Skip Global Navigation to Main Content
Skip Breadcrumb Navigation
Skip Left Navigation
Report Birth Abroad

Consular Report of Birth Abroad and Child’s First Passport

Background:

  1. Congratulations on your child’s birth! Depending on you and your spouse’s citizenship your child may have acquired U.S. citizenship at birth.  If you and your spouse are both U.S. citizens and either of you have ever resided in the U.S. prior to your child’s birth; your child became a U.S. citizen at birth. If only one of you is a U.S. citizen, the U.S. citizen parent will have to present evidence of a total of five years physical presence (not necessarily consecutive) in the U.S., two of which must have been after the age of 14 in order to establish that the child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth.
  2. Both parents and child must appear in person to process the application before a Consular Officer.  The application for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and the passport can be submitted simultaneously.
  3. The process may take 4 to 6 weeks.  Since 2002, all U.S. passports are now printed in the United States. For children born in Timor-Leste, the application is accepted in Dili, forwarded to Embassy Jakarta for processing, and sent to Washington, D.C. electronically.  Once printed, the new passport is sent to Embassy Jakarta and then forwarded to Dili.  


Fee:

USD 100: Consular Report of Birth Abroad
USD 105: Passport

This is paid in USD to the Embassy cashier in Dili.  The cashier is open 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Procedure:

  1. Fill out form DS-2029 Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad. Do not sign until asked to do so.
  2. Fill out form DS-11 Application for Passport. Do not sign until asked to do so.
  3. Fill out form SS-5-FS Social Security Card Application. Do not sign until asked to do so.
  4. Schedule an appointment with a Consular Officer by emailing ConsDili@state.gov or calling +670 332 4684.  (Note: cashier is open 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Monday through Friday).
  5. You will need to present the following:
  • Parent’s proof of U.S. citizenship: U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or official birth certificate from a U.S. state or territory.
  • Evidence of child’s birth: original or certified true copy of child’s birth certificate. It should show the child’s and parents’ names, date and place of the child’s birth.
  • Evidence of parents’ marriage: (if applicable) original or certified true copy of parents’ marriage certificate.
  • Evidence of termination of all prior marriages of parents (if any): original or certified true copies of divorce or death certificates.
  • English translation: All supporting documents in a foreign language must be translated into English.
  • Completed application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad:  Form DS-2029.
  • Application for a U.S. passport: Form DS-11.
  • Two U.S. passport-sized photos:  2" x 2" (5cm x 5cm) on a white background showing the child’s full face with the eyes open. If the child is being held up in front of a camera, please ensure that no part of the child’s head or face is obstructed.

 In some cases, the following information may be required:

  • EVIDENCE OF U.S. CITIZEN PARENTS’ PHYSICAL PRESENCE IN THE U.S.:
    This is required when only one parent is a U.S. citizen even if that parent was born in the United States. Merely maintaining a residence in the United States (i.e. having a home in the United States, maintaining voter registration, etc.) is not sufficient.  You must actually be physically present n the US for a total of five years, two of them after the age of 14 (in the case of an unmarried U.S. citizen mother, the requirement is one year of physical presence at any time). The following items may be used to demonstrate your presence in the U.S.: school transcripts, old passports, employment records, social security records, cancelled checks, and tax records.
  • AFFIDAVIT OF PARENTAGE:
    Required for a child conceived out of wedlock.
  • EVIDENCE OF PARENTS’ PHYSICAL PRESENCE TOGETHER AT TIME OF CONCEPTION:
    Required if the child was conceived out of wedlock, e.g. passports, leases, etc.

The Embassy does not retain completed CRBA files. Rather, these are forwarded to the Department of State in Washington, D.C.  Replacement or additional copies of the CRBA must therefore be requested from the Department of State.  Additional information including fees and request requirements is available at http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_825.html.