U.S. Mission Ireland

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (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.

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

For applicants older than age 18 who have never been issued a CRBA, please refer to other possible claims to U.S. citizenship on our First Time Adult Application instructions.

Anyone who has a claim to U.S. citizenship must be in possession of a valid U.S passport to enter and exit the United States, even if they hold other citizenships (for example U.S. Irish dual nationals).

Please note the current processing time for U.S. passports is approximately 3-4 weeks. We advise all applicants requiring a U.S. passport for routine, scheduled travel to apply early and with this processing time frame in mind. We are not able to process or guarantee delivery of passports for less than the standard processing time unless you have urgent, immediate travel due to a family or medical emergency, as determined and approved in person by a consular officer.

If your child is under 18 and you do not meet the requirements to transmit citizenship, but a grandparent may please visit our Expeditious Naturalization page for how to proceed.

If any of the above statements do not apply to you, you can apply by completing a paper application (DS-2029).