Birth Registration

Registering the Overseas Birth of a U.S. Citizen

As a U.S. citizen parent, you should report your child’s birth abroad as soon as possible to the U.S. Embassy to establish an official record of the child’s claim to or acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth. The official record will be the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), Form FS-240. This form is evidence of U.S. citizenship, issued to a child born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents who meet the requirements for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18th birthday.

Applying for a CRBA is a simple process, but does require you to collect and submit some important documentation. We offer this service by appointment only. Please consult our webpage for more information about the Online Appointment System. Both parents and the child should appear in person at the Embassy to submit the CRBA application. For your convenience, if both parents appear, you may also apply for your child’s first passport when you report your child’s birth.

CRBA applicants must submit documents including:

The child’s original Hungarian birth certificate and, if born before March 1, 2006, an English translation of the document. (No translation is needed for children born after March 1, 2006; all Hungarian birth certificates issued after that date are trilingual.)
Evidence of Parents’ Citizenship and Identity. Your current passport is the preferred form of proof. A U.S. birth certificate or naturalization certificate is also acceptable, but in this case, you must also present government-issued photo ID. Please bring the original and two photocopies of the bio page of the passport or/and Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship.
For married parents, an original marriage certificate. If it is not in English, an English translation is necessary. (There is no translation needed for the new, trilingual type of Hungarian marriage certificates, which were issued after March 1, 2006.) Please also bring one photocopy of the document(s).
For parents with prior marriages, original divorce decrees, death certificates or other evidence of termination of the marriage(s) prior to the birth of the child (if not in English, certified English translation(s) are necessary). Please also bring one photocopy of the document(s).
Post-delivery hospital discharge papers for the mother and the child (no translation needed). Please bring the original documents and one photocopy.
If the parents are not married and if the unmarried U.S. citizen father is not present on the day of the application, we need a notarized affidavit of parentage, physical presence, and financial support from the father. Please fill out Form DS-5507 Affidavit of Parentage and Physical Presence).
100 USD or HUF equivalent for the CRBA;
The completed CRBAapplication form;
If only one of the parents is a U.S. citizen, proof of physical presence in the United States of that parent is required. Examples of acceptable primary evidence of this physical presence include: school transcripts (unofficial copies printed from https websites are acceptable), records of military service showing nature of discharge (if any), and W-2 tax forms. Secondary evidence might include: income tax returns filed in the U.S., utility bills, medical records, former/current passports with stamps, airline ticket stubs, credit card bills, bank statements showing debit card transactions, or notarized affidavits from former/current employers. The amount of time you must demonstrate that you resided in the U.S. to transmit citizenship to your child will depend on your marital status and if only one or both parents are U.S. citizens. More information can be found HERE. Please bring originals and one photocopy of all documentation.
If you also wish to apply for your child’s first passport, please also bring the forms outlined on our Passports page.
To apply for your child’s Social Security number, please also complete an SS-5 Application for Social Security Card (pdf, 132KB) and contact the Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, Poland.

A suggested location for obtaining the necessary certified translations is the Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation (Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda Rt.) at Bajza u. 52., 1062 Budapest, +36-1-428-9600; Telefax: +36-1-428-9611; E-mail: budapest@offi.hu.
Pursuant to Hungarian law, the birth of a child of a foreigner legally residing in Hungary must be reported within thirty days to the Office of Immigration and Nationality. Tel: 463-9100 or 463-9233.