What is the proper procedure? US citizen gives birth in the Philippines...?

Question

When a child of a US Citizen is born in the Philippines what is the proper procedure to get the baby's paperwork for a passport to get back to the United States? How long does it take from beginning to end? Is there a way of expediting this? Has anyone been in this situation?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Report of Birth of a Child

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form DS-2029, instructions) is an official record of U.S. citizenship issued to a person under age 18 who was born abroad to United States citizen parent(s) and acquired citizenship at birth. Schools, the Social Security Agency, and other institutions throughout the United States accept it and give it the same credence they give to birth certificates issued by state authorities in the United States.

Applications for Consular Report of Birth Abroad and first time adult derivative citizenship are accommodated by APPOINTMENT ONLY. In order to be given an appointment schedule, the application and supporting documents must be submitted to the Embassy via mail (Mailing address: Citizenship and Passport Unit, American Embassy, 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000 Manila) or courier. To avail of the U.S. Embassy-contracted courier service, as well as obtain forms and a list of requirements, please contact (63-2) 879-4747 (ACS-Air21/FedEx Courier Service), 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on American and Philippine holidays. The U.S. Embassy has partnered with Air21/FedEx to provide blank forms, pick-up completed forms and documents, and deliver passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad to any location in the Philippines for a nominal fee. Personal interview appointments will be scheduled after the receipt of the application and supporting documents.

Air21/FedEx Courier Step by Step Procedure :

1) Call Air21/FedEx courier service and request delivery of specific application forms that you need

2) Complete the forms and prepare the supporting documents.

3) Call Air21/FedEx courier service and request for pick up and delivery of your completed forms and supporting documents to the U.S. Embasy.

4) The Passport and Citizenship Unit of the U.S. Embassy will contact you for a personal interview appointment.

5) Air21/FedEx will deliver your completed CRBA and/or passport right to your home.

Only the child's biological parent or legal guardian, preferably the U.S. citizen parent, can apply for a CRBA by completing Form and the child must be make a personal appearance at the US Embassy. The application must be made before the child's eighteenth birthday. We encourage parents to document their child(ren)'s citizenship as soon as possible after the birth(s). Delays in reporting of the birth of your child could cause inconvenience and possibly deprive your child of this valuable document because persons age 18 and over are not eligible for a CRBA.

(Individuals over 18 who believe they may have a claim to US citizenship should review the information on derivative claims to US citizenship and ascertain that they meet the requirements before applying for a US passport for the first time.)

Applications for a CRBA and passport of the child(ren) may be submitted simultaneously.

The CRBA fee is $65.00, payable either in U.S. or Philippine currency; cash or credit card only. The fee is subject to change without notice.

In order for a child to be documented as a U.S. citizen, the U.S. citizen parent(s) must:

meet the residence requirements in the U.S. to transmit citizenship (the requirements depend on the date of the child's birth and the legal relationship between the parents at the time of birth),

establish a legitimate, legal and biological relationship with their child and

have been a US citizen at the time of the child's birth.

Children born out of wed-lock to a U.S. citizen father must be legally legitimated.

Answer 2

Contact the embassy in Manila and tell them you want to register a birth abroad.  You'll have to appear in person with your own documents, as well as the birth documents from the hospital where the child was born.  As long as one or both parents is a US citizen who has lived in the USA for five or more years, it should be neither a complicated nor time-consuming process.