Documenting your Child's U.S. Citizenship
If you are a U.S. citizen and have a child who has been born outside of the U.S., you must apply for a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" to determine if your child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth. A CRBA is an official document which serves as proof of your child's U.S. citizenship, much like a U.S. birth certificate. While most children of U.S. citizens become citizens at birth, it is not automatic, and depends upon the citizenship and marital status of the parents and how long the U.S. citizen parent(s) have lived in the United States.
To apply for a CRBA, you should fill out the application form and supply us with originals of the child's birth certificate, the passport of the U.S. citizen parent(s) and, if applicable, your marriage certificate. The U.S. citizen parent must also be prepared to document periods of physical presence in the United States. The second page of the application also allows you to apply for a Social Security Number for your child. There is a fee of $65 (or kwacha equivalent) for a CRBA.
For children born in Zambia, you must submit a Zambian birth certificate (not just the hospital record of birth). This can be obtained from the Registrar of Births and Deaths on Dedan Kimathi Road, off Independence Avenue. For children born in countries other than Zambia, we will accept the CRBA application, but the determination of citizenship will be made by the U.S. Embassy in the country of birth.
When you submit a CRBA application, you can also submit a passport application form DSP-11(click here) for the child. This way we can issue a passport at the same time we issue a CRBA. There is a fee of $40 (or kwacha equivalent) for the passport plus $30 to execute the oath. Please be sure the passport photo is 2 x 2 inches in size and shows the child's face as fully as possible. While infants may be held for the purpose of taking the photo, no one else's face should be visible in the photograph.
Please note that the American Embassy offices are closed on holidays.
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Tel: (260)-1-227993/4 ; Fax: (260)-1-226523 ; E-Mail: embpas@zamnet.zm
All visa queries sent by e-mail should be directed to ConsularLusaka@state.gov
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