Passport Services

Baby's first Passport

Congratulations on your child's birth!

Your new baby needs a first passport, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (similar to a birth certificate), and a Social Security number. On this page we'll tell you what you need to do to get all three items.

It is important to start this process as soon as possible after your child is born. In the case of urgent, unexpected travel, your child will need a passport.

Once you have assembled all the necessary items, you must make an appointment for a birth registration. Please call the ACS unit on phone number (679) 331-4466 from Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 12:00noon and 2:00pm to 4:00pm and on Friday from 9:00am to 12:00noon, for an appointment. You'll need to come by our office with your child.

How Long Does it Take?

Once we have everything we need, processing time is normally about two to three weeks, as all passport printing must now be done in the U.S. However, please don't make any unchangeable travel plans until you have the new passport in hand. We'll mail the completed passport and Report of Birth to you at your provided return address.

Your child's Social Security card will be sent to you directly by the Social Security Head Office. Please allow three to six months for the card to arrive.

What do you need?

All birth, adoption, marriage, death or divorce certificates must bear the original seal, stamp or signature of the Official Custodian of the document.  Notarized copies, church records and uncertified photocopies are not official documents and may be invalid as primary evidence.  All documents must be originals.  We will return the original documents to you as soon as processing is complete.  All documents not in English must be translated; you may do the translation yourself.

• Application for a Passport, Following the Regulations for Minors Under 16
• Application for a Consular Report of Birth.  You can download form DS-2029 (formerly known as FS-579) to print out and complete by hand. You will need to use the latest version of free Acrobat software to view and print this form. You can download the software here. Note that the form you print must be clear and sharp, with black print on white paper. The paper must be 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. Thermal paper, dye-sublimation paper, special inkjet paper, and other shiny papers are not acceptable.
  
• Social Security Number Application (SS-5): Please download and complete form SS-5-FS. Don't send it to Social Security; instead, submit the completed form to the Embassy along with the other forms and documents needed for your child's report of birth and first U.S. passport.

Other Necessary Items

• Personal Appearance by Your Child
  Your child, even a newborn, must appear in person at our offices at the time you make the application. There are no exceptions or waivers possible for this requirement.
• Self-Address Envelope
  Please bring along an 8.5" X 11"/A4 or larger self-addressed envelope, or a self-addressed mailing label, so that we can send you your child's finished passport and Report of Birth.
  
• Fee
  The fees are US$65 for the Consular Report of Birth, US$85 for the passport, for a total of US$150. We accept only cash, US or Fijian Dollars. We cannot accept personal checks or credit cards.  

Some Other Things We Might Ask For

• Evidence of U.S. Citizen Parent's Physical Presence in the U.S.
  In some situations, how long one or both American parents lived in the U.S. can affect your child's acquisition of citizenship. If we have questions about this, you may be asked to bring in work, social security, tax, school or records to demonstrate the parent's period of physical presence in the U.S.
• Evidence of U.S. Citizen Parent's Physical Presence Together at Conception: In some situations, such as if your child was conceived out-of-wedlock, we may ask for evidence of the biological parents' physical presence at the time of conception. Such evidence might include passports, military travel orders, leases, etc. In some complex cases, we may need to request a blood or DNA test.

For more information, please contact the Embassy. The U.S. Embassy is closed on both U.S. and Fiji holidays. This is an official source of U.S. Government information on the Web. Inclusion of Non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents.