A child born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen parent or parents may be eligible for U.S. citizenship if the parent(s) meets the requirements for transmitting U.S. citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act. U.S. citizens eligible to transmit citizenship should apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for their child(ren). In order to transmit U.S. citizenship to a child, the U.S. citizen parent(s) must have been a U.S. citizen at the time of the child’s birth and must have accrued sufficient physical presence in the U.S. to transmit citizenship.

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is only issued to a child who acquired U.S. citizenship at birth and who is under the age of 18 at the time of application. We strongly encourage you to report your child’s birth as soon as possible and apply for an Indian visa or exit permit. There may be a hefty penalty for not applying for Indian visa or an exit permit on time.

Please bring ALL necessary documents to your appointment. Failure to bring all the required documents will result in you having to schedule another appointment at a later date. We cannot accept incomplete applications. Both parents and the child must be present the time of application.

A CRBA is not a travel document. We recommended that you submit an application for your child’s U.S. passport at the same time. Both applications may be submitted together at your scheduled appointment. Even if your child holds another nationality, he or she must enter and exit the United States on a U.S. passport.

To apply, find the CRBA checklist here.