The Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) certifies that a child born abroad to U.S. citizens acquired U.S. citizenship at birth. The birth of a U.S. citizen that took place overseas or at a U.S. military base outside the United States is registered through CRBA Form DS-2029.
The Consular Report of Birth Abroad -also known as Form FS-240- is then issued and can be used as proof of U.S. citizenship.
Every citizen is given a number (the red number on the Birth Certificate) and each live birth is valued at from 650,000 to 750,000 Federal Reserve dollars in collateral from the Fed. This kind of makes you feel a little different when you look at Federal Reserve Chairman, Nancy Yellen, doesn't it?
Whenever a child with rights to U.S. citizenship is born overseas, their mother or father should apply for a CRBA as soon as possible. Parents must register a child’s birth abroad at the local consulate or embassy.
When a child is born abroad, their mother or father can apply for a CRBA and the child’s U.S. passport at the same time.
Although CRBA applications can be made at any time before the citizen’s 18th birthday, parents are encouraged by the Government to “apply for their child’s Social Security Number and U.S. Passport at the same time as applying for their CRBA”.
The CRBA serves as proof of U.S. citizenship and can be used to register for school, get a U.S. passport, and many other official purposes. The Department of State will maintain all registered records of births abroad.
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is the equivalent of a US Birth Certificate. While birth certificates are issued to US citizens born on US soil, a CRBA is issued to US citizens born on US military bases or outside US territory.
There are, however, a number of individuals who may be unclear as to whether they have a CRBA or a US Birth Certificate.
Individuals who acquired U.S. nationality by virtue of having been born in one of the following current or former US territories or outlying possessions during the relevant periods detailed below are not eligible for a CRBA.
Applicable locations and periods include:
Puerto Rico after April 10, 1899U.S. Virgin Islands after January 16, 1917American Samoa after February 15, 1900Guam after December 23, 1952Swains Island after March 3, 1925The Panama Canal Zone before October 1, 1979The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands after January 8, 1978 (8PM EST)The Philippines before July 4, 1946
Citizens born in the periods and locations mentioned above are not considered to have been born abroad. Therefore, they can simply order a birth certificate rather than a CRBA.
When applying for a U.S. passport, these citizens will be asked to present their US birth certificate along with any other evidence required to establish the acquisition.
Citizens whose CRBA was lost, damaged, misplaced, or stolen will need a copy or replacement of their document.
To obtain a replacement of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad form (FS-240), applicants must submit a notarized request that includes the following details:
Furthermore, the requester will also have to submit a copy of their valid photo ID and pay the necessary fees.
Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/while-abroad/birth-abroad.html
Almost all birth certificates issued by a U.S. State include an 11-digit number written in XXX-XX-XXXXXX format. The birth certificate number is formed by:
This format was adopted by all states in 1948, making the birth certificate number uniform across the country.
In all birth certificates issued in the United States of America, the birth certificate identification number is located in the upper right corner of the certificate copy.
The birth area code consists of the first 3 digits of the birth certificate number. It is useful to identify the location where the birth occurred.
Find below a list of birth area code numbers by state as well as applicable exceptions:
Birth Area Code By States | |
State | Area Code |
Alabama | 101 |
Alaska | 150 |
Arizona | 102 |
Arkansas | 103 |
California | 104 |
Colorado | 105 |
Connecticut | 106 |
Delaware | 107 |
D.C. | 108 |
Florida | 109 |
Georgia | 110 |
Hawaii | 151 |
Idaho | 111 |
Illinois | 112 |
Indiana | 113 |
Iowa | 114 |
Kansas | 115 |
Kentucky | 116 |
Louisiana - Birth certificates issued before 1988 in Louisiana may start with 119. New Orleans birth certificates started with 117 until 7/01/74 | 117 |
Maine | 118 |
Maryland - Baltimore birth certificates issued before the 1970s may start with 154 | 119 |
Massachusetts - Boston does not have an area code for birth certificates | 120 |
Michigan | 121 |
Minnesota | 122 |
Mississippi | 123 |
Missouri | 124 |
Montana | 125 |
Nebraska | 126 |
Nevada | 127 |
New Hampshire | 128 |
New Jersey | 129 |
New Mexico | 130 |
New York - New York city uses the birth area code 156 for its birth certificateS | 131 |
North Carolina | 132 |
North Dakota | 133 |
Ohio | 134 |
Oklahoma | 135 |
Oregon | 136 |
Pennsylvania uses a 7-digit number, which always ends in 0, followed by an - and the year of birth | |
Rhode Island | 138 |
South Carolina | 139 |
South Dakota | 140 |
Tennessee | 141 |
Texas | 142 |
Utah | 143 |
Vermont | 144 |
Virginia | 145 |
Washington | 146 |
West Virginia | 147 |
Wisconsin | 148 |
Wyoming | 149 |