Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) Apostille

Don’t have it yet? How to Replace a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) →

Issuing agency

U.S. Department of State

We can obtain it?

Yes — we can help route a replacement request

Certification first?

No prior certification needed

Also known as

FS-240, Form FS-545, CRBA

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) documents the U.S. citizenship of a child born outside the United States to a U.S.-citizen parent. It functions as that child's U.S. birth record, and foreign authorities routinely require it apostilled — for dual nationality, school enrolment, or a foreign passport.

Two situations bring people here: you have the FS-240 and need it authenticated, or you can't find it. Both are covered below.

What a Consular Report of Birth Abroad is

When a child is born abroad to a U.S.-citizen parent and the birth is reported to a U.S. embassy or consulate, the Department of State issues Form FS-240 — the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. It records the child's name, date and place of birth, and parents, and it serves as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship acquired at birth.

It is not the same as a foreign birth certificate (issued by the country of birth, a foreign document) or a Certificate of Citizenship (issued by USCIS through a different process). If you're unsure which you hold, ask us before ordering.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign civil registry cannot verify a U.S. consular record on its own. The apostille, issued by the U.S. Department of State, certifies the CRBA as genuine across the 120-plus Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague destinations require that authentication followed by embassy or consulate legalization.

If your CRBA is lost or damaged

Replacement copies are requested from the Department of State's Vital Records office by the person named on the record (if an adult), or by a parent or legal guardian for a minor. You'll need identifying details and proof of identity. We advise on the correct request route and then apostille the replacement once it arrives — one chain instead of two separate waits.

FS-240 and older forms

The current form is the FS-240. Older records may appear as Form FS-545 or DS-1350 (Certification of Report of Birth), which the Department of State stopped issuing some years ago. Those older forms remain valid evidence of citizenship, but some foreign authorities are unfamiliar with them and prefer a current FS-240.

If you hold an older form and the destination is being difficult about it, requesting a current FS-240 replacement is often faster than arguing the point. Tell us what you have and we'll advise.

Document preparation requirements

• Submit the CRBA exactly as issued by the Department of State.
• Do not laminate it — lamination prevents the apostille being affixed.
• Do not notarize it — notarizing a federal record invalidates it for authentication.
• Don't staple across the seal, highlight, fold across the text, or annotate it.
• Photocopies aren't acceptable — the apostille goes on the issued record.

The step-by-step process

1. Tell us what you hold

   FS-240, an older FS-545 or DS-1350, or nothing at all — this determines whether we authenticate or route a replacement first.

2. Replacement, if needed

   We advise on requesting a replacement from the Department of State's Vital Records office.

3. Send it to us & we review

   We verify the record is in a form the Department of State will authenticate.

4. We submit in Washington, D.C.

   We hand-deliver the CRBA to the Office of Authentications with the federal authentication request and fee.

5. Apostille or authentication issued

   You receive an apostille (Hague) or authentication certificate (non-Hague), affixed to the record.

6. Embassy legalization & translation, if required

   For non-Hague destinations we handle legalization, and arrange certified translation — commonly required for civil registry filings.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Dual nationality registration — claiming the other parent's or country's citizenship for the child.
• Foreign passport applications — proving U.S. citizenship status abroad.
• School and university enrolment overseas — where citizenship documentation is required.
• Civil registry filings — registering the birth in another country.
• Residency applications — establishing the child's status in a family file.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

Pick your destination below, or see all countries we serve.

Official references: U.S. Department of State — Consular Report of Birth Abroad · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document. Government fees are set by these agencies and are separate from our service fee.