Birth of a U.S. Citizen in Thailand

The American Citizen Services Unit accepts applications for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. by appointment only. To make an appointment, please call the American Citizen Services Unit at 66-02-205-4049, or write to acsbkk@state.gov. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is a certificate that states that the child is a U.S. citizen from birth equivalent to a state birth certificate issued in the U.S.

Most, but not all children born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent, are eligible to be documented as U.S. citizens through issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad and U.S. passport. Click here for information on acquiring citizenship by birth abroad.

Documentation

Please come to the embassy with the following original items when applying to document your newborn child as an American citizen. Both parents and the child must appear at the Embassy in person on the date of the appointment. Parents typically choose to apply for the child's U.S. passport at the same time they apply for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. The list below covers both the Consular Report of Birth Abroad, and the U.S. Passport. 

• The child's official, local birth certificate issued by the district office, and an English translation.
• The parents' passports dating back to time of conception of the child.
• A certified copy of the parents' marriage certificate, if applicable.
• Evidence of the termination of any previous marriages.
• Payment of the $65 fee. The fee is payable in U.S. Dollars, Thai Baht, or by debit or credit card. Personal checks cannot be accepted.
• If also applying for a passport, two identical photographs are required. They must be recent, 2 x 2 inches (with the size of the head between 1 and 1 3/8 inches), color or black and white. The photos must be clear, front view, full face, and in focus. The background must be plain white or off-white. Please print the    applicant's first and last names on the backs of both photos.

In cases where the American citizenship of a child is to be established, consular officers may require other documentation before a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or passport can be issued. The consular officer will inform you of what documents may still be required.

For children born to one U.S. citizen and one foreign national, the U.S. citizen parent will need to show five years of physical presence in the U.S., two of which must be after the age of 14.  Examples of items that show physical presence are school transcripts, income tax returns with Form W-2, Social Security earnings history, pay receipts, passport entry/exit stamps in current and previous passports, etc. Please do not sign any documents until asked to so by the Consular Officer.

DNA Examinations

In some instances it is not possible to conclusively determine the U.S. citizenship of a child at birth.  In these cases, the Consular Officer may request a DNA exam to establish paternity.   This will involve the supervised taking of saliva samples from the child and the father.  Please do not conduct independent DNA exams, as only results from Embassy ordered tests can be used to determine a genetic relationship for citizenship purposes.

Normal processing time for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad and a U.S. Passport application is three weeks.