Consulate General, Edinburgh
Report of Birth
The Edinburgh Consulate provides routine services only to persons residing in Scotland. Residents of England and Wales must apply for services at the Embassy in London.
Registering the Birth
Children born abroad to U.S. citizen parents may have a claim to U.S. citizenship. If your child is under 18 years of age and has a claim to U.S. citizenship, it will be necessary for the U.S. citizen parent to execute an application for a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" before a consular officer. The child must appear with the parent at the time of registration. At the time you register your child, you should also apply for the child's U.S. passport and Social Security card.
The following information will assist you in determining whether or not your child is a U.S. citizen and will provide assistance in the steps you are required to take to register the birth and obtain his or her passport.
Eligibility for citizenship
American citizens born overseas who have reached age 18 without obtaining a Consular Report of Birth Abroad but believe they have a claim to U.S. citizenship should contact the Consulate for further information. Click here for details of transmission requirements of citizenship.
How to Register a Child as a U.S. Citizen
You must visit the Consulate during our walk-in hours, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am to 12.30pm, to make the application. If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, the U.S. citizen parent must appear with the child. If the U.S. citizen parent is unavailable, please contact the Consulate.
Please bring the following with you when you come to the Consulate:
British Birth Certificate. The child’s long-form British birth certificate showing both parents’ names issued by the local authorities;
Marriage Certificate. The original certificate issued by the local, state or national government authorities. If you were married in the United States you must present a state certificate issued by the civil authorities. If your certificate is not in English a certified translation must be provided
Evidence of Parents’ Citizenship and Identity. Parents’ current passports must be submitted at the time of application
Divorces/Death Certificates. You must provide evidence of the termination of all prior marriages for both parents. If divorced in the United Kingdom, please provide both the Decree Nisi and Decree Absolute
Form DS-2029: Please leave the signature box on page one blank. Be sure to fill in all other blocks. If a block does not apply, write ”none”. For tips on filling out the DS-2029, follow this link.
SS-5-FS: This is an application for a social security card. For children less than five years old an application for a social security card should be made when applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. Please note that the parents' names on page two must be completed to match the names on file with the Social Security Administration.
Form DS-11: This is the passport application. Please leave the signature boxes blank. Please ignore pages one and two of the instruction pages, as they do not apply when applying for your passport in the United Kingdom. Follow the instructions on this page. The Form DS-11 must be printed on separate sheets of paper; do NOT print this form on front and back of the same sheet. For tips on completing the DS-11, follow this link. Include two photographs of the child that conform to the State Department's requirements. Click here for information on photos and a list of photographers in Scotland familiar with our standards.
A pre-paid, special delivery envelope from a Royal Mail Office (View an example of a Special Delivery envelope). You should address the envelope to the location where you will receive the child's passport. If you may be changing addresses between the time you mail the information and the time you appear in person, you should wait to address the envelope until you appear in person.
You may be required to present proof of physical presence in the U.S. for the required time period. Please submit old passports, if available, as evidence. If unavailable other documentation such as school transcripts or tax returns may be accepted.
Incomplete applications will be abandoned after two months and the applicant will need to reapply.
You may pay either by credit/debit card or with an International Money Order. Credit/debit cards accepted are Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Diner’s Club. MAESTRO IS NOT ACCEPTED. Please be aware that International Money Orders or banker's drafts may take a few days to obtain. The fee for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad is $65.00. For information on passport fees, click here.
Note that public restrooms are not available in the U.S. Consulate. The nearest public restrooms are located at the corner of London Road and Easter Road
Prior to forwarding a question to the Consulate, we ask that you visit our FAQs and Related Links, as well as the U.S. Embassy London website london.usembassy.gov which provides a Ready Reference and A-Z indexes for both General Information and American Citizen Information. Answers to numerous enquiries will be found in these locations or will be answered by our auto-response. The U.S. Consulate Edinburgh enquiries email address is Edinburgh-Info@state.gov and is intended to serve persons residing in Scotland or Americans traveling to Scotland in the near future. We respond to emails as soon as possible however if you have an urgent matter, contact the Consulate directly at [44] (0)131 556-8315.
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Report of Birth