Embassy of the United States

Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon by appointment only, Tuesday through Friday, except on French and American holidays.

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad may be issued for any U.S. citizen child under the age of 18 who was born abroad and who acquired U.S. citizenship at birth.

To register an overseas birth and to obtain a first passport, please call the American Citizen Services unit at 01 43 12 26 71 between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. on business days, to schedule an appointment.

Due to the large number of Americans living in France please allow two weeks for an appointment. In addition to the documentation listed below the child must be present at the time of registration. All forms and instructions may be downloaded directly from this webpage; or you may call the American Citizen Services Unit at:  01 43 12 26 71 to receive them by mail.

I. Registration of U.S. Citizen Abroad

U.S. citizens with children who were born outside the United States must register them at the nearest U.S. embassy or Consulate in order to document them as U.S. citizens.  American citizens can register the birth of their children born abroad with the Office of American Services as well as obtain a first passport and social security number for newborn children. In the registration process, a Consul determines the eligibility of U.S. citizen parents to “transmit” citizenship to the child. The requirements of U.S. law for the transmission of U.S. citizenship to a child are set forth in section 2 of this document.

Upon registration, the child will be issued a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of American (Form FS-240).

This document is a basic citizenship document. In the United States, it may be easier to present this document as a birth certificate in place of a foreign birth certificate. The Consular Report of Birth Abroad is usually ready in about an hour. The child's passport application will be sent to the National Passport Center and the passport will be returned to you by mail within two weeks.

U.S. citizen parents should register their children as soon as possible, but it is imperative that registrations be processed before the children reach eighteen years of age. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad cannot be prepared if the child is 18 years old or more at the time the birth is reported. Persons born abroad who are more than 18 years of age and who believe they have a claim to U.S. citizenship, but who have never been documented as a U.S. citizen, should apply to the nearest American Embassy or Consulate for information and assistance in investigating their claim to U.S. nationality.  Only the child's U.S. parent(s) or legal guardian(s) may apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad on a child's behalf. Both parents must sign the application for the child's first passport. Please see instructions on obtaining a first passport in section 4 below.

II. Requirements for transmission of U.S. Citizenship to children born abroad.     

A/ Children born in wedlock:

Born to two U.S. citizen parents

If either parent has resided in the United States prior to the birth of the child, the child acquires U.S. citizenship (Note: residence is defined as “the place of general abode”).

Born to one U.S. citizen and one alien parent

The U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for a period (or periods totaling) five years prior to the birth of the child, at least two of which were after the U.S. citizen parent reached the age of fourteen years.

B/ Children born out of wedlock

Born to a U.S. citizen mother

The U.S. citizen mother must have been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least one year before the child’s birth.

Born to a U.S. citizen father and an alien mother

A child born out of wedlock to a U.S. citizen father and an alien mother may acquire U.S. citizenship at birth based upon clear and convincing evidence of paternity. The father must have been physically present in the United States for a period (or periods totaling) five years prior to the child’s birth, at least two of which were after the father reached the age of fourteen years.

In addition, the U.S. citizen father must:

• sign a written agreement to provide financial support until the child reaches the age of eighteen years; and
• make a statement under oath acknowledging parentage, or legitimate the child under the law of the child’s residence or domicile or have paternity of the child adjudicated and established by a competent court.

What does physical presence mean?
Physical presence is counted as the time the parent was actually in the United States. If the parent had residence in the U.S. but spent most of his/her time traveling or living abroad, only the time actually spent in the U.S. counts as physical presence.  Physical presence need not be continuous. Visits of any length to the U.S. count towards fulfilling physical presence requirements. Any periods spent outside of the U.S., even short vacations, must be accounted for in listing physical presence. Time when the parent is not present in the U.S. for the following reasons may also be counted as physical presence in the U.S. for the purpose of transmitting U.S. citizenship:

• honorable service in the United States Armed Forces
• employment with the U.S. Government or with certain international organizations
• residence overseas as a dependant, unmarried son or daughter and a member of the household of an employee of the U.S. Government or certain international organizations

Note: These provisions do not apply in the case of a child born out of wedlock to a U.S. citizen mother. The continuous year must be in the United States and may not be satisfied through time as a United States Government employee or dependent overseas.

If you are an American citizen but do not have enough physical presence to transmit your U.S. nationality to your child, please refer to the following website page concerning the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

You may also call our offices at 01 43 12 26 71 between 3pm and 5pm to receive further information.

The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows certain foreign-born, biological and adopted children of American citizens to acquire American citizenship automatically. These children did not acquire American citizenship at birth, but they are granted citizenship when they enter the United States as lawful permanent residents (LPRs).

3. When you come to register your child's birth, please submit the following:

Please remember that the child must be present at the time of application.

A. Completed Consular Report of Birth Abroad Application Worksheet (DS-2029).

This worksheet is a first draft of the Consular Report of Birth Abroad application that will eventually be completed by a consular assistant at the time of your application for your child. Please complete it fully, and as accurately as possible, prior to your appointment in order to shorten your wait. You will complete another (the original) at the Embassy by clearly copying your information once the consular assistant has verified your worksheet.

Please complete the information requested in section A, numbers 1-15, on the application form worksheet. Number 12 is particularly important and should be carefully reconstructed and documented for the U.S. citizen parent(s), prior to coming to the Embassy for your appointment. Please use additional sheets of paper if necessary.

Instructions are on the second page of the application form. Please read and follow the instructions carefully. If you have any doubts about the information requested, please leave those areas blank until you have discussed them with a Consular assistant.

B. Social Security Numbers (Federal Benefits) supporting documentation

As of Nov. 20, 2006, the Form SS-5 must be completed and submitted at the time of application. Subsequent to this change, and in addition to the required evidence needed to obtain a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, you must submit one of the following documents used for identification of your child.

Acceptable forms of identification are:

• Child's photo ID (i.e., Foreign passport or any Foreign picture ID), or;
• Original of child's U.S. passport

Note: If you would like to apply for a social security number for a child over the age of five, you must first obtain the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and then contact the social security office in Paris.

C. Required documents checklist:

The American parent(s) should submit the following documents to the Office of American Services, either in the original form or a certified copy, except when specified:

• The child’s birth certificate issued by the local authorities at the place of birth. For births in France, request the extrait de l’acte de naissance integral from the town hall Mairie.  Neither the livret de famille, nor an extrait de l’acte, nor a fiche individuelle d’etat civil will be accepted as a birth certificate.
• Evidence of the U.S. citizenship of the child’s parent(s) (e.g., passport or naturalization certificate).
• The marriage certificate of the child’s parents if they are married. If the marriage occurred in France you may use the livret de famille.
• If either of the child’s parents has been married before, evidence of the termination of that marriage, such as divorce decree or death certificate.
• A statement by the U.S. citizen parent(s) listing the precise periods of his or her actual physical presence in the United States.
• Evidence of physical presence in the U.S. (School records, passport stamps, doctor or immunization records are acceptable; Social Security and tax records generally are not admissible).
• Completed Consular Report of Birth Abroad application worksheet (DS-2029).
• The completed Social Security application Form SS-5
• One of the following:
  Child's photo ID (i.e., Foreign passport or any Foreign picture ID), or;
  Child’s newly issued U.S. passport
• Consular Reports of Birth Abroad issued for your other children, if applicable.
• The fee for the report of birth is $65.00. Fees may be paid with major credit cards, in cash, or with travelers’ checks. Personal checks are not accepted.

   

• If applying for a U.S. passport for the child, please remember that the fee for a minor under 16 years old is $85.00. If you are applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad as well as a first passport, the total fees are $150.00. For children 16 or 17 years old, the passport fee is $100.00; total fees are $165.00.
• If you require a first passport for your child (see item 4 below), all new passports will be sent to you by mail using the Chronopost envelope tracking system. When submitting your child’s application color photos, payment and other required documents, please include a self-addressed Chronopost envelope available at all French post offices (one Chronopost envelope may contain several passports – maximum 8).

The Chronopost envelope tracking system guarantees a faster and more secure service for the return of your child’s passport.  

Once you have submitted the complete passport application, it takes approximately two weeks for you to receive the new passport. At the time of application, you may wait to immediately receive the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. If you would like it sent to you with the passport, please provide a large envelope size 9” ½ x 12”.

U.S. Embassy
Consular Section
American Citizen Services
Passport Unit
4, avenue Gabriel
75382 Paris Cedex 08

If you live or are traveling in the south of France you may apply for this service at the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille. 

Marseille (U.S. Consulate General)
Place Varian Fry
13086 Marseille
Tel: 04 91 54 92 00
Fax: 04 91 55 09 47
Email: citizeninfomarseille@state.gov

IV. Passport application for first passports for minors

When applying for a first passport for minors under age 16:    

A. Each minor shall appear in person and:

1. Both parents must appear together and sign the application form (DS-11) in the presence of the Consul or;
2. One parent appears, signs, and submits from the second parent a notarized form DS-3053, “Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16,” authorizing passport issuance for the child. Or the appearing parent may submit a notarized, written statement, in English, of consent from the non-appearing parent (including the child's name and date of birth, as well as parent's identification information or a copy of his/her ID) authorizing passport issuance for the child. The signature may be certified by a French notaire for the non-applying parent if this is the case.
   
   Please type or print legibly in black ink when completing all sections of this application. Please print out and submit only one-sided pages of the application.
   
   Note that the online version of the application form includes instructions on the backside written for use in the U.S., which do not apply to your application in France.
   
   If you need to obtain the “Statement of Consent” by mail or if you require more information concerning notarial services for this document, please call the Passport and Citizenship section of the Embassy at telephone 01.43.12.26.71 between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. No fee will be charged if the statement of consent is notarized at a U.S. Consulate or American Presence Post in France. A French notaire may notarize the signature on this document. 
   or;
   
   
3. One parents appears, signs, and submits primary evidence of sole authority to apply, such as one of the following:

• Child's certified U.S. or foreign birth certificate (with translation, if necessary) listing only the applying parent; or
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) or Certification of Birth Abroad (Form DS-1350) listing only the applying parent; or
• Court order granting sole custody to the applying parent (unless child's travel is restricted by that order); or
• Adoption decree (if applying parents is sole adopting parent); or
• Court order specifically permitting applying parent's or guardian's travel with the child; or
• Judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent; or
• Death certificate of non-applying parent.
  
  If none of the above documentation is available, the applying parent/guardian should submit a Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor under Age 16).

NOTE: A third-party in loco parentis applying on behalf of a minor under the age of 16 must submit a notarized written statement or affidavit from both parents or guardians authorizing a third-party to apply for a passport. When the statement or affidavit is from only one parent/guardian, the third-party must present evidence of sole custody of the authorizing parent/guardian.                         

B/ Each applicant shall submit ALL of the following:

1. Form DS-11
2. Two (2) identical and recent color photographs taken full-face, with a white background, measuring 5cm x 5cm (2in x 2in). Please ask the photographer for photos for a U.S. passport, otherwise you may be given the wrong format. All French photo booth photographs are not acceptable. See list of photographers.
3. All new passports will be sent to you by mail using the Chronopost envelope tracking system. When submitting your child’s application color photos, payment and other required documents, please include a self-addressed Chronopost envelope available at all French post offices (one Chronopost envelope may contain several passports – maximum 8).
   The Chronopost envelope tracking system guarantees a faster and more secure service for the return of your child’s passport.  
4. Passport Fee
   
   For children under the age of sixteen (16) the charge for a first passport is eighty-five dollars ($85.00) or the euro equivalent in cash, traveler's checks or credit cards (Visa, American Express, Mastercard, Discover). For persons age 16 and over, the charge is one hundred dollars ($100.00) or the euro equivalent. Personal checks are not accepted.
   

For further information, see Special Requirements for Children Under Age 16 Minor Children must Apply in Person

If you live or are traveling in the south of France you may apply for this service at the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille. Please contact this office for further information.

Marseille (U.S. Consulate General)
Place Varian Fry
13086 Marseille
Tel: 04 91 54 92 00
Fax: 04 91 55 09 47
Email: citizeninfomarseille@state.gov

Security at the Embassy

For security reasons, do not bring luggage--including large backpacks--laptop computers, or large cameras.   Security guards will hold small tourist cameras and cell phones until your departure, but there is no storage available for luggage, large backpacks, laptop computers, or large cameras—please do not bring them to the Embassy.

U.S. Embassy
Consular Section
American Citizen Services
Passport Unit
4, avenue Gabriel
75382 Paris Cedex 08