Physical Presence in the U.S.

• Because you will be swearing to the truthfulness of your child’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad application (and most likely their Passport application as well) it is important that you fill out the physical presence in the U.S. information correctly.
• An important point to remember is that the application wants you to list your time in the U.S.  If you spent five years abroad, then your timeline will have a 5-year gap between when you left the U.S. and then you returned to the U.S.

For example, if you were born and raised in your home state, and you only did a study abroad during your 2010 spring semester, then you would list your physical presence as:

1. City, State    Birth date – Date you left the U.S.
2. City, State    Date you returned to the U.S. – Date you left the U.S. again

For American parents born and raised in the U.S.

1. Start from your date of birth and list the dates chronologically.
2. If you moved a lot in your life, then write down when you moved to a different city.  Moves within the same city should not be given their own line.
3. It’s fine if you don’t remember the exact dates of your trips abroad when you were a child.  Try to at least include the month/year that you left and returned to the U.S.  Look for the entry and exit stamps in your old passports for reference.
4. While in high school or college did you ever do a study abroad program or vacation abroad during summer/winter break?

For American parents who were not born and raised in the U.S.

1. Start from the first date that you entered the U.S. and list the dates chronologically.
2. If you moved a lot while in the U.S., write down when you moved to a different city.  Moves within the same city should not be given their own line.
3. If you spent time in the U.S. as a child and want the time to be counted towards your Physical Presence in the U.S., then you may be asked to provide documented evidence of the time: old passports with entry/exit stamps, plane tickets, school documents, etc.
4. If you studied in the U.S., did you go abroad during summer or winter breaks?  Did you visit relatives who lived abroad?

Consular Report of Birth Abroad: Question #22 & #23

• If both biological parents have only been married once and are still currently married to each other, then please write down “None” for both #22 & #23.
• If either biological parent was previously married, or is currently married to a person other than the biological parents listed on the application, he/she should list those marriages:  Spouse, Dates, and their current status (death, divorced, still married).