Our CRBA Journey: How I Applied for My Children’s US Citizenship

By Melyn Dumas

Becoming a parent comes with a rollercoaster of responsibilities, emotions, and—if you’re married to a foreign national like I am—the added challenge of navigating international paperwork. Today, I’m sharing our journey of applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for our children through the U.S. Embassy in Manila, hoping it can help other families in the same boat.

📑 Gathering the Documents: The Most Challenging Part

The first step was collecting all the necessary documents. Honestly, this part was the most overwhelming. Every little paper counts because the embassy is very strict with its requirements. It felt like preparing for a final exam—triple-checking everything!

✅ CRBA Requirements (Based on the U.S. Embassy Manila Checklist):

Completed Form DS-2029 – Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
Completed Form DS-11 – Application for a U.S. Passport (if applying together, which I highly recommend).
Child’s Philippine Birth Certificate – PSA-issued (request online here).
Parents’ Marriage Certificate – PSA-issued (order here) or legal proof if not married.
Evidence of the U.S. Citizen Parent’s Citizenship:
- U.S. Passport, or
- U.S. Birth Certificate, or
- Naturalization Certificate, or
- Certificate of Citizenship.
Evidence of Physical Presence in the U.S.:
- My husband’s school records from the U.S.
- His vaccination records from when he was living there.
- A detailed list tracking the years and periods he stayed in the U.S.
Parents’ valid IDs and passports.
Photos of the child (2×2 passport photos) – must meet photo requirements.
Payment for the CRBA fee – paid during the appointment (currently USD $100, but check for updates).
Application for a U.S. Passport (optional but highly recommended) – same day filing.

📷 Extra But Helpful:

I also prepared an album with printed photos showing our kids’ growth and progression—baby photos up to their current age, with both of us (the parents) in the photos. Honestly, the embassy didn’t ask for it, but I believe it’s better to be overprepared than lacking something important. Photo evidence can help if there are questions about the relationship or timelines, especially in complex cases.

😰 Challenges We Faced

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Some of the bumps along the way included:

Gathering Physical Presence Documents: This was honestly the most stressful part. Digging through old records, finding school transcripts, vaccination cards, and reconstructing the timeline of my husband’s stay in the U.S. felt like assembling a giant puzzle. But it’s crucial—you can’t skip this step.
Printing and Completing Forms: The embassy only allows a limited amount of time inside. I was lucky enough to have printed out extra forms for the passport application while waiting inside. While my husband was busy paying at the cashier, I was multitasking—filling out forms.
The Waiting Game: After submitting everything, the waiting game before the final interview was nerve-wracking. We waited around 25 minutes.

💬 The Interview Day: Surprisingly Smooth!

Our appointment was on June 11, 2024 at the U.S. Embassy Manila.

When our number was finally called, we approached the window for the final interview with the Consul. To our surprise, the Consul was very warm, accommodating, and kind. The interview was straightforward. She asked us simple questions, verified the documents, and even told us:

“This is the easiest case I’ve had today!”

Hearing that was such a relief—it felt like a weight lifted off my chest.

📦 Delivery & Waiting for the Results

After the approval, we proceeded to pay for Air21 courier service right at the embassy to deliver our children’s documents to our home.

✈️ The U.S. passports arrived on July 10, 2024, roughly 4 weeks after the interview.
🗺️ The CRBA certificates arrived about 3 weeks later, by the end of July 2024.

When I finally held those blue passports and the CRBA certificate, I couldn’t describe the joy. My children are now officially U.S. citizens!

🌟 What’s Next for Us?

This is just the beginning. Now, we wait and pray for my own immigration papers to be processed and approved. God-willing, it’s just a matter of time until our family migrates together to the U.S. and starts our new chapter.

💡 Final Tips for Parents Applying for CRBA:

Prepare early. Collect physical presence documents months in advance—it takes time to locate school records, vaccination cards, and reconstruct a timeline of stays in the U.S.
Don’t throw away hospital and pregnancy records. These can serve as great supporting documents for proving birth circumstances and parental relationships.
Double-check the photo requirements.
Print extra forms. You might need to fill out passport forms on the spot.
Work as a team. While one pays, the other can handle forms.
Stay calm during the interview. If your documents are correct, it will be smooth.
Prepare photo evidence (helpful). Like I did, bringing your kids’ growth photo album it might not be asked but can be useful if needed.
Pay for the courier. It saves a lot of stress waiting for your documents.

I hope this blog helps any parent currently walking through the CRBA journey. If you have questions, feel free to drop them in the comments—I’m happy to share what I’ve learned from our experience! 😊

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