Report of Birth Abroad
Documenting the U.S. Citizenship of a Child Born in EL SALVADOR -- The "CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD" (CROBA)
We process Reports of Birth Abroad any business day from 8:15 to 11:30 a.m. any business day, with the exception of American and Salvadoran holidays and the first Wednesday of each month. The child and both parents must be present at the time of application. The fee for this service is USD 150. This fee includes the report of birth abroad and a U.S. passport for the child.
For details about Reports of Birth Abroad, click on the applicable section:
A. General Information about a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CROBA)
B. CROBA – Both Parents are American Citizens
C. CROBA - Only One Parent is an American Citizen
D. CROBA – Child Born Out of Wedlock to an American Citizen Mother
E. CROBA – Child Born Out of Wedlock to an American Citizen Father
A. General Information About a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CROBA)
The U.S. citizenship of a child born in El Salvador to a U.S. citizen parent can be documented with a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen before the child reaches the age of 18 years. The Consular Report of Birth Abroad is the legal equivalent of a birth certificate issued in the United States. It can be important to obtain a Consular Report of Birth Abroad because most jurisdictions in the United States do not recognize foreign birth certificates.
It is important to note that the U.S. citizenship of a parent does not automatically confer U.S. citizenship on a child born in El Salvador. U.S. law requires that specific additional conditions be met for a child born abroad to acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.
To apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for the child, both parents must come with the child to the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit of the Embassy. However, because several forms are required and a good deal of specific information and documentation is requested, the Embassy encourages one parent or a representative to come in advance to obtain the forms and instructions.
Once the parents have completed the necessary forms and compiled the required documentation, they should come with the child to the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit of the Embassy between 8:15 and 11:30 a.m. any business day with the exception of American and Salvadoran holidays and the first Wednesday of each month.
An appointment is not necessary, but the American Citizen unit treats all clients on a first come--first served basis.
The fee for the Consular Report of Birth is USD 65 and may be paid in cash or with one of the following credit cards: MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover/NOVUS, or Diners Club. The fees must be paid at the consular cashier’s window of the ACS unit. Checks and debit cards are not accepted.
The Embassy strongly encourages parents obtaining a Consular Report of Birth for their child to apply also for a U.S. passport for the child.
B. CROBA - Both Parents Are American Citizens
Please read Section A--General Information About a Consular Report of Birth Abroad-- in addition to this section.
A child born in El Salvador whose parents are legally married and were both U.S. citizens at the time of the child's birth acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if at least one of the parents resided in the United States prior to the child's birth.
Both parents must provide proof of their U.S. citizenship, their marriage certificate, the final divorce decrees dissolving any previous marriages, the child's Salvadoran birth certificate, and evidence that at least one parent lived in the United States prior to the child's birth.
The interviewing consular officer may require additional evidence to demonstrate that the child is the biological offspring of the parents. In rare instances, the consular officer may request that one or both parents undergo DNA testing with the child to resolve uncertainties about their blood relationship. This testing follows strict security and privacy protocols and costs several hundred dollars.
C. CROBA – Only One Parent is an American Citizen
Please read Section A--General Information About a Consular Report of Birth Abroad-- in addition to this section.
A child born in El Salvador whose parents are legally married and one of the parents was a U.S. citizen at the time of the child's birth acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the U.S. citizen parent was physically present in the United States for five full years before the child was born and two of those five years were after the parent's 14th birthday.
The U.S. citizen parent must provide proof of his or her U.S. citizenship. The U.S. citizen parent also must provide substantial evidence that he or she was physically present in the United States for a total a five full years before the child was born and that two of those five years were after the parent's 14th birthday.
Evidence of physical presence may include Social Security payment summaries, school transcripts, federal income tax filings with the wage earner's W-2 forms, any passports used before the birth of the child, and similar documents. To avoid the possible inconvenience of having to return to the Embassy with additional documentation, the U.S. citizen parent is urged to provide evidence of physical presence that is not limited to five specific calendar years but instead covers as long a period of time as possible.
Both parents also must provide their marriage certificate, the final divorce decrees dissolving any previous marriages, and the child's Salvadoran birth certificate.
The interviewing consular officer may require additional evidence to demonstrate that the child is the biological offspring of the U.S. citizen parent. In rare instances, the consular officer may request that the U.S. citizen parent undergo DNA testing with the child to resolve uncertainties about their blood relationship. This testing follows strict security and privacy protocols and costs several hundred dollars.
D. CROBA - Child Born Out of Wedlock to an American Citizen Mother
Please read Section A--General Information About a Consular Report of Birth Abroad in addition to this section.
A child born out of wedlock in El Salvador to a U.S. citizen mother acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the mother lived in the United States for one continuous year prior to the child's birth. The mother's age when she lived in the United States for one continuous year is not a consideration in determining the child's claim to U.S. citizenship.
The child's mother must provide proof of her U.S. citizenship. She also must provide evidence that she was physically present in the United States for at least one continuous year at any time before the child was born.
Evidence of physical presence may include Social Security payment summaries, school transcripts, federal income tax filings with the wage earner's W-2 forms, passports used before the birth of the child, and similar documents. In some instances a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate and passports with relevant entry and exit stamps have provided sufficient evidence of the mother's physical presence in the United States.
The mother also must provide a certified copy of the child's Salvadoran birth certificate.
In extremely rare instances, the U.S. citizen mother may be asked to undergo DNA testing with the child to resolve uncertainties about their blood relationship. This testing follows strict security and privacy protocols and costs several hundred dollars.
The Embassy strongly encourages an American citizen mother obtaining a Consular Report of Birth for her child to apply also for a U.S. passport for the child. If the father's name appears on the child's birth certificate, or if the parents married after the birth of the child, or if the father has not abandoned his parental obligations, the child's father will be required to be present at the Embassy and sign the passport application (DS-11) if the child is under 16 years of age.
E. CROBA - Child Born Out of Wedlock to an American Citizen Father
Please read Section A--General Information About a Consular Report of Birth Abroad in addition to this section.
A child born out of wedlock in El Salvador whose father is a U.S. citizen acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if five specific conditions established by the U.S. Congress are satisfied. First, the blood relationship between the father and child must be demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence. Second, the father must have been a U.S. citizen when the child was born. Third, prior to the birth of the child, the father must have been physically present in the United States for a total of five full years, and two of those five years must have been after the father's 14th birthday. Fourth, prior to the child's 18th birthday, the father must sign under oath or affirmation a written statement agreeing to support the child financially until its 18th birthday. Fifth, prior to the child's 18th birthday, the father must either formally acknowledge his paternity of the child or legitimate the child in accordance with the laws of El Salvador.
The U.S. citizen father must provide proof that he was a U.S. citizen when the child was born. The father's current or previous U.S. passport may provide the best proof of this.
The U.S. citizen father also must provide substantial evidence that he was physically present in the United States for a total a five full years before the child was born and that two of those five years were after the father's 14th birthday.
Evidence of physical presence may include Social Security payment summaries, school transcripts, federal income tax filings with the wage earner's W-2 forms, any passports used before the birth of the child, and similar documents. To avoid the possible inconvenience of having to return to the Embassy with additional documentation, the U.S. citizen father is urged to provide evidence of physical presence that is not limited to five specific calendar years but instead covers as long a period of time as possible.
The U.S. citizen father will be asked to sign under oath or affirmation before a consular officer a written statement acknowledging his paternity and agreeing to support the child until its 18th birthday.
The father must provide a certified copy of the child's Salvadoran birth certificate.
The interviewing consular officer may require additional evidence to demonstrate that the child is the biological offspring of the U.S. citizen father. In rare instances, the U.S. citizen father may be asked to undergo DNA testing with the child to resolve uncertainties about their blood relationship. This testing follows strict security and privacy protocols and costs several hundred dollars.
The Embassy strongly encourages the U.S. citizen father obtaining a Consular Report of Birth for his child to apply also for a U.S. passport for the child. The child's mother must be present with the father and child to sign the passport application if the child is under 16 years of age.
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