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| DOCUMENTING THE U.S. CITIZENSHIP OF A CHILD
BORN IN CYPRUS -- THE "CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD"
(CROBA) |
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A. General Information About a Consular
Report of Birth Abroad
(CROBA):
The U.S. citizenship of a child born in Cyprus
to a U.S. citizen parent can be documented with a Consular Report
of Birth Abroad of a U.S. citizen before the child reaches the age
of 18 years. The Consular Report of Birth Abroad is the legal equivalent
of a birth certificate issued in the United States. It can be important
to obtain a Consular Report of Birth Abroad because most jurisdictions
in the United States do not recognize foreign birth certificates.
It is important to note that the U.S. citizenship
of a parent does not automatically confer U.S. citizenship on a
child born in Cyprus. U.S. law requires that specific additional
conditions be met for a child born abroad to acquire U.S. citizenship
at birth.
To apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad
for the child, both parents must come with the child to the consular
section of the Embassy. However, because several forms are required
and a good deal of specific information and documentation is requested,
the Embassy encourages one parent or a representative to come in
advance to obtain the forms and instructions.
Once the parents have completed the necessary
forms and compiled the required documentation, they should come
with the child to the Embassy between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. any
workday.
An appointment is not necessary, but the Embassy
treats all clients on a first come-first served basis.
The Embassy strongly encourages parents obtaining
a Consular Report of Birth for their child to apply also for a U.S.
passport for the child.
The following are the required forms for obtaining
a Consular Report of Birth:
Each of these forms is available in the Consular Section of the
Embassy.
In addition to the forms just described, a
number of official documents are necessary. These include:
- The child’s birth certificate issued
by the Cypriot municipality (original or certified copy)
- The parents’ marriage certificate
(original or certified copy)
- The passports of the American citizen parents
- The passport or other photograph identity
document for a parent who is not a U.S. citizen, and
- Evidence of the termination of any prior
marriages, if applicable.
The fee for the Consular Report of
Birth is $65 and may be paid in U.S. currency (cash), the equivalent
in Euros or by credit card. The fee for a minor passport is $85.
The fees must be paid at the consular cashier’s window at
the Embassy. Checks are not accepted.
B. CROBA - Both Parents Are American
Citizens:
A child born in Cyprus whose parents are legally
married and both were U.S. citizens at the time of the child's birth
acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if at least one of the parents
resided in the United States prior to the child's birth.
Both parents must provide proof of their U.S.
citizenship, their marriage certificate, the final divorce decrees
dissolving any previous marriages, the child's Cypriot birth certificate,
and evidence that at least one parent lived in the United States
prior to the child's birth.
The interviewing consular officer may require
additional evidence to demonstrate that the child is the biological
offspring of the parents.
C. CROBA - One Parent Only is an American Citizen:
A child born in Cyprus whose parents are legally
married and one of the parents was a U.S. citizen at the time of
the child's birth acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the U.S.
citizen parent was physically present in the United States for five
full years before the child was born and two of those five years
were after the parent's 14th birthday.
The U.S. citizen parent must provide proof
of his or her U.S. citizenship. The U.S. citizen parent also must
provide substantial evidence that he or she was physically present
in the United States for a total a five full years before the child
was born and that two of those five years were after the parent's
14th birthday.
Evidence of physical presence may include
Social Security payment summaries, original school transcripts,
federal income tax filings with the wage earner's W-2 forms, any
passports used before the birth of the child, and similar documents.
To avoid the possible inconvenience of having to return to the Embassy
with additional documentation, the U.S. citizen parent is urged
to provide evidence of physical presence that is not limited to
five specific calendar years but instead covers as long a period
of time as possible.
Both parents also must provide their marriage
certificate, the final divorce decrees dissolving any previous marriages,
and the child's Cypriot birth certificate.
The interviewing consular officer may require
additional evidence to demonstrate that the child is the biological
offspring of the U.S. citizen parent. In rare instances, the consular
officer may request that the U.S. citizen parent undergo DNA testing
with the child to resolve uncertainties about their blood relationship.
This testing follows strict security and privacy protocols and costs
several hundred dollars.
D. CROBA - Child Born Out of Wedlock to an American Citizen
Mother:
A child born out of wedlock in Cyprus to a
U.S. citizen mother acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the mother
lived in the United States for one continuous year prior to the
child's birth. The mother's age when she lived in the United States
for one continuous year is not a consideration in determining the
child's claim to U.S. citizenship.
The child's mother must provide proof of her
U.S. citizenship. She also must provide evidence that she was physically
present in the United States for at least one continuous year at
any time before the child was born.
Evidence of physical presence may include
Social Security payment summaries, original school transcripts,
federal income tax filings with the wage earner's W-2 forms, passports
used before the birth of the child, and similar documents. In some
instances a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate and passports
with relevant entry and exit stamps have provided sufficient evidence
of the mother's physical presence in the United States.
The mother also must provide a certified copy
of the child's Cypriot birth certificate.
In extremely rare instances, the U.S. citizen
mother may be asked to undergo DNA testing with the child to resolve
uncertainties about their blood relationship. This testing follows
strict security and privacy protocols and costs several hundred
dollars.
The Embassy strongly encourages an American
citizen mother obtaining a Consular Report of Birth for her child
to apply also for a U.S. passport for the child. If the father's
name appears on the child's birth certificate, or if the parents
married after the birth of the child, or if the father has not abandoned
his parental obligations, the child's father will be required to
be present at the Embassy and sign the passport application (DS-11)
if the child is under 14 years of age.
E. CROBA - Child Born Out of Wedlock to an American Citizen
Father:
A child born out of wedlock in Cyprus whose
father is a U.S. citizen acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if five
specific conditions established by the U.S. Congress are satisfied.
First, the blood relationship between the father and child must
be demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence. Second, the father
must have been a U.S. citizen when the child was born. Third, prior
to the birth of the child, the father must have been physically
present in the United States for a total of five full years, and
two of those five years must have been after the father's 14th birthday.
Fourth, prior to the child's 18th birthday, the father must sign
under oath or affirmation a written statement agreeing to support
the child financially until its 18th birthday. Fifth, prior to the
child's 18th birthday, the father must either formally acknowledge
his paternity of the child or legitimate the child in accordance
with the laws of Cyprus.
The U.S. citizen father must provide proof
that he was a U.S. citizen when the child was born. The father's
current or previous U.S. passport may provide the best proof of
this.
The U.S. citizen father also must provide
substantial evidence that he was physically present in the United
States for a total a five full years before the child was born and
that two of those five years were after the father's 14th birthday.
Evidence of physical presence may include
Social Security payment summaries, original school transcripts,
federal income tax filings with the wage earner's W-2 forms, any
passports used before the birth of the child, and similar documents.
To avoid the possible inconvenience of having to return to the Embassy
with additional documentation, the U.S. citizen father is urged
to provide evidence of physical presence that is not limited to
five specific calendar years but instead covers as long a period
of time as possible.
The U.S. citizen father will be asked to sign
under oath or affirmation before a consular officer a written statement
acknowledging his paternity and agreeing to support the child until
its 18th birthday.
The father must provide a certified copy of
the child's Cypriot birth certificate.
The interviewing consular officer may require
additional evidence to demonstrate that the child is the biological
offspring of the U.S. citizen father. In rare instances, the U.S.
citizen father may be asked to undergo DNA testing with the child
to resolve uncertainties about their blood relationship. This testing
follows strict security and privacy protocols and costs several
hundred dollars.
The Embassy strongly
encourages the U.S. citizen father obtaining a Consular Report of
Birth for his child to apply also for a U.S. passport for the child.
The child's mother must be present with the father and child to
sign the passport application if the child is under 14 years of
age.
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