U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad
Congratulations on your child’s birth!
When a child is born overseas to a U.S. citizen parent or parents, the citizen parent(s) may be able to transmit U.S. citizenship to that child at birth. For children born in wedlock to two U.S. citizen parents, the parents only need to provide proof that at least one parent resided in the U.S. prior to the birth. If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, the citizen parent must show that s/he resided in the U.S. for five years (two after the age of 14) prior to the birth of the child. For children born out of wedlock, or prior to November 1986, please see Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad.
The U.S. Embassy can assist with determining whether your child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth. The process is via an application for a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad (the equivalent of a U.S. birth certificate.) When issued, this Report serves as permanent proof of U.S. citizenship.
Please note that the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana only issues a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for a child born in Slovenia. If the child was born outside the United States but in a country other than Slovenia, we must forward the paperwork to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the child’s place of birth, a process which can take three months or longer. U.S. military personnel stationed in Italy should submit their child’s paperwork via the passport agent on base.
The below instructions are the requirements to apply for a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad. Either at the same time, or at a later date, you may wish to also apply for a U.S. passport for your child.
Social Security Number: After you receive your child’s passport, you may wish to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN). You can apply for the SSN via mail to the U.S. Embassy in Rome Federal Benefits Unit, providing a completed SS-5 Application for a Social Security Card (PDF 233 KB), along with certified copies of the child’s and parents’ passports; the U.S. Embassy can provide these certified copies for free at the time of your Consular Report of Birth Abroad application.
Step 1. Assemble All Documents
These are the requirements for the U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad application. If you are applying for the child’s passport at the same time, please see those instructions for forms and separate fees.
- DS-2029 Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad (PDF 420 KB). Please type the data into the form and then print. Please do not sign the forms until you are at the Embassy. They must be signed in the presence of the consular officer. (If the child was born out of wedlock to a U.S. citizen father and a non-U.S. citizen mother, and the father is not present for the application, he should complete DS-5507 Affidavit of Physical Presence or Residence, Parentage, and Support and sign in the presence of a consular officer or U.S. notary.)
- Supporting documentation: All documents must be originals. All birth, adoption, marriage, death or divorce certificates must bear an original seal, stamp or signature. And all documents not in English or Slovene must be accompanied by a certified translation. It is helpful to us if you can also bring a photocopy of each.
- Child’s original local birth certificate. For information about obtaining a Slovene birth certificate, please contact the Upravna enota.
- Evidence of the U.S. citizenship of the parent(s), such as a U.S. passport, original U.S. birth certificate, or original U.S. naturalization certificate
- If one parent is not a U.S. citizen, please also submit the parent’s passport or Slovene ID card
- Parents’ original marriage certificate, if married to each other at the time of the child’s birth
- Evidence of the termination of any previous marriages of either parent, such as a divorce decree, annulment decree, or death certificate, if applicable
- If both parents are U.S. citizens, we will need proof of prior residency in the U.S. for one parent.
- If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, we will need to see proof of that parent’s physical presence in the U.S. prior to the birth of the child, for a period of five years, at least two of which were after the age of 14. Evidence could include school transcripts, employment records, bank records showing monthly transactions in the U.S., military records, or other evidence. Note: Tax returns do not provide evidence of time in the U.S.
- Evidence of the parents’ physical presence together at conception. In some situations, such as if your child was conceived out-of-wedlock, we may ask for evidence of the biological parents’ physical presence at the time of conception. Such evidence might include stamps in passports, military travel orders, leases, etc. In some complex cases, a DNA test may be useful.
- The fee is US $100 for the Consular Report of Birth. (If you are applying for the Report of Birth and Passport at the same time, the total fee for both documents will be US $215.) We accept U.S. dollars or euros, payable in cash or by credit card.
- An H18 padded envelope (podložena kuverta) with €2.66 in Slovene postage stamps (two “c” class stamps). We will mail back your Report of Birth (as well as passport book if applicable) via registered mail to your home in Slovenia or a Slovenian post office. (If you are also applying for a U.S. passport card in addition to the passport book, please provide a separate A5 padded envelope with €2.66 in postage, as the passport card will arrive 2-3 weeks after the passport book.)
Step 2. Make an Appointment
You will need to appear in-person at the Embassy to apply for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. All services are by appointment only, using our online calendar.
Due to security procedures, we are only able to admit visitors who have business with the consular section, their minor children, or a companion to provide necessary physical assistance. We are not able to admit other visitors without prior special arrangement. If there will be someone accompanying the primary applicant, please email us and provide the name of the primary applicant, the names of anyone accompanying the primary applicant, and the date of the appointment. See our policy on Third party attendance at Passport and CRBA appointment interviews (click here).
Step 3. Appear at the Embassy
We will need to see the child as well as at least one parent/guardian. If you are applying for the child’s passport at the same time, both parents will need to sign the passport application in front of the consular officer.
For your interview, please do not bring large bags/suitcases, nor large electronic devices, such as laptop computers or tablets, as they are not allowed within the Embassy.
Please wear a mask to your appointment at the Embassy.
What Do I Do If I Lose My Report of Birth?
If at a future date you wish to obtain another copy of the Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or if you wish to amend or correct your existing document, please follow these instructions.