As a U.S. citizen parent(s), you should report your child’s birth abroad as soon as possible to the nearest U.S. Embassy to establish an official record of the child’s claim to or acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth. The official record will be the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), Form FS-240. This form is evidence of U.S. 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).  CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18^th birthday.

For specific information on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), please visit: Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Surrogacy Abroad (state.gov)

Applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad – CHILD BORN IN PORTUGAL

Requirements

Once you’ve gathered all the required documents mentioned above, please follow the instructions below:

1. To apply for a CRBA online, you need to create a MyTravelGov account. MyTravelGov is a secured, encrypted portal.
2. Once you have created a MyTravelGov account you can access eCRBA and submit your application online. The easy-to-use online process provides applicants with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the application.
3. Once you complete the eCRBA application, you will be directed to submit your online payment. Once you’ve paid, please schedule here an appointment for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.IMPORTANT NOTES:
   • Your application will be reviewed prior to your appointment date – if you fail to upload all the required scans of your documentation OR if your payment has not been settled, your appointment will be canceled;
   • If you fail to appear to your scheduled appointment without prior warning/notice, you’ll be required to submit a new application and payment;
   • One separate application and appointment per applicant/child is required.
4. Attend your scheduled in-person interview with all original documents. The child and both parents must be present at the time of application
   • If you have a special circumstance, please come prepared with supporting documentation for your in-person interview.
5. If you would like to have your documentation shipped to your mailing address once issued, you must bring to your appointment one pre-paid envelope (“Correio Verde” from CTT – local Post Office) format M C4 229×324 AND 2.50 euros in postage to pay for the registration.

• • We will NOT accept the return envelope without the 2.50 euros in stamps/postage for the registration

 

*** You can also apply for the child’s first U.S. passport on the same interview. If you wish to do so, please review the requirements on page 2 of the Requirements Checklist  ***

 

eCRBA FAQ

As a U.S. citizen parent(s), you should report your child’s birth abroad as soon as possible to the nearest U.S. Embassy to establish an official record of the child’s claim to or acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth. The official record will be the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), Form FS-240. This form is evidence of U.S. 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).  CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18^th birthday.

For specific information on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), please visit: Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Surrogacy Abroad (state.gov)

Applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad – CHILD BORN IN A COUNTRY OTHER THAN PORTUGAL

Requirements

Once you’ve gathered all the required documents mentioned above, please follow the instructions below:

1. Fill and print the application forms (DS-2029 &  DS-11, if applicable) – DO NOT SIGN THE FORMS;
2. Gather all required documentation indicated in the requirements checklist;
3. Prepare a paper copy for each original document requested;
4. Schedule here an appointment for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad
   
   IMPORTANT NOTES:
   • You’ll be contacted prior to your appointment date to confirm your eligibility for a paper application– if you do not qualify or fail to respond to our contact attempts your appointment will be canceled;
   • The child and both parents must be present at the time of application.
     • If you have a special circumstance, please come prepared with supporting documentation for your in-person interview;
   • One separate application and appointment per applicant/child is required.
5. You’ll pay the appropriate fee upon your in-person interview – you can pay in credit or cash ($ or euros) – exact amount recommended.
6. If you would like to have your documentation shipped to your mailing address once issued, you must bring to your appointment one pre-paid envelope (“Correio Verde” from CTT – local Post Office) format M C4 229×324 AND 2.50 euros in postage to pay for the registration;
   • We will NOT accept the return envelope without the 2.50 euros in stamps/postage for the registration.

*** You can also apply for the child’s first U.S. passport on the same interview. If you wish to do so, please review the requirements on page 2 of the Requirements Checklist  ***

 

 

Applicants 18 years old and over, born outside of the United States, may claim derivative U.S. citizenship from a parent who was a U.S. citizen at the time of the applicant’s birth.  Once the citizenship claim is established, the applicant qualifies for a first-time U.S. passport.  Applicants 18 years old and over are not eligible for the issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

 For specific information on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), please visit: Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Surrogacy Abroad (state.gov)

Applying for Derivative U.S Citizenship (over age 18)

Requirements

Once you’ve gathered all the required documents mentioned above, please follow the instructions below:

1. Fill and print the application forms (DS-5507 &  DS-11, if applicable) – DO NOT SIGN THE FORMS; 
2. Gather all required documentation indicated in the requirements checklist; 
3. Prepare a paper copy for each original document requested; 
4. Schedule here an appointment for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad;
   IMPORTANT NOTES
   • You’ll be contacted prior to your appointment date to confirm your eligibility for a paper application– if you do not qualify or fail to respond to our contact attempts your appointment will be canceled;
   • We highly recommend the presence of the parent transmitting citizenship during the in-person interview;
   • One separate application and appointment per applicant is required.
5. You’ll pay the appropriate fee upon your in-person interview – you can pay in credit or cash ($ or euros) – exact amount recommended; 
6.  If you would like to have your documentation shipped to your mailing address once issued, you must bring to your appointment one pre-paid envelope (“Correio Verde” from CTT – local Post Office) AND 2.50 euros in postage to pay for the registration.

• • We will NOT accept the return envelope without the 2.50 euros in stamps/postage for the registration

The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows certain foreign-born, biological and adopted children of American citizens to acquire American citizenship automatically. These children did not acquire American citizenship at birth, but they are granted citizenship when they enter the United States as lawful permanent residents (LPRs).

WHAT IS THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT ?

The effective date of the Child Citizenship Act is February 27, 2001. Children who met these requirements on that date automatically became American citizens. Children who were 18 years of age or older on that date did not acquire American citizenship from the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT OF 2000?

The child must meet the following requirements:

• Have at least one American citizen parent by birth or naturalization;
• Be under 18 years of age;
• Live in the legal and physical custody of the American citizen parent; and
• Be admitted as an immigrant for lawful permanent residence.

In addition, if the child is adopted, the adoption must be full and final.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT?

Another section of the Child Citizenship Act provides that children (biological or adopted) of American citizens who are born and reside abroad, and who do not become American citizens at birth can apply to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS) for a certificate of citizenship if the following conditions are met.

• At least one parent of the child is an American citizen by birth or naturalization.
• The American citizen parent has been physically present in the United States for a total of at least five years, at least two of which are after the age of 14. If the child’s American citizen parent cannot meet the physical presence requirement, it is enough if one of the child’s American citizen grandparents can meet it.
• The child is under the age of eighteen.
• The child lives abroad in the legal and physical custody of the American citizen parent and has been lawfully admitted into the United States as a nonimmigrant.

Children who acquire citizenship under this new provision do not acquire citizenship automatically. They must apply to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS) and go through the naturalization process.

IF THE U.S. CITIZEN PARENT IS LIVING ABROAD  AND  DID NOT LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE REQUIRED PERIOD OF TIME, HOW CAN A FOREIGN-BORN CHILD BECOME A U.S. CITIZEN?

If the parent and child are residing abroad  and the U.S. parent  did not live in the USA for the required period of time, the child may be eligible for  “expeditious naturalization”   if the child’s U.S. citizen grandparent was physically present in the United States for a period totaling five years, and at least two years after the age of 14. The grandparent can be living or deceased at the time of the application. If deceased, the grandparent must have been a citizen prior to the child’s birth and at the time of the grandparent’s death.  You must file an application with a  USCIS field office in the United States.  The USCIS will determine whether your child is eligible.  If the child is eligible, the USCIS will approve the application and forward you a letter and naturalization appointment date. You can present the USCIS approval and appointment letter to the U.S. embassy or consulate where you are living.  The U.S. embassy or consulate will issue the child a B‑2 visitor visa. This process allows parents to visit the United States to naturalize their child as a U.S. citizen.

HOW DOES THE CHILD GET A PASSPORT UNDER THE CHILD CITIZENSHP ACT?

You will need the following when the child applies for a passport:

• Proof of the child’s relationship to the American citizen parent. For the biological child of the American citizen this will be a certified copy of the foreign birth certificate (and translation if not in English). For an adopted child, it is a certified copy of the final adoption decree (and translation if not in English);
• The child’s foreign passport showing the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS) I-551 stamp in the passport, or the child’s permanent resident card (green card);
• Proof of identity of the American citizen parent(s)
• Passport application, passport photographs and fees.

To renounce U.S. citizenship, you must perform a series of actions voluntarily and with intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship.  The basic nature and elements of a renunciation are outlined here at travel.state.gov/.

U.S. citizens cannot effectively renounce their citizenship by mail, through an agent, or while in the United States because of the provisions of section 349(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.  All renunciations and other recognitions of loss of nationality for U.S. citizens in Portugal are processed at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal.

Email conslisbon@state.gov to arrange for an appointment, and for more information on the required documentation.