U.S. Embassy in Argentina

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is an official document certifying the acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth of a person born overseas to a U.S. citizen parent(s).  If you are a U.S. citizen and the parent of a child born outside of the United States, you should document your child’s U.S. citizenship with a CRBA.

Please go through the steps below to first determine if your child is eligible for a CRBA, and if applicable, to apply. We recommend that you report the birth of your child as soon as possible after birth. It is not normally possible to issue a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for a child who is over the age of 18, but the child may still be documented as a U.S. citizen and issued a passport.

STEP 1

Determine whether your child qualifies for U.S. citizenship

Your child has a claim to U.S. citizenship if he/she meets ONE of the following five conditions.  One of these conditions must have been met prior to the birth of the child:

1. BOTH of the child’s parents are U.S. citizens, one of the parents has resided in the United States at some point, and one parent has a biological or gestational relationship to the child.
2. Only ONE of the child’s parents is a U.S. citizen, the child’s parents are MARRIED at the time of birth, the U.S. citizen parent has been physically present in the U.S. for a period of at least five years, two of which must have been after the age of 14, and one parent has a biological or gestational relationship to the child.
3. The child was born to an UNMARRIED, MALE U.S. citizen who has been physically present in the U.S. for a period of at least five years, two of which must have been after the age of 14.  In this case, the U.S. father must agree in writing to support his child until the child reaches the age of 18 years, and demonstrate a biological relationship to the child.
4. The child was born on or before June 11, 2017 to an UNMARRIED, FEMALE U.S. citizen who has spent at least 365 days of uninterrupted physical presence in the U.S. at any time prior to birth. The mother must also demonstrate a biological or gestational relationship to the child.
5. The child was born after June 11, 2017 to an UNMARRIED, FEMALE U.S. citizen who has been physically present in the U.S. for a period of at least five years, two of which must have been after the age of 14. The mother must also demonstrate a biological or gestational relationship to the child.

STEP 2

Application Package

If you believe from the above that your child is eligible for a CRBA, you should gather the following documentation:

• Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Form DS-2029. Please see our CRBA Guide (PDF 1 MB) for tips on what to bring and how to fill out your DS-2029. The application must be complete, including a list of every period of time you were physically in the United States (without leaving) prior to the birth of the child, even for one day, but should not be signed before your appointment. FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN LENGTHY DELAYS.
• Original Argentine birth certificate (acta de nacimiento) with names of parents + 3 copies;
• Child’s Argentine passport or Argentine DNI + 1 copy;
• If married, marriage certificate/acta de matrimonio (original or certified true copy) + copy;
• If previously married, divorce decree(s), death certificate, or certification of marriage termination(s) + 1 copy;
• Proof of U.S. citizenship (current passport, birth certificate, CRBA, or naturalization certificate) for the U.S citizen parent(s) + copy (data page only);
• Proof of biological relationship to the child (photos of the parents together, hospital records, social media posts over the course of the relationship, letters, joint bills and accounts, etc.);
• Proof of physical presence or residence in the U.S. for the U.S citizen parent (for example original school/university transcripts, military service records (DD-214s), previous passports issued by any country, or anything else that can demonstrate that the U.S. parent meets the transmission requirements). Please see our CRBA Guide (PDF 1 MB) for suggestions of acceptable evidence.
• Application for passport form DS-11. The application must be filled out online, completed in all parts but not signed.  
• One Photo. Individuals with an incorrect photo will have to obtain the proper photo before the application will be accepted.
• Application for Social Security Number Form SS-5
• Valid Passport or ID card for both parents + 3 copies (data page only)

You should submit all documents in original form and the number of photocopies indicated above of each (except the forms – only one copy is needed).  All original documents will be returned to you at the end of your appointment.  Any documents which are not in English or Spanish must be translated into English. Forms will be signed in front of the consul on the day of the interview.

DHL Home Delivery of U.S. Passports and CRBAs

Documentation is delivered via DHL. Applicants must visit one of the following DHL branches to arrange payment before appointments in order to obtain an airway bill sheet with a tracking number. One airway bill per family:

• CABA: Senillosa 682 (Caballito)
• CABA: Av. Callao 1423 (Recoleta)
• CABA: Av. Cabildo 1209 (Belgrano)
• CABA: 25 de Mayo 447 (Microcentro)
• Nordelta: Av. del Puerto 215, Local 2, PB
• Mar del Plata: Castelli 1363, Mar del Plata
• Tucumán:San Juan 684, San Miguel de Tucumán City
• Córdoba: Ayacucho 23, Córdoba City
• Mendoza: Patricias Mendocinas 927, Mendoza City
• Rosario: Av. Pellegrini 1075, Rosario City

Consular Fees

• Consular Report of Birth Abroad – US$100 (or equivalent in Argentine pesos) to be paid at the Consular section
• U.S. Passport for minor under age 16 – US$135 (or equivalent in Argentine pesos) to be paid at the Consular section
• U.S. passport for applicant age 16-17 – US$165 (or equivalent in Argentine pesos) to be paid at the Consular section

Payment may be made in cash (dollars/pesos) or by an international credit card (the amount charged will be in USD).  Payments are done at the Embassy the day of the appointment.

Note: Unfortunately we cannot accept defaced, soiled, marked, or torn dollar bills

STEP 3

Schedule your Appointment

Schedule your appointment by sending two e-mails to:  BuenosAires-ACS@state.gov:

 E-mail number one: 

• E-mail subject line should be “Child’s Last Name, First Name – CRBA Documents” (e.g. SMITH, Jane – CRBA Documents)
• Scanned copy of form DS-2029 (PDF 345 KB) with pages 1, 2, and 3 filled out (NOTE: Pay close attention to sections 24/25. The intent of DS-2029 is to capture every day you have been physically in the United States, from your birth to the date of birth of the child.)
• Scanned copy of form DS-11 with pages 5 and 6 filled out using Passport Wizard.

 E-mail number two:

• E-mail subject line should be “Child’s Last Name, First Name – CRBA Documents” (e.g. SMITH, Jane – CRBA Documents)
• Scanned copies of proof of U.S. physical presence (Our CRBA Guide gives detailed information about useful types of physical presence evidence.)
• Phone numbers (home phone – cell number).

Please only submit documents in PDF format as a single attachment, and e-mail number one should be no more than 12 pages, including DS-2029 and DS-11. We cannot accept zip files or online shared folders.

All required forms and documents should be sent together, on the same day, using the same e-mail address.  Upon receipt of all required documents, we will schedule your appointment.

STEP 4

Come to the Embassy the day of your appointment

Both parents and the child should come to the Consular Section to apply for a CRBA. If the non-U.S. citizen parent cannot appear, he or she must provide a notarized consent for the passport’s issuance. Take into consideration that, if approved, the CRBA and passport application process takes approximately 15 to 20 business days, so plan your travel accordingly.

If you have any further questions about this process not covered in the above information, please email us at: BuenosAires-ACS@state.gov.

Options for Parent Not Able to Transmit U.S. Citizenship to Child

A consular officer will inform you, verbally and in writing, of the decision regarding your child’s application. If a parent has not accrued sufficient physical presence in the U.S. to transmit his/her U.S. citizenship to the child, the child will be denied a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. Options to still obtain U.S. citizenship for the child then include:

• If you are intending to reside in the U.S., a U.S. citizen parent may file an immigrant visa petition for the child (IR2, biological child of a U.S. citizen). If the child is approved an immigrant visa and enters the U.S. on this visa before turning 18 years old, he/she will automatically become a U.S. citizen. For more information please visit this website.
• If you are not intending to reside in the U.S., your children may benefit from the provisions of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. This law, effective on February 27, 2001, facilitates the acquisition of U.S. citizenship for the foreign-born children (both biological and adopted) of U.S citizen parents when those children do not acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.  In many cases the grandparents of the children may be able to pass citizenship to their grandchildren.  For more information, please click here.
• For more information on this procedure please visit the USCIS website and the N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322.

Special notice for parents of children born in Argentina with a claim to U.S. citizenship and other U.S. citizens who may be dual nationals:

Children born in Argentina to U.S. citizen parents, except those in diplomatic or official status, acquire Argentine citizenship at birth as well as a possible claim to U.S. citizenship. They are dual nationals, and are required by Argentine Immigration authorities to use Argentine passports to leave Argentina.

In addition, all U.S. citizens are required by law to present a valid U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States (Section 215b of the Immigration and Nationality Act).

Parent(s) permission to travel out of Argentina with the other parent

A parent or guardian traveling alone with a child who resides in Argentina must present to Argentine authorities a legalized permission letter in Spanish (Autorización de Viaje) from the non-accompanying parent upon departure from Argentina.  Therefore, either parent may prepare an authorizing letter for the other parent to travel abroad with the child in case of emergency.  A local notary public (called an escribano in Argentina) may prepare the autorización de viaje letter.  If this notarized authorization is prepared in the United States, Argentine authorities will require an apostille from the United States in addition to the notarized authorization.  Please see this link for more information about an apostille:  Apostille Requirements (state.gov).

Certified Copies, Replacements, Amendments of CRBAs

The Embassy cannot provide certified copies or replacements of a CRBA, nor can we amend a CRBA. For these requests, you should contact the State Department in the U.S. Please visit their website for instructions.

How can my child acquire U.S. citizenship if my child is adopted or I do not comply with the requirements to transmit U.S. citizenship?

If you are unable to transmit citizenship to your child born abroad because your child is adopted or you do not meet the transmission requirements, the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows certain foreign-born, biological and adopted children of U.S. citizens to acquire U.S. citizenship.  These children do not acquire U.S citizenship at birth.

The child may apply for a certificate of citizenship through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under Section 322 of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and take an oath of naturalization to complete the child’s citizenship acquisition.