As an American mom living in England, I’ve been through the process of securing a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) and American passport for both of my children. While it’s a crucial step in ensuring their U.S. citizenship, it’s not without its challenges – and each experience can be very different! Here, I’ll share a brief overview of the process along with some personal insights to help you navigate it with the least amount of stress as possible.
If you’re wondering what a CRBA is, it’s the official document that proves your child became a US citizen at birth through you. It’s for children born outside the US to an American parent (or parents), you have to apply before they turn 18, and it’s the key document for getting their first American passport.
When my first son was born, the process was surprisingly smooth. I followed the instructions on the U.S. Embassy’s website, gathered all the required documents, and booked and attended our appointment at the US Embassy in London. The staff were helpful, and everything went through without a hitch.
However, my experience with my second son was much more stressful! Despite having gone through it before, I encountered an unexpected issue: I didn’t have my high school transcripts. While this hadn’t been a problem the first time around, it turned out to be a sticking point with the consular officer we saw that day. After a bit of panic and an interview with a consular officer under oath, we managed to resolve it – but it was a reminder that the process can vary depending on who you get on the day.
To apply for your child’s CRBA & first American passport, the process is actually incredibly straightfoward, and full details of what you need to do can be found on the US Embassy’s website. Here’s how it works now:
- Apply online first: Create a MyTravelGov account and complete the eCRBA application, uploading your documents and paying the CRBA fee there.
- Fill out the passport and Social Security forms: Print the passport form (DS-11) but don’t sign it until you’re asked to at the appointment. If your child is under five, you can apply for their Social Security number at the same time.
- Request your appointment by email: Once your online application is complete, you email the embassy to ask for an appointment. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you’ll go to Edinburgh or Belfast instead of London.
- Gather your originals and copies: Your child’s long form birth certificate, both parents’ passports, your marriage certificate, a US passport photo, and proof of your time living in the US. In my experience, make sure your high school transcripts are in there!
- Attend with your child: Both parents should go if your child is under 16. If one of you can’t, there’s a consent form they’ll need to get notarised.
- Wait for the post: The CRBA and passport are mailed back to you, but you need to bring your own prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope. You can’t collect them in person, and they don’t sell envelopes there.
I’ve put everything you need to bring into a free printable checklist, so you can tick it all off the night before.
From my experience, having done this twice now, here are a few tips to make the process as smooth as possible:
- Start Early: Don’t leave this until the last minute. Getting your online application done, your documents together and an appointment booked all takes time, and unexpected hiccups (like missing documents) can delay things even more.
- Double-Check Your Documents: Even if you’ve done this before, read the requirements carefully and ensure you have everything, including proof of physical presence in the U.S. (like school transcripts).
- Arrive a little early: You’ll need to go through TSA-like security before entering the building, and depending on how many people are there it can get a little busy!
- And also be prepared to wait: When you arrive, you’re given a ticket number to wait and be called when it’s your turn. Even if your appointment is at a specific time, there is no guarantee you’ll actually be seen and might be in for a bit of wait depending on how many people are there, the reason they’re there, etc. But ultimately the whole process should be done in an hour or so.
- Stay Calm: If something goes wrong, don’t panic. Most issues can be resolved with some patience and follow-up.
Getting your child’s CRBA and American passport is a big milestone, and while the process can feel daunting, it’s worth it to secure their U.S. passport/citizenship if you want them to have it. Once the passport’s sorted, the next thing that catches American parents out here is school. Applications happen earlier than you’d expect, and there’s a lot nobody explains. I wrote a guide that walks you through all of it, which you can find here.
If you have any questions or want to share your own experience, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram (@theiramericanmum), where I talk a lot about my experiences as an expat mom.
