Eligibility for a CRBA

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) documents that a child born outside the United States is a U.S. citizen.  Parents should apply for the CRBA in the country where the child was born and we encourage them to do so as soon as possible after the birth.

The Embassy accepts CRBA applications by appointment only. In order to schedule an appointment, please email required forms and documents as .pdf files to kyivacs@state.gov. Please email the full package in one message.

If you seek to be accompanied by a third party, please see more information here.

You will need to have the original of each document below, along with a photocopy and a certified translation if it is not in English.  All application forms must be fully and accurately completed before you arrive for your appointment.  Applicants who arrive at the Embassy without complete application forms may be turned away.

  • A Ukrainian birth certificate for the child (the “medical record of birth” issued by maternity hospital is not sufficient).
  • Proof of parents’ citizenship and identity (a valid U.S. or foreign passport works best).
  • Parents’ original marriage certificate (if applicable) and proof of how any previous marriages ended.
  • Evidence of the U.S. citizen parent’s physical presence in the United States before the child’s birth (see below for more on physical presence requirements).  Please submit old passports with U.S. entry / exit stamps if available.  Other evidence that can be submitted includes documents such as school transcripts; employment, tax, bank and medical records; utility bills; rent receipts; or other official documents.
  • A completed application form DS-2029 for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. The form can be found at https://eforms.state.gov/.  Please do not sign the application until a Consular Officer requests that you do so.
    • Please Note:   Questions #2j and 3j on form DS-2029 ask for precise periods of time in the United States.  Please list all dates the U.S. citizen parent who is transmitting citizenship has been physically present on the U.S. territory prior to the child’s birth. Do not include dates outside of the U.S., even if a trip was for a short period of time.
  • The $100 application fee. Accepted payment method is credit card, U.S. dollars, or the equivalent in Ukrainian hryvnyas.
  • In surrogate and other cases involving Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) additional documents are needed. For more information please click here.

U.S. law says that in addition to being a U.S. citizen, a parent must have been physically present in the United States before the child’s birth in order to transmit citizenship to a child born abroad.  The required length of physical presence depends on several factors, including whether or not both parents are U.S. citizens and whether the child is born in or out of wedlock.

Please see Transmitting Citizenship to help identify the requirements that apply to each case.

Both parents should come to the embassy together with the child and the required documents.  If only one parent can come to the embassy, and the non-appearing parent is a U.S. citizen, in addition to the required documents, the U.S. parent who is unable to appear in person should submit form  DS-5507 (original) signed in front of  a U.S. notary public, passport specialist, designated acceptance agent, or at the Consular Section of a U.S. Embassy, along with a photocopy of the front and back side of the non-applying parent’s ID (valid U.S. passport, driver’s license, military ID, U.S. government ID) that was presented to the notary public when form DS-5507 was signed and notarized.

Parents are encouraged to apply for a U.S. passport and CRBA simultaneously.  Please see our information on first time passport applications.

When the CRBA and the first U.S. passport are ready, one of the parents will need to come to the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy to pick it up.

If required, the U.S. Embassy can send your child’s CRBA to your address in the U.S.  In order to do so, you will need to provide a prepaid DHL/FedEx shipping label to go from the U.S. Embassy, 4 Ihor Sikorsky St., Kyiv, 04112, Ukraine to your U.S. address.  The weight of the envelope is approximately 10 ounces (280 grams).  Send the shipping label by email to kyivacs@state.gov and we will send the CRBA once it is printed. Expect delivery to take about two weeks from the date we receive your shipping label.

Please note that the U.S. passport cannot be shipped.

For more information on CRBAs, including how to get a replacement copy, please see the Department of State’s webpage on Birth of U.S. Citizens Abroad.