consular-report-of-birth-abroad (crba)

What is 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. We recommend that parents apply for the CRBA as soon as possible after the child’s birth.

Eligibility Requirements

To apply, your child must have been born in Serbia and you must travel to U.S. Embassy Belgrade for the in-person interview.

To be eligible to apply for a CRBA online, you MUST answer all the following criteria with YES.

  1. Was the child born in Serbia?
  2. Is the child under the age of 18?
  3. Was at least one parent a U.S. citizen or U.S. non-citizen national when the child was born?
  4. Can you use an internationally accepted credit/debit card or a direct payment method from a U.S. dollar denominated bank account (also known as “ACH”) to pay online for your Consular Report of Birth Abroad application?
  5. Are you a biological parent of a child born abroad who is applying for that child?

How to Apply

You can now apply for a CRBA electronically at U.S. Embassy Belgrade!  This new online feature allows U.S. citizen parents to complete a CRBA application online, upload all required documents, and submit payment prior to the in-person interview.

  1. To apply for a CRBA online, you need to create a MyTravelGov MyTravelGov is a secured, encrypted portal. Watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVgRyLQd3jA&t=4s) to learn more about creating your account.
  2. After you have created a MyTravelGov account, you can access eCRBA and submit your application online. The easy-to-use online process provides applicants with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the application. You may review the necessary documents for the CRBA application in advance by reviewing the eCRBA checklist.
  3. After you complete the online application and submit payment, you will then be directed to schedule your appointment at U.S. Embassy Belgrade. Please schedule your appointment at least 72 hours after payment submission.  This provides time for your payment to be processed prior to your CRBA interview.  Please Note: Do NOT make another (or duplicate) payment for a CRBA ($100) at the Embassy.
  4. Finally, attend your scheduled in-person interview with your original documents and their photocopies (single-sided).  Original documents will be returned to you after reviewing your application.  You must provide English translations for all foreign language documents.  The child must be present at the time of application.  Except in extreme circumstances, both parents must attend the interview.

Other Important Information

Note:  If you prefer to submit a paper-based application, please follow the Paper CRBA instructions here. 

Passport applicants must be completed and submitted separately.

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