U.S. Embassy in Panama

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is a formal document certifying the acquisition of United States citizenship at birth for a person born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents who meet the requirements for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). United States non-citizen nationals are also eligible for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, using the non-citizen option.

CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18th birthday. We recommend that parents apply for the CRBA as soon as possible after the child’s birth.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To apply, your child must have been born in Panama, Republic of Panama and you must come to the U.S. Embassy Panama for the in-person interview.

To be eligible to apply for a CRBA online, you MUST answer all the following criteria with YES.

1. Was the child born in Panama?
2. Is the child under the age of 18?
3. Was at least one parent a U.S. citizen or U.S. non-citizen national when the child was born?
4. Can you use an international accepted credit/debit card or a direct payment method from a U.S. dollar denominated bank account (also known as “ACH”) to pay online for your Consular Report of Birth Abroad application?
5. Are you a biological parent of a child born abroad who is applying for that child?

If you’ve answered YES to ALL the questions above, you are eligible to complete the Consular Report of Birth Abroad online using our electronic application.

Step 1.  Create a MyTravelGov account.

A “MyTravelGov” account, housed on a secure encrypted portal, affords American Citizens the ability to request consular services online, to include a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. To apply for a CRBA online, you need to register for an account at MyTravel.state.gov, and/or sign in. Watch this video or review this document to learn how to create your account.

Step 2. Complete the online application.             

You must completely fill out all required fields in the application. The online application will also ask you to upload a list of required documents. Original copies of these same documents must be presented on the day of the interview. The required documents may include but are not limited to:

◉   Authenticated Panamanian Birth Certificate – The COPIA INTEGRA can be obtained at the Panamanian Civil Registry.  The short yellow form of the birth certificate is not acceptable as proof of birth.

◉   Evidence of U.S. Citizenship for one or both parents, which can be supported by:

• A full validity U.S. Passport
• U.S. birth certificate
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad
• Original Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship.
• (Military identification is NOT proof of U.S. citizenship)

◉   Passport/Identification Document of Non-U.S. citizen parent.  The non-U.S. citizen parent must bring his/her passport or other government issued photo identification document.

◉   Parents’ Marriage certificate.

• May be substituted by a divorce or death certificate, as applicable.  If the parents are not married, this is not required.

◉   Financial Support and/or Legal Relationship for children born out-of-wedlock or court ordered support.

◉   Evidence of physical presence or residency in the United States for the U.S. citizen parent(s) prior to the child’s birth.  Primary evidence that may establish your physical presence in the U.S. includes:

• Transcripts from high school and/or college
• DD Form 214 for military members
• Former/current passport(s) showing immigration stamps.Physical presence in the United States is one of the key requirements to transmit citizenship.  If you are unable to provide sufficient evidence, the application may be placed on hold until you submit further documentation.

◉   Proof of relationship: If the parents were not married at the time of the child’s birth, provide evidence of the parents’ physical presence together at the time of the child’s conception (e.g., through passport stamps, military travel orders, etc.).

◉   If you wish to apply for a passport at the time of the CRBA interview, ensure to bring the following documents with you:

• Printed copy of Form DS-11.  This form must be electronically filled out. A barcode will be automatically generated for the form once it is filled out online. Hand-written forms will not be accepted.
• SSN Declaration, signed and dated.
• A 2×2 color photo taken within the last six months with a white background and no glasses.  To avoid processing delays, be sure the photo meets all the photo requirements listed here.
• A $135 fee to be paid to the Consular Cashier.

Step 3. Submit payment online and schedule an appointment:

Once the application is complete, you must pay a fee of $100 USD for the CRBA service via the U.S. government’s secure payment site Pay.gov.

• You must print the payment confirmation you will receive via email after successfully paying the fee.
• After you complete the application and submit payment online, you may schedule an appointment online. Your selected appointment date and time MUST beno less than 5 working days after submitting the DS-2029 online to allow payment processing to be completed. If your payment hasn’t cleared before your interview, you may be denied service until payment has processed. We do not accept walk-ins.

Please Note:

• Do NOT make another (or duplicate) payment for a CRBA ($100) at the Embassy.
• Attend your scheduled in-person interview with your original Original documents will be returned to you after reviewing your application. The child and both parents must be present at the time of the interview.

Step 4. Applying for a Social Security Number.

• You may only apply for a Social Security Number for a minor under the age of 12 after receiving the original Consular Report of Birth Abroad and Passport.  Once you’ve received both documents, you will need to contact the Social Security Regional Office by sending an email to CostaRica@SSA.Gov.
• For applicants aged 12 and over, you can send an email to Panama-FBU@state.gov.

Need Help?

We are here to help! If you have a question, you can access eCRBA 2.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or contact our team at Panama-ACS@state.gov if your questions are not addressed in the FAQs.