A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) certifies that a person born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen parent or parents has acquired U.S. citizenship at birth, as provided under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The document is also available to United States non-citizen nationals through a specific application option.
Applications for a CRBA must be submitted before the child turns 18 years old. Officials recommend applying soon after the child's birth.
The application process for a CRBA is now fully electronic. Parents can complete and submit applications online, upload necessary documents, and pay fees prior to an in-person interview at the embassy. The child must have been born outside the United States or its territories and must attend the interview with their parents at the U.S. Embassy Port Moresby.
Eligibility for eCRBA requires that:
- The child was born in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, or Vanuatu;
- The child is under 18 years old;
- At least one parent was a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national at the time of birth;
- A biological parent is applying on behalf of their child.
Applicants begin by creating or signing into a MyTravelGov account, which provides access to start or manage an eCRBA application through a secure portal. After submitting an online application and payment, applicants are directed to schedule an appointment at the embassy—no walk-ins are accepted—and must wait at least five working days after submission to allow payment processing.
For the scheduled in-person interview, both parents and the child must be present and bring all original documents required for verification. English translations are needed for any foreign-language documents; originals will be returned after review.