Citizen Services
Report of Birth Abroad
Dear U.S. Citizen,
Congratulations on the birth of your new child, and thank you for your interest in establishing your child’s claim to United States citizenship.
In order to process a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, the child must be your biological child. If your child is adopted, you cannot use this process to claim U.S. citizenship for the child. Please see the Immigrant Visa section for more information on the immigration process for adopted children and if your child qualifies for expeditious naturalization.
If your child qualifies for U.S. citizenship, the Embassy can issue a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States (CRBA) and a U.S. passport and can help you obtain a Social Security card for your new child. Although you are NOT REQUIRED to apply for a social security card and passport for your child at the time of applying for a CRBA, we strongly recommend that you do so for travel and tax purposes. The following steps explain the process.
Step 1: Determine whether your child born after 11 November 1986* qualifies for U.S. citizenship.
Your child can claim U.S. citizenship if the child meets ONE of the following conditions at birth:
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BOTH of the child's biological parents are U.S. citizens who have spent any time in the U.S.
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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 years in the U.S., with a two-year presence after the age of 14.
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The child is the biological son or daughter of an UNMARRIED American MALE who has lived at least five years in the U.S., with a two-year presence after the age of 14. Father must agree in writing to support child until child is 18 years old.
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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. *Requirements differ if your child was born before this date.
Step 2: If your child meets any one of the above requirements, proceed in assembling the documents specified below for presentation at the embassy.
What we need from you -- Accompany the original documents with the number of photocopies as specified in brackets for presentation to the consular office.
Note: A United States consular official does not have the authority to authenticate any U.S. issued document. Any U.S. issued document for official use in Chile must be authenticated by the Chilean Embassy or Consulate in the United States.
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Form DS-2029 Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad (please read instructions on the reverse of the form carefully before completing all items)
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Child's Chilean birth certificate [3 photocopies]
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U.S. passport(s) of American citizen parent(s) [3 photocopies of biographic data page]
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Foreign passport or identification card of alien parent [3 photocopies of biographic data page]
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Marriage certificate [1 photocopy]
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Evidence of termination of previous marriages if either parent has been married before (divorce decree, annulment decree, death certificate) [1 photocopy]
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Documentary evidence of the U.S. citizen parent's physical presence in the United States (examples of such evidence are school records, college transcripts, employment records, military records, passport entry/exit stamps into the U.S., dental/medical records, postmarked letters addressed to the U.S., work or other contracts, etc.) A combination of these documents will be required to prove your physical presence in the United States.
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Two photographs for passport application (See photograph instructions)
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Form DS-3053 Statement of Consent or Special Circumstances, if applicable (See "Who should come to the Embassy?" below). Please note that this form must be notarized and have a copy of the absent parent's I.D. attached to it.
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Form SS-5 Application for Social Security card (The child must have a passport to apply for a Social Security number. Both applications may be submitted at the same time).
Step 3: When you have assembled all the required documents, present them at the embassy (by appointment only).
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I come to the Embassy?
An application for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will be accepted by appointment only on Tuesday afternoons. Please request your appointment by e-mail: SantiagoAmcit@state.gov.
Who should come to the Embassy?
The U.S. citizen parent must personally submit the application to the consular officer. If both parents are U.S. citizens either parent may submit the application. When applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad the consular officer may require the presence of both parents and the child in order to clarify any aspects of the application. Thus it is recommended that the child also be present for a Consular of Birth Abroad. Both parents and the child applicant must be present when submitting a passport application. If one parent is unable to appear at the embassy then he or she must submit a notarized statement of consent (DS-3053).
How much will it cost?
Consular Report of Birth of an American Citizen -- US$65
Passport -- US$85
Social Security card -- No charge
How can I pay?
You may pay consular fees in cash (dollars or pesos) or credit card. Checks are not accepted.
When and how will I receive the processed documents?
The Embassy will process the Consular Report of Birth and passport in approximately 3 weeks time. At the time of application, the applicant may request to pick up the documents at the embassy or may request a hand delivery service by a private courier company.
The Embassy will mail the Social Security Card application to the Social Security Administration, Office of International Operations in Baltimore, MD to be processed. The Social Securit Administration will mail the Social Security Number Card directly to the applicant once it has been processed. This process may take up to six months. Please note that the embassy does not maintain a tracking system for the Social Security Number Card Application.