Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)

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What is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or CRBA?

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is a formal document certifying the acquisition of United States citizenship at birth for a person born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents who meet the requirements for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). United States non-citizen nationals are also eligible for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, using the non-citizen option. In simple words, applying for a CRBA is the way a U.S. citizen can transmit citizenship to a child born abroad.

CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18th birthday. We recommend that parents apply for the CRBA as soon as possible after the child’s birth.

Do all children born abroad qualify for a CRBA?

In order to qualify:

  1. One or both parents must be a U.S. Citizen at the time of birth.
  2. The U.S. citizen transmitting parent must satisfy physical presence requirements. Most cases require five years of physical presence inside the United States or its outlying possessions before the child is born, with two of those years after the age of 14. However, the applicable physical presence requirement depends on the case.
  3. The child has to be genetically or gestationally related to a U.S. citizen parent or to a non-U.S. citizen parent who is married to a U.S. citizen parent at the time of the child’s birth.
  4. The applicant (child) needs to be under 18 at the time you apply. If the applicant is over 18, please contact us.

What if my child does not qualify.  Can I still transmit my citizenship?
If your child does not qualify for this process of citizenship, you can still transfer citizenship under other possible scenarios.  Please reach out to USCIS for more information at https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-parents.

The U.S. Mission in Ecuador now accepts CRBA applications electronically (eCRBA).  Please review this page for detailed information.

Submitting an application for a CRBA

You need to determine if you can apply using eCRBA.

Eligibility requirements to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) using eCRBA

To apply, your child must have been born in Ecuador and you must travel to the U.S. Embassy in Quito or the U.S. Consulate in Guayaquil for the in-person interview after you submit the documentation online.

Please answer the following questions to determine if you can apply using eCRBA:

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