pay a penalty if the person goes to the foreign country. In cases where a dual national encounters difficulty in a foreign country of which the person is a citizen, the ability of U.S. Foreign Service posts to provide assistance may be quite limited since many foreign countries may not recognize the dual national’s claim to U.S. citizenship.

Which Passport To Use: The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1185) requires U.S. citizens in most cases to use U.S. passports when entering and departing the United States. Dual nationals may be required by the other country of which they are citizens to enter and leave that country using its passport, but do not endanger their U.S. citizenship by complying with such a requirement.
Children born in Venezuela to American parents (as well as children born in the United States to Venezuelan parents), acquire Venezuelan Citizenship at birth as well as having a possible claim to American Citizenship. They are dual nationals, and are required to have Venezuelan passports to enter or leave Venezuela. They will also need American passports to enter or depart the United States. We suggest you contact local authorities for official information in this matter.

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