This is the not-so-exciting-yet-important part of being a parent abroad – the endless paperwork! When you are the first in your expat friend group to have a child, you find yourself having to do a lot of research (specially when living overseas). Plus, if you are like me, you probably have to create a detailed Google doc with a step-by-step process of how to complete important paperwork. While I did not have access to such resources and knowledge when I was pregnant, as a lot of this information can be tricky to find, I hope this quick list can help out other families and shed some clarity on how the process works when having children abroad as a U.S. citizen.

If there is one tip I can offer when it comes to completing these documents is that, you should complete them as soon as possible. We prioritized documents and passport processes (for both Germany & U.S.) within the first two months of our child’s birth. Once your child is born, these are the necessary documents you will need to complete as an American with children born abroad.

Documents to Complete

  1. Consular Report of Birth-Abroad (CRBA) Form DS-2029

This 3-page document is easy to fill out. You can find the most up-to-date form in your local U.S. embassy website (For Americans living in Germany, you can find the document here). It is recommended that you complete the form before the child turns 18.

  1. U.S. Passport Form DS-11

You can complete both the CRBA and Passport application together and schedule one appointment to take care of both. Step #9 in this checklist highlights an additional document you should include in your Passport application, if your child has never been issued a Social Security card. Appointment locations worldwide can be found here. The processing time can take anywhere between 4-6 weeks. Total fee of 135 USD.

  1. U.S. Social Security Card

You will have to schedule an appointment with your local Federal Benefits Unit to apply for a Social Security number. In our case, we waited until our daughter’s passport arrived and then applied for her Social Security as we could use her passport as ID for the application. A Social Security number is necessary, for example for tax reasons or when you want to open up your child’s bank account. You can view a list of required documents to apply here, then find your local office to schedule an appointment. When we applied, the processing time took longer than usual, approximately 5-6 months. It is free to apply.

For an overall checklist of things to complete pre and post-labor, including documents and paperwork, print out my Ultimate Childbirth in Germany Checklist. Feel free to customize this checklist by adding your own to-dos. While this process feels mundane and honestly, not the most exciting part of living abroad with children – it is necessary and you will thank yourself later if you prioritize getting this done shortly after your child is born. So you can go on enjoying the more fun parts of being a parent abroad!