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Congratulations! You already are, or soon will be, the parent of a child who may be entitled
to U.S. citizenship. Your new baby needs a first passport, a
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) (similar to a birth certificate) and a
Social Security number. On this page we'll tell you what you need to do to get all three items.
It is important to start this process as soon as possible after you child is born.
To travel abroad, whether urgent and unexpected or plannet, your child will need a passport. In addition,
Korean Immigration requires parents of U.S. citizen children to obtain
a Korean visa in the child's passport within 30 days of the child's birth, if
the child will remain in Korea for more than 30 days.
Failure to register the child for a Korea visa could result in a penalty
fine by the Korean Immigration.
Only the child's parents or legal guardian may apply on the child's behalf.
The application must be signed before an U.S. consular officer or a
designated military official if the child is born in a military hospital.
How long will it take?
Most parents choose to apply for a U.S. passport at the same time as the
Consular Report of Birth. It takes two to three weeks to process an application
for a passport because the applications are forwarded to the United States
for printing. Most parents choose to have both documents returned at the
same time.
You may return to the Embassy to pick up the finished Consular Report
of Birth and passport or take advantage of our courier delivery
service and avoid a second trip.
Your child's Social Security card
The application for the Report of Birth includes the application for a social security
card. Your child's Social Security card will be sent to you directly by Social Security.
Please allow three to six months for the card to arrive.
 Follow
this link for information on dual nationality.
Follow
this link for information on U.S. citizenship for adopted
children.
What documents are needed to establish my child's U.S. citizenship?
Evidence
of birth. This can be an original U.S. military hospital or Korean hospital
birth certificate. A Korean certificate must be signed and sealed by
the doctor or the hospital, and must be accompanied by an English translation.
Evidence
of U.S. citizenship of the parent(s). This can be one of the following:
U.S. Passport, Birth Certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen
of the United States, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate
of Citizenship, and/or Consular Report of Birth for a previous child of the
same marriage born overseas.
Please Note: Hospitals in the U.S. sometimes issue a commemorative
"certificate of birth" which often has the baby's footprints. This hospital-issued
certificate is not proof of citizenship. Certified birth certificates
are issued by the State or County government, not a hospital.
Evidence of citizenship documents must be either an original or a copy
certified by the issuing agency. A photocopy or a "true copy" cannot
be accepted.
Follow this link for information on obtaining
vital records, such as birth, death and marriage certificates.
Evidence
of the parents' marriage, if they are married. This should be an original
or certified copy of the marriage certificate issued by a city, state,
or foreign country.
Evidence
of legal termination of previous marriages: original or certified copies
of all divorce or annulment decrees or death certificates. For a Korean
citizen, the Family Census Register is acceptable proof. An English
translation must be included.
Form
DS-2029/SS-5, Application for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
You can download a sample to help
you prepare the form.
Acrobat
Reader is required to view forms on your computer. The latest
Acrobat software is available for a free download.
DS-11
Application for a U.S. Passport, completed by a parent or legal
guardian. The application should be signed before a consular officer.
Note that the back side of this form includes instructions for use in
the U.S. which do not apply abroad (for instance, expedited processing is available in the U.S. only.
Children
Age 13 and Younger: The State Department requires the consent of
both parents for the issuance of a passport to U.S. citizens age 13
and younger. There are several special requirements.
Please carefully review the information on this
web site before you apply.
Two
identical 2" X 2" full-face color or black/white photographs. The background
must be plain white and should not show parents or parents' hands. The
baby's eyes must be open. Polaroid or vending machine photos cannot
be used.
The photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches with the face size as specified.
Your browser may not display the graphic above as the correct size.
The
fees are $70.00 for the passport and $65.00 for the Consular Report of Birth, for a total of $135.
We accept most credit cards, U.S. dollars, won, or traveler's checks. We cannot accept personal checks.
The following additional requirements may also apply, depending on your situation:
Confirmation
of paternity if the father is the only U.S. citizen and the parents
are not married.
Confirmation
of physical presence in the U.S. of the U.S. citizen parent, if the
other parent is not a U.S. citizen.
How do I confirm physical presence?
If one parent is a naturalized U.S. citizen and the other is not, the
citizen parent must provide evidence of his or her actual presence in
the U.S. for five years (two of them after the age of 14) before the birth.
Evidence might include:
U.S.
junior high, high school, and/or university transcripts.
Letter of employment
from U.S. employer stating work period and location and W-2 or tax returns.
Passports
with U.S. and foreign entry stamps and Korean Immigration Entry and Exit Certificate.
LES or DD-214
(for military)
Evidence
of having been the unmarried dependents of a U.S. government employee
stationed abroad.
Secondary
evidence, such as utility bills and rental agreements for a U.S. residence,
or payroll records.
If the parents are not married and the mother is a U.S. citizen, she
must present evidence of one year's continual physical presence in the
U.S.
How do I confirm paternity?
If the child's parents are not married to each other, or were married
to each other after the child's birth, or were married within six months
of the birth, the U.S. citizen father must supply the following:
If
he is in the U.S. military service, military orders and a service record
extract (signed by an official custodian of service records) showing
he was assigned to the country where the mother was residing at the
time of conception.
If
he is a civilian, his U.S. passport showing entry and exit stamps, Korean
Immigration records, employment records, or other evidence of his presence
in the same country as the mother at the time of conception.
Sworn
statements by both parents acknowledging that they are the natural parents
of the child. These statements must be signed in person by the parents
before a consular officer or a designated military official.
Sworn
statements from two witnesses (friends, neighbors, colleagues, commanding
officers, etc.) who would have first-hand knowledge of the relationship,
verifying the relationship of the parents before and at the time of
conception. These statements must be signed in person by the witnesses
before a consular officer or a designated military official.
If the child was born when the birth parents had been married for
less than six months, a sworn affidavit of paternity from the father
(the form is available at the Embassy, military legal offices and
on-line) is needed. The affidavit
of paternity must be signed in person by the father before a consular officer or
a designated military official.
If the child was born out of wedlock, a sworn affidavit from the father
agreeing to provide financial support until the child reaches the
age of 18. (The form is available at the Embassy, military legal offices
and on-line) The affidavit must
be signed in person by the father before a consular officer or a designated
military official. This is not required if the parents married each
other before the child's birth or if the child has been legitimated
under the laws of the father's place of legal residence in the U.S.
How do I replace or request additional copies of Consular Report of
Birth?
The Embassy cannot provide replacement or extra copies of the Consular
Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240). Neither originals nor copies of the Report of Birth are
retained at the Embassy. Additional copies are available only
by mail. A request
form is available on-line. Send your request to:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Services Correspondence Branch
CA/PPT/PS/PC, Suite 510
1111 19th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20522-1705
Your request should include complete identifying information:
Full
name of the child, date and place of birth, names of the parents, the
consular office abroad which recorded the birth, the serial number of
the Consular Report of Birth, if known.
If
the Consular Report of Birth has been lost, stolen or mutilated, the
request must include an affidavit setting forth the circumstances on
how this occurred.
The
charge is $30.00 each.
You
can learn more about what vital records are available through the Department
of State here.
Courier Service
For fastest service, if you live at a Korean street address, you can have
your child's passport and Report of Birth returned to you by one of the
two Embassy-approved courier companies, and avoid waiting or a second
trip to the Embassy. We unfortunately cannot offer this service to APO
addresses.
In addition to the convenience of not having to wait or make another trip
downtown, you can also track your passport's delivery on the web. Forms
for courier services may be obtained at the Embassy, or from the courier
companies directly. The courier company's fee is paid by you upon delivery.
You can now track the delivery of your passport on-line!
Click on a logo for more information or follow this link
A Social Security Number for Your Child
Your application for a Consular Report of Birth also serves as an application
to obtain your new child's Social Security number. His/her Social Security
number is assigned by the regional Social Security office in Manila. The
Social Security card will be mailed directly to you, though processing
takes several months.
If you have not received your child's Social Security number and need
to file U.S. federal income taxes, please contact the IRS directly for
advice on how best to proceed. Contact
information is available elsewhere on this site.
What about my child's Korean visa?
The final decision on all matters relating to Korean law, including immigration
law, rests with the Korean authorities and not with the U.S. Embassy.
What follows below is a guide to obtaining a Korean visa for your new
child. In cases where our general information conflicts with that published
by the Korean authorities, their requirements are controlling.
If your child will remain in Korea for more than 30 days after the birth,
you must obtain a Korean visa. If your child will depart Korea within
30 days of birth, no Korean visa is needed.
If you are unable to obtain a Consular Report of Birth and your child's
first passport within 30 days of birth, you should report your child's
birth to Korean Immigration anyway. Bring along the hospital birth certificate,
information on your status in Korea from your school or employer and your
own passport and valid Korean visa. Immigration will create a file on
your child and then complete processing at a later date once you've secured
the baby's U.S. passport. Korean Immigration may still impose a fine for
failure to complete registration within the allotted 30 days.
Requirements for your child's Korean visa vary if one or both of the parents
are in SOFA status. Contact your unit legal office for additional information
and assistance.
Also, if you are a service member, you must obtain a SOFA stamp for your
child from the Korean Immigration office serving your area. If you do
not arrange for the visa and SOFA stamp within 30 days, Korean Immigration
may levy a fine that must be paid before the child can leave the country.
Your child's visa or SOFA stamps are your responsibility. While the Embassy
can provide some information about Korean visa regulations, we can not
intervene with Immigration on your behalf. Military employees can contact
the Administration Section of the 121st Hospital, their own Personnel
Offices, or Army Community Services for assistance or information.
What if I am in the U.S. military?
Special assistance is available for service members in Korea. Your legal
office or the Registrar's office at the 121st Hospital can help you to
prepare the Report of Birth and passport application forms, and advise
you about obtaining other documents you need. When the forms and documents
are ready, bring them to the Embassy with the baby.
The Embassy and the U.S. military have set up six courier offices to handle
applications, normally through a base legal office or an Army Community
Service Office.
Updated February 3, 2004
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