Birth Abroad-Register your child as a U.S. citizen

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  1. Birth Abroad-Register your child as a U.S. citizen
  2. Do you qualify to pass on citizenship?
  3. Child Citizenship Act
  4. Copies of Previous Reports
  5. Adoption
  6. Claiming citizenship after age 18 – born outside the United States

 

Births and Citizenship

Persons born abroad to a U.S. parent or parents may have acquired citizenship at birth.  This determination is based upon a variety of facts; the law in place at the time of birth, the amount of time the U.S. citizen parent(s) lived in the U.S. prior to the birth of the child, and, in some cases, the marital status of the biological parents.

U.S. citizens eligible to transmit citizenship are required to file for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), before their child’s 18th birthday.  A CRBA is proof that one is born a United States citizen.  Applications for a CRBA cannot be expedited.  If you need to travel it is recommended you do not make definitive travel plans until you have received your child’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad and U.S. passport.  If you are over 18 years of age and born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent, please click here for further guidance on how to apply for a passport.

Apply in Person
To apply for a Consular Report of Birth and first passport, parents must appear in person, by appointment, with their child, at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam.  Note that you cannot make the appointment yourself.  Once you have followed the guidance below we will set up the appointment for you.

To prepare assemble the following documents and prepare the required forms:

For all situations download and print Form DS-2029 (PDF 62KB), all seven pages, one page per sheet, leaving the reverse side blank.  U.S. citizen parents must take special care in listing their physical presence in the United States in the greatest possible detail, to the best of their recollection, on page two.  ‘Precise periods’ of time in the United States means exactly that.  Even if you only left the United States for a day trip across a border it will interrupt your time spent in the United States.  Time spent outside the United States must NOT be listed, only time spent in the United States.  A non-U.S. citizen parent must NOT list presence.  See sample.  Do NOT sign the form!

From the city hall of the municipality your child was born in, obtain two Dutch birth certificates. The Consular officer will want to see both the International Version (See sample (PDF 575KB), and the Dutch only version of your child’s Dutch birth certificate. The international version is in several languages including English and the Dutch only version will have more details such as when the birth was reported and by whom, and if applicable later recognition and chosen family name.

If your child was not born in the Netherlands, obtain the foreign birth certificate.  If an international version is not available, also obtain a sworn translation into English.

Your passports.  If your child already has a passport issued by another country, have that available too for presentation in due time.

Your current marriage certificate and/or divorce certificate(s), as applicable.  If the document is not in English, you must provide a sworn translation into English as well as the original document.

In order to transmit U.S. citizenship to your child born overseas, you must meet the following legal requirements, as applicable to your situation:

Situation A: My child was born in wedlock, out of two U.S. citizen parents: You must bring proof that at least one of you was a resident of the United States at any time prior to the birth of your child.  More information on residence.
Situation B: My child was born in wedlock, out of a U.S. citizen mother and a non-U.S. citizen parent:  You must bring proof that the U.S. citizen parent was physically present for a cumulative total of five years, of which two at least were after age 14, prior to the birth of your child.  More information on physical presence.
Situation C: My child was born in wedlock, out of a U.S. citizen father and a non-U.S. citizen mother:  You must bring proof as per situation B.  More information on physical presence
Situation D: My child was born out of wedlock, out of two U.S. citizen parents:  If the claim is through the father you must bring evidence as per Situation B.  If the claim is through the mother, click here. The father must prepare but not sign the statement in Section B on page 3 of the DS-2029 form.
Situation E: My child was born out of wedlock, out of a U.S. citizen mother and a non-U.S. citizen other parent: click here for guidance on what proof of physical presence is required.
Situation F: My child was born out of wedlock, out of a U.S. citizen father and a non-U.S. citizen other parent: You must bring evidence as per situation B. More information on physical presence. The father must prepare but not sign the statement in Section B on page 3 of the DS-2029 form.

Make clearly legible black and white photo copies of ALL documents, including the biographical information pages of your passports. Do not send us original documents, other than the originally completed but unsigned forms DS-2029 and DS-11.  We do not need copies of the instructions.

All copies will have to be scanned in due time to become part of your child’s permanent citizenship file. When submitting photo copies or scans, make sure you provide flat scanned copies that are clearly legible. Prints of pictures made with phones or cameras are often of poor quality and are therefore not acceptable.

Assemble but do NOT staple your documents in the following order, top to bottom:

  • Original Form DS-2029, filled out but not signed
  • Photo copy of your child’s Dutch birth certificate
  • Photo copies of parents’ passports
  • Photo copies of your marriage certificate (divorce, death certificate(s), as applicable)
  • Photo copies of proof of physical presence or residence, in chronological order

Fill out Passport Application Form DS-11, on behalf of your child.  Print it on two sheets of paper leaving the reverse page blank.  Print only the actual form (pages 5 and 6), not the instructions.  Do NOT sign the form.

Obtain one U.S. size passport photo of your child

A photo for a U.S. passport must be 2″x2″ (5×5 centimeters) in size. Background must be white and the applicant must look straight into the camera as per our passport photo guidance. No eye glasses should be worn. Eyes should be open. We realize with infants this can be difficult so do the best you can. When holding a baby’s head make sure your hand is not showing.

Make clearly legible black and white photo copies of:

  • Your child’s Dutch birth certificate
  • Your passports’ biographical information pages

Both the DS-2029 and the DS-11 must have their own set of copies.

A statement of consent to the issuance of a passport is required.  The non-appearing parent must prepare Form DS-3053(PDF 52 KB), sign it in front of a notary and attach a copy of the identity document presented to the notary.  Enclose the original consent with your CRBA package.

All passport applications must list a U.S. Social Security Number, or an explanation of why no SSN can be listed, e.g. if you are applying for a newborn.  For a first passport download, prepare and sign the following Social Security Number declaration (PDF file 166 KB).  On form DS-11, item no. 5, write the word ‘NONE’.

To apply in due time for your child’s Social Security Number a full validity 5-year passport is required.  A Social Security Number cannot be issued on only a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a 1-year emergency passport.

For all questions on Social Security Number issues, please contact the Social Security Administration.

Assemble but do NOT staple your documents in the following order, top to bottom:

  • Original Form DS-11, filled out but not signed
  • Photo copy of your child’s birth certificate
  • Photo copies of parents’ passports
  • Completed SSN declaration, signed by one of the parents
  • Original notarized consent statement, if applicable

At the end of the process your child’s CRBA and passport will be mailed to you.  For this purpose enclose with your DS-2029 and DS-11 paperwork, the following:

An A4 (±23 x 33 centimeter) sized envelope addressed to your child with a trackable “waybill” from DHL express.  This ‘waybill’ may be purchased online at https://my.dhlexpress.nl/pwa/shipment/package/.  When prompted, please select “Mailbox Parcel”, and enter your personal information as the recipient. We recommend you check the option “E-mail Notification”, so you immediately receive the tracking information to follow your shipment after it has been sent.  When asked for information about the sender, enter your own name and the mailing address for the U.S. Consulate General Amsterdam: John Adams Park 1, 2244 BZ Wassenaar. Please use your own e-mail address as sender and receiver so you receive all correspondence regarding your shipment.  The cost of the trackable service begins at €3.95.  Additional options, such as insurance, can be added for an additional fee but are not required.  Once you receive your electronic label, glue or tape it to the front of the envelope that is required for your service.

Alternatively, you may enclose an envelope as described above, with 5 regular “1” stamps.  Please note this way the shipment is not trackable.  Mailing is at your own risk.

Note that we cannot send documents to addresses outside the Netherlands.

Download your request for an appointment (PDF 85 KB), sign and date it, put it on top of your package, then mail it with:

  • your completed but unsigned Form DS-2029, with photo copies of all supporting documents, and
  • your completed but unsigned Form DS-11, photo attached, with social security declaration and photo copies of birth certificate and your passports, and
  • your prepared return envelope with DHL waybill or 5 stamps, to:

U.S. Consulate General
U.S. Citizen Services CRBA
John Adams Park 1
2244 BZ  WASSENAAR

Note that both the DS-2029 AND the DS-11 forms must have their own photo copies of the parents’ passports and birth certificate.

You cannot set up an appointment yourself. We will set it up for you and send you an e-mail with a suggested date and time for an appointment within five weeks of receipt of your paperwork.  If there are shortcomings, we will address those first.

BRING ALL YOUR ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS WITH YOU TO YOUR APPLICATION INTERVIEW! 

Bring all the original documents of which you have sent copies with you to your appointment.  Failing to bring all original documents, such as transcripts, etc., will delay your application considerably.  All original documents will be returned to you by the consular officer after your interview.

 

Payment, delivery of documents and Social Security Number

  • Payment for the report of birth (CRBA) and passport will be effected when you come in for your appointment. Consular fees can be paid with any credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, or Diner’s Club).  U.S. debit cards are also accepted if they carry the VISA symbol.  Please note that the credit or debit card must be in the name of the applicant or the accompanying parent or legal guardian if the applicant is under the age of 18. While a credit card payment is preferred consular fees can also be paid cash in Euros. We do NOT accept U.S. dollars, checks, or PIN cards.  Please bring exact change to the appointment.  For a current list of fees please see https://nl.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/fees/. 
  • Social Security Number: Upon receipt of the CRBA and passport you will need to apply for a social security number for your child.  For information on how to apply for a social security number you must contact the Social Security Administration.

COME PREPARED AND ARRIVE ON TIME!
Try to be at the Consulate in Amsterdam at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. If you miss your slot, or if you come unprepared we must ask you to reschedule.

Please read our entry instructions.

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This is the official website of the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Netherlands. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

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