Requesting an Earlier Appointment

If you need Consular Report of Birth Abroad(CRBA) or Acquisition services, please follow the instructions for completing an online appointment through the Online Appointment System.  You must schedule an appointment for the next available date before you can request an earlier (emergency) appointment.

Upon scheduling an appointment, you will be provided a booking confirmation number.

If you need to travel prior to the original date scheduled, please send a completed Early Appointment Request Form (PDF – 153 Kb) to SDOAmericans@state.gov.

The subject line on the e-mail should clearly say “Request for Emergency Appointment”.  Requests with incomplete information CANNOT be processed because the appointment system in place is automated.   The request must indicate the following:

  1. Applicant’s full name as written on the Birth Certificate
  2. Details of the original interview schedule provided to the applicant (i.e., date, time, and booking confirmation number)
  3. Service requested (i.e., Consular Report of Birth Acquisition, passport renewal)
  4. Date of expected travel
  5. Purpose of the trip
  6. Reason for the early appointment request
  7. Name and contact information of the requestor, including an e-mail address and telephone number

Due to the large demand for Consular Report Abroad and Acquisition services we sometimes experience, we cannot accommodate all early appointment requests.  We will attempt to accommodate requests for early appointments if the urgent need to travel is the result of unforeseen developments.

If your early appointment request is approved, you will receive a response from our office within one business day.  Due to the high volume of communications received in our office, we will not respond to follow-up inquiries.

Whenever possible, early appointments will be scheduled for applicants who demonstrate an urgent need to travel.  If a request for an early appointment does not meet the above-mentioned criteria, the appointment may not be granted.