Consular Report of Birth Abroad apostille (FS-240): the federal route

What is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad?

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad, form FS-240, is the U.S. Department of State's record of a U.S. citizen born outside the United States. A consular officer issues it to the parent or legal guardian when the birth is reported and the proof of birth, identity and nationality is approved. It is often shortened to CRBA.

Federal law gives it real weight. Under 22 U.S.C. 2705, a report of birth abroad issued by a consular officer "to document a citizen born abroad" has the same force and effect as proof of U.S. citizenship as a certificate of naturalization or citizenship.

Parents apply to the U.S. embassy or consulate that covers the place of birth. Under 22 CFR 50.5, the usual proof of birth is a copy of the birth record filed with the local authorities, plus evidence of the parents' U.S. citizenship.

FS-240 and DS-1350: the versions you may hold

Older versions still count. This is how the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo summarized it when we read its guidance in September 2026:

Whether an office abroad takes an older version is its own decision, so ask it. We check the version you hold in the free review and tell you whether a new copy is the better starting point for the apostille.

Is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad a birth certificate?

Not in the usual sense. A birth certificate is a vital record from a U.S. state or county, or from the country where the child was born. A CRBA is a federal record from the U.S. Department of State that records the birth abroad and serves as proof of U.S. citizenship. No state office holds it.

A child born abroad to U.S. citizen parents usually holds two birth documents, because the consulate's proof of birth is normally the local record. Each has its own route:

The HCCH, which runs the Convention, says a public document can only be apostilled by the competent authority of the country that issued it. So a birth certificate from Germany gets its apostille in Germany, and no U.S. office can add one.

Which document an office abroad wants is its decision, so if its checklist only says "birth certificate", ask whether it means the local certificate, the CRBA or both. For state records, see our comparison of a notarized copy and a certified copy of a birth certificate.

Who apostilles a Consular Report of Birth Abroad

The U.S. Department of State, and only the Department. The HCCH's list of U.S. competent authorities, updated on September 2, 2026, names the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport Services, Vital Records Section as the office that issues apostilles for Consular Reports of Birth, Death and Marriage. No Secretary of State can apostille a CRBA.

If you have apostilled an FBI check before, this is a different office. Requests go by mail to Passport Vital Records in Sterling, Virginia, the same office that handles copies and replacements, and the Department's request form, Form DS-5542, has an apostille box for a country in the 1961 Hague Convention. You can check the designation on the HCCH's page of U.S. competent authorities, which also says the Vital Records office charges no fee for issuance or an apostille on a document bearing the seal of a U.S. embassy or consulate. A new copy of the FS-240 is a separate $50 fee.

What the Office of Authentications does

The Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. apostilles documents issued by federal agencies, authenticates them for non-Hague countries and charges $20 per document. That covers FBI background checks, naturalization certificates, DD-214s, IRS and Social Security letters and USCIS notices, which our immigration documents page covers. Consular records such as the CRBA go to Passport Services instead. Both offices belong to the same department, and we confirm the exact office for your document before anything is filed.

How to get a CRBA apostille, step by step

Confirm the destination is in the Hague Convention, ask the office abroad what it wants and check the CRBA you hold. Then send a sworn request to Passport Vital Records with the apostille box completed and a copy of your photo ID. We can prepare and file the request for you.

1. Confirm the destination. Check the Hague apostille country list, or use the non-Hague route.
2. Ask the office abroad what it needs. Which birth document, how recent a copy and whether it wants a translation.
3. Check your CRBA. The version, its condition and names and dates that match your other records. If something is wrong, amend it first.
4. Complete and sign the request. Form DS-5542 asks for the record's details, the country of use and the number of documents. You sign its oath in front of a notary public or another person authorized to administer oaths.
5. Attach ID and mail it. Include a photocopy of the requester's photo ID, front and back, and $50 for each new copy, payable to the U.S. Department of State. The status line is 202-485-8300.

With us, you sign the request in front of a notary and we handle the rest. See what we check before we file.

Ordering copies or a replacement FS-240

Since January 3, 2011, the U.S. Department of State has issued the current FS-240, and you can request several copies at any time. You send a notarized request to Passport Vital Records in Sterling, Virginia, with a copy of your photo ID and a $50 check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State.

These are the rules as the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo published them, read on September 29, 2026.

Who can request a copy

• The person named on the CRBA, once 18 or older.
• A parent or legal guardian, while the person named is a minor.
• An authorized government agency.
• Anyone with notarized written authorization from the person named.

What the notarized request includes

• The full name at birth and any adoptive names, the date and place of birth, any passport information, the parents' or guardians' full names and the FS-240 serial number if you know it.
• The requester's signature, mailing address and phone number, plus the court order for a guardian.
• A copy of the requester's valid photo ID and a $50 check or money order payable to "U.S. Department of State".

It goes to U.S. Department of State, Passport Vital Records Section, 44132 Mercure Cir., PO Box 1213, Sterling, VA 20166-1213.

Delivery and processing time

Consider ordering a spare, since an office abroad may keep the copy you send.

Amending a CRBA before it is apostilled

If the CRBA has an error, or it needs to show a name change, an adoption or a paternity change, ask for the amendment before the apostille. An apostille certifies the signature and seal, not the facts, so it will not correct anything. Amendments go to the same Passport Vital Records office, with their own supporting documents.

The embassy guidance asks for a notarized request, certified copies of the supporting documents (it says notarized copies and photocopies of those are not accepted), the original FS-240 or a notarized affidavit about where it is, a copy of your photo ID and $50. Compare every name and date on the CRBA, the passport and the local birth certificate before anything is filed. If a U.S. marriage explains a name change, that certificate is a state record with its own route, covered in our guide to marriage certificate apostilles.

How long a CRBA apostille takes

Plan in weeks, not days. For a new or replacement FS-240, the embassy guidance we read in September 2026 listed four to eight weeks of processing, plus one to two weeks for free First Class return mail. There is no state shortcut for a federal record, so we confirm the current timeline for your apostille in the free document review.

Work backward from the date the office abroad needs the document. An amendment, embassy legalization and any translation each add time, and our same-day rush covers Massachusetts and New Hampshire documents only. For how state and federal queues compare, see how long an apostille takes.

An apostille itself does not expire. The office receiving it may still want a recently issued copy, and each office sets its own rule, so confirm with the consulate, court or lawyer handling your case before you order. Read do apostilles expire for more.

Non-Hague countries: legalization for a CRBA

An apostille only works where the Hague Convention is in force, and the Department's form says the country of use must be a member. For the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and other non-members, a CRBA needs legalization instead, which ends at that country's embassy or consulate. The steps differ by country, so ask us.

What counts is where the document will be used, not where the child was born. The CRBA of a child born in Qatar gets an apostille for use in Portugal, and the CRBA of a child born in Germany needs legalization for use in Qatar. Membership changes too: the Convention has been in force for China since November 7, 2023, Canada since January 11, 2024 and Vietnam since September 11, 2026, while Thailand's membership only takes effect on February 28, 2027.

The Department's request form also covers authenticated copies of consular records, but each embassy sets its own requirements, fees and timing for the legalization. Tell us the destination, and we confirm the exact chain for your CRBA and quote it per country before you pay. Our guides to legalization for non-Hague countries and apostille vs authentication vs legalization explain the general steps.

When you need a CRBA apostilled

You need one when an office outside the United States asks for proof of your birth or your U.S. citizenship and the CRBA is the document that shows it: a residency or visa file, a school enrollment, a marriage registration or a citizenship matter in another country. Inside the United States, no apostille is needed.

For a family move, see our guide for American expats. For a wedding, see apostilles for marriage abroad. For citizenship by descent, the consulate decides which records prove each link, and our citizenship by descent guide explains how those files are built. The HCCH says an apostille is never used to have a document recognized in the country that issued it, which is why a CRBA used at home needs none.

Mistakes that send a CRBA back

A CRBA filing can go wrong in three places: the office, the document or the paperwork. A Secretary of State cannot apostille it, a damaged or altered CRBA invites questions, and a request without a notarized signature or a copy of photo ID is incomplete. Our free document review checks each of these before anything is filed.

1. Sending it to a state office. An apostille certifies the signature and seal of the official who signed a document, and a Secretary of State can only certify its own state's officials and notaries. The officials behind a CRBA are federal. Our Secretary of State apostille guide explains the split.
2. Filing the wrong birth record. The CRBA, the local certificate and a U.S. state certificate each have their own route.
3. Sending a damaged or altered CRBA. Tears, stains, writing or changes can raise questions, and a replacement FS-240 is the cleaner starting point.
4. Leaving out the photo ID or the notary. The request needs a copy of photo ID, front and back, and a sworn signature in front of a notary.
5. Requesting without authority. A third party needs notarized written authorization from the person named, and a guardian needs the court order.
6. Asking for an apostille for a non-Hague country. The form only allows apostilles for member countries.
7. Detaching the apostille. The HCCH's guidance is that an apostille should never be removed from the document.

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