US Citizen Service
Birth of US Citizens Abroad
How to Register the Birth of your Child Abroad as an American Citizen:
In addition to the documentation listed below, the child must be present at the time of registration. All forms and instructions may be downloaded directly online (see instructions on following pages).
I. Registration of U.S. Citizen children born abroad
The Consular Office can register the birth of children born abroad to U.S. citizens and help parents obtain a first passport and social security number for newborn children. U.S. citizens with children who were born outside the United States must register them at the nearest U.S. Consular Office in order to document them as U.S. citizens. In the registration process, a Consular officer determines the eligibility of U.S. citizen parents to "transmit" citizenship to the child. The requirements of U.S. law for the transmission of U.S. citizenship to a child are set forth in section II of this document.
Upon registration, the child will be issued a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America (Form FS-240). This document is a basic citizenship document. In the United States, it may be easier to present this document as a birth certificate in place of a foreign birth certificate.
The Consular Report of Birth Abroad is usually ready within a few days. In most cases the child's passport application will be sent to the National Passport Center and the passport will be returned to the Embassy about two weeks after your interview.
U.S. citizen parents should register their children as soon as possible but it is imperative that registrations take place before the children reach eighteen years of age. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad cannot be prepared if the child is 18 years old or more at the time the birth is reported. Persons born abroad who are more than 18 years of age, and who believe they have a claim to U.S. citizenship, but who have never been documented as a U.S. citizen, should apply to the nearest American consular office for information and assistance in investigating their claim to U.S. nationality.
Only the child's U.S. parent(s) or legal guardian(s) may apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad on a child's behalf. Both parents must sign the application for the child's first passport. Please see instructions on obtaining a first passport also on this website under "Passports". A notarized statement of authorization from the natural parent may be required in some instances.
II. Requirements of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act for Transmission of U.S. Citizenship to Children Born Abroad:
A. Children born in Wedlock
1) Born to two U.S. citizen parents
If either parent has resided in the United States prior to the birth of the child, the child acquires U.S. citizenship under the provisions of Section 301 (c) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act. There is no requisite period of residence for the parents in the U.S., but it must have been at some time prior to the birth of the child.
2) Born to one U.S. citizen and one alien parent
a. Born before or on November 13, 1986
The U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for a cumulative period (or periods totaling) ten years before the birth of the child, at least five years of which were after the U.S. citizen parent reached the age of fourteen. If this requirement is met, the child acquires U.S. citizenship under the provisions of Section 301(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
b. Born on or after November 14, 1986
The U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for a period (or periods totaling) five years prior to the birth of the child, at least two years of which were after the U.S. citizen parent reached the age of fourteen years. If this requirement is met, the child acquires U.S. citizenship under the provisions of Section 301(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (as amended by Public Law 99-653 of November 14, l986).
B. Children Born out of Wedlock 1) Born to a U.S. citizen mother
The U.S. citizen mother must have been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least one year before the child's birth. This period of presence may have been at any time before the child's birth. If this requirement is met, the child acquires U.S. citizenship under the provisions of Section 309(c) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act.
2) Born to a U.S. citizen father and an alien mother
In November 1986, the United States Immigration and Nationality Act was amended to permit a child born out of wedlock to a U.S. citizen father and an alien mother to acquire U.S. citizenship at birth based upon clear and convincing evidence of paternity. The father must have fulfilled the appropriate physical presence requirements under Section 301(g) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act (ten or five years of physical presence as explained).
In addition, the United States citizen father must:
sign a written agreement to provide financial support until the child reaches the age of eighteen years; and
Make a statement under oath acknowledging parentage, or legitimate the child under the law of the child's residence or domicile; or, have the paternity of the child adjudicated and established by a competent court.
C. What Does Physical Presence Mean?
If you are an American citizen but do not have enough physical presence to transmit your U.S. nationality to your child, please refer to both of the following website pages concerning acquiring U.S. citizenship: Child Citizenship Act and Child Citizenship Act of 2000 please click here. Embassy Kigali can also accept I-130 immigrant visa petitions for American citizens resident in Rwanda at least 6 months.
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).
III. When you come in to register your child's birth, please submit the following: (Please remember that the child MUST be present at the time of application.)
A) Completed Consular Report of Birth Abroad Application Worksheet (DS 2029).
You may download this form here:
B) 1) The worksheet is a photocopy of the Consular Report of Birth Abroad application. Please complete it fully and accurately prior to your appointment in order to shorten your wait. You will complete another (the original) at the embassy by clearly copying your information in blue or black ink once the consular assistant has verified your worksheet.
1) The worksheet is a photocopy of the Consular Report of Birth Abroad application. Please complete it fully and accurately prior to your appointment in order to shorten your wait. You will complete another (the original) at the embassy by clearly copying your information in blue or black ink once the consular assistant has verified your worksheet.
a) Please complete the information requested in section A, numbers 1-15, on the application form worksheet. (Number 12 is particularly important and should be carefully reconstructed and documented for both parents, even if one is not a United States citizen, prior to coming to the embassy for your appointment. Please use additional sheets of paper if necessary.)
b) Instructions are on the second page of the application form. (PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THESE WITH CARE.)
c) If you have any doubts about any of the information requested, please leave those areas blank until you have discussed them with a consular assistant.
C) Supporting Documentation
The documentary evidence that must accompany the Consular Report of Birth Abroad application is listed on the reverse of the worksheet. All documents submitted must be originals or certified copies from the issuing authority. Regulations do not permit exceptions to acceptable evidence.
1. If the child was born in Rwanda, bring a copie integrale de l'acte de naissance from the sector under whose authority the birth was registered.
2. A United States passport is acceptable as evidence of the American citizenship of a parent.
3. If the parents were married in Rwanda, submit the marriage certificate or livret de mariage as a marriage certificate.
4. If the parents were married in the U.S., please bring the original state marriage certificate issued by the civil authorities in the U.S. or a certified copy, bearing the official seal.
a) If the parents were married in a third country, bring the original foreign marriage certificate issued by the authorities in this country and an official translation, if necessary, in English or French.
b) If either of the parents was previously married, bring originals or certified copies of evidence of the termination of all prior marriages.
NOTE: Previous Consular Report(s) of Birth Abroad
If you have previously registered the birth of a U.S. citizen child born abroad, please bring a copy of the previous Consular Report of Birth Abroad to accelerate the processing time.
General Information
Birth of US Citizens Abroad
Death of a US Citizen in Rwanda
