Bruce Wayne

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

Yes you can file the I-130
Yes, not an issue. Mary obtained a new passport in the middle of the process.   Take both passports to the ASC and consulate.   Fill out the DS-260 with the new passport number.

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

We were able to fill out the CRBA application online and upload all the evidence: passport bio pages, marriage certificate, daughter’s birth certificate, husband’s social security statement - that’s it. Then one month later, we got an email to schedule an appointment (were able to pick the date ourselves). Had to submit the DS-11 in paper form at the interview. Total timeframe: 3 months (partly due to lockdown/COVID). We received passport and CRBA in the mail 9 days later. 
 
The only problems we encountered were that it took the consulate a long time to respond to emails/questions and, at the time of the interview, the consulate had redesigned their websites. So everybody’s uploaded scans/docs had gotten deleted. Luckily, you have to bring copies of all the docs anyways, so it wasn’t a big problem and the CO was super nice. 
 

That’s what I would do in your case. 

also, sorry to hear you had to go through all of this just to get the CRBA. We had a much easier time in Frankfurt last month. The fact that you submitted so much more evidence than us and still got denied twice is nuts. (I know it’s because of Nigeria being a high fraud country, but still…). I thought our process was already stressful enough. 

It's an airline policy, not a visa restriction. Usually international airlines don't allow you to travel after 28 weeks. It's because of safety. 
 
I'm not sure if how long it's valid depends on the country. Maybe for her country is 2 years. My dad has a 10 year visa. It can also depend on who the person is; they can give some people longer visas and others shorter visas.
 
Technically she would be able to stay 6 months, but once you stay for that long you cannot come back again in a year or so.
 
Also, take into account that if she is very pregnant and says she will stay 6 months, they could turn her away because of immigration intent. It basically it's up to the officer at the entry point. Also, you would need to stay for that long as well, since it would look odd that she is staying alone and you leaving. 
 
 

To have the child delivered in the US, you would want to have health insurance ahead of time or it would cost you a lot. The US is one of the most expensive countries to have a child. You also have to account for the fact that pregnant women cannot travel after the 6th month or something like that, so she'd need to be in the US for a while before having the baby and then she cannot overstay. 
 
I'd suggest sending a letter to your Senator/House representatives with your experience. I doubt they'll do much about it, but I don't think people understand how difficult all these paperworks are. They would be easier if they provided clear instructions and some type of "costumer" service. 

I wouldn't expect it to be any easier no matter how many children
the document will go with the packet for # 1  and no longer be at US embassy in Nigeria (or on their computer)
a new child would need all the same proofs as required by immigration
Surprised you didn't have to do DNA
 
And Congratulations to wife and baby

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

My wife and I went through a great ordeal getting our child citizenship and in the end it worked out. Since I had numerous questions I couldn't find an answer to in our situation, we decided to write our experience and hope this will help others. Here are the questions and major issues we encountered:
Why and how our Child Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) was denied at the US Consulate How our child was legally able to enter the US with a baby transportation letter, receives a green card and the process at the airport. Receiving US Citizenship under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 and a US Passport Applying for a Social Security Number using the new US Passport but without a US birth certificate, and finally Did our child loose her foreign citizenship through be becoming a US Citizen Still deciding to file N-600 with USCIS ---But first, our Background:--

I'm a US Citizen by birth (you can be a naturalized citizen, too. This will not make a difference for the further process) and my wife is a foreign national with a 10 year unconditional green card. We went abroad while she was pregnant to visit her family. While being there, my wife had complications and was hospitalized for a couple days. Because of this, the doctors advised against traveling for her, since the risk was too big of loosing the baby. This is how a 10 day trip turned into 10 months. Since I'm a freelance programmer I had the luxury of conducting my business from abroad and it wasn't a big deal for us. We decided to play it safe and stay. Everything went well and our child was born healthy and without any further complications. We decided to stay a couple of weeks longer so my wife could recover from child birth related injuries and not to put too much stress on the baby with an intercontinental flight.

--Child Report of Birth Abroad and it's denial--
This is when we decided to start a CRBA application with the local US Consulate. We wanted to get US Citizenship for our child and a US Passport to return home. We did start this process two weeks after she was born, since we figured it would take some time to process. But we weren't prepared for this. To be able to transfer your citizenship your child, you have to
be a US Citizen spent at least 5 years in the US, 2 of which have to be after your 14 birthday The child has to be under 18 If the child was born out of wedlock or the US Citizen parent is deceased, or this is for an adopted child there are more restrictions or a total different process. For further information please on the CRBA or the issues mentioned before, please go to your local US Embassy website since our experience is for a biological child born in wedlock.

The CRBA process is also described in numerous forums, so I will keep it short: I had to prove my physical presence in the US. I did spend a lot of time as a child and teenager abroad through my parents work. I brought school records, doctors bills, pay stubs from my parents while employed in the US, business documents of my company, tax returns, my wives green card process which was done in the US(!) - but - all this and much more wasn't enough to satisfy the consular officer. We were dumbstruck by how we were treated and that the amount of evidence didn't accumulate to 5+ years (for them). Our application was denied! If you do this process, be sure to show them at least 10+ years of evidence, since they bump off a certain amount of months for each year.
So what now? My wife and I, legally allowed to live and work in the US, and our 8 week old daughter should stay behind??? I thought I couldn't be the only one in this situation, but after going through google and visa forums I kind of had the feeling we were. But I did find this:

--Greencard for my daughter through my wife--
Ok, so it does happen a lot. People, intentionaly or not, are green card holders and have their children abroad. As described above, in our case this was due to a medical condition. So what now? I did some research and finally contacted Customs And Border Protections (CBP) foreign office at the Embassy. I was lucky to get a quick and competent answer:
If you are the MOTHER and a green card holder AND you have been less than a year abroad (!!! really important !!!) and you are taking your baby on the first trip back to the US (!!! also very important, if out of any reason you - the green card holder - already traveled to the US once without your child, this what comes next won't work !!!) The Embassy/US Consulate issues you a baby transportation letter (it's actually a visa in your baby's foreign passport), also known as "NA-3 (BABY)". We went to the consulate, got the baby transportation letter (took about two hours and can be done on the same day you contact them) and booked a flight for the next week. That was it, and the best part is: Our child AUTOMATICALLY receives a green card upon entering the US. No fees, no wait, no application with USCIS while outside, just automatic. Anyone who dealt with USCIS before knows, things can't be that simple, but in this case its pretty straight forward.

For more information on the Baby Transportation Letter follow this link: http://imgur.com/srhWSt5
To see what a baby transportation letter looks like, click here: http://imgur.com/idQUeWC

Now if you are more than a year abroad, you will basically have to go through the entire green card process for yourself AND your child again. So if you are 360 days outside the US, and you can fly, BUY A TICKET, GET THE TRANSPORTATION LETTER AND GET ON THE PLANE ASAP. Otherwise you might spend weeks, months or even years until you get back and receive another approved green card (+ the $1000's in fees the application will cost you, again). I don't know how DHS determines how long you've been outside for more then a year, but IMHO it's not worth the risk and small children do pretty good on a flight.
Also the transportation letter is confirmation of you being in legal status. So if you're cutting time close, this letter will also be proof that you are eligible to return to the US.

--Processing our child at the airport--
So we landed at the Airport in the US and this is where I didn't find anything on the net or forums what happens next.

You must bring along (so make sure you get this before you fly).
The original foreign birth certificate. - Make sure the father and mother are listed in it. If not, get an "international certificate of birth" at the local civil registry office in the country of birth Translation of the foreign birth certificate. - We had it translated by a certified and public sworn translator. It cost us around $50 but is worth it. This way you can avoid problems of the translation not being legitimate. Oddly USCIS doesn't require a certified translation, BUT CBP, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Passport Agency at the Department of State (DOS) do! Baby's foreign passport 2 passport size photos (same requirements as for passport, read DOS website http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html ). But take a couple more along, just in case (and you'll need them for the US Passport later, too ). We went to an immigration counter and we just showed the immigration officer our passports and the page with the baby transportation letter. He then took us to Secondary Inspection. Don't be worried. This is the area where they process foreigners who don't seem legit to enter the US. But you are there just to wait, nothing more. We did bring other documents (doctors note, ultrasound pics, us tax returns) to support our case, but these were never required by CBP at the airport. We only had to handover the documents and it took about two hours. Afterwards the officer handed us all documents back + a copy of the I-181 which is the proof that the green card was created (this is what you take to the passport agency later, too). CHECK THIS THROUGHLY so that there are no mistake. It will be a real hassle to change anything later + will delay the other parts that follow. They placed a stamp over the NA-3 in the passport and wrote "Permres" in there. That's it. Our child was now a legal permanent resident of the United States and had a (temporary) green card. The real green card comes a couple weeks later in the mail. But it doesn't change that she is a I-551 (green card) holder.

Now comes the real ironic part, that we don't understand why the consulate didn't just grant the CRBA in the first place:

--Automatic Citizenship through the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA)--

Because our baby entered the US with a green card AND I am a US Citizen the CCA came into place. This means our child was a legal permanent resident in one second BUT became a US Citizen by law in the next second! Puff, Magic, just like that. It took me some time for me to understand the CCA (before we departed back to the US) and even an immigration lawyer I contacted wasn't familiar with this process. USCIS calls this "Derivative Citizenship". Anyway, it works the same way with people who have green cards, naturalize as US Citizens and have children under 18. The moment the parent naturalizes these children with green cards become US Citizens by law. They do not need to apply sepperatly for naturalization. IMHO this law was probably the only good thing George Bush did during his presidency (please no political discussions, this is just my opinion .

So now our child is finally a US Citizen. But of course for her later life she needs proof and who knows if laws change. So the best way to proof your US Citizenship is a US Passport. This is why we applied for it asap.


--Applying for a US Passport under the CCA--
Now, for applying for a US Passport under the CCA you can go to any passport processing location like your local Post Office. If you live in a city like San Francisco or Boston the person processing your application will likely be familiar with the CCA and required documents. If you live in a small town in the square states with hardly any immigrants you will get an evil look and no passport I would recommend going to one of the DOS Passport agencies (especially if you live in one of the cities where these are located). These agencies deal with children, passports and the CCA on a daily basis. This also gave us the advantage of picking up the passport two days later.
At the passport agency we (both parents!) had to appear with our baby. We needed all the documents listed on the link below. The DOS agent was very friendly and knew exactly what to do. They keep all the documents for scanning and filing with the application. Now the DOS recognized our child as a US Citizen and it was official!!! Two days later we picked up the passport with all documents and that was it.

Further information can be found here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1312.html#7 "How Does the Child Get a Passport Under the Child Citizenship Act?"

--Applying for a Social Security Number with a US Passport and a foreign birth certificate--
I went to my local SSA and brought all documents with me. The agent had no clue what I wanted.
SSAgent: "Only U.S. Citizens can apply for a SSN"
Me: "My child is a U.S. Citizen. You have her US Passport in your hands to prove it."
SSAgent: "Right… But she doesn't have a US birth certificate"
Me: (Long Pause) "And?"
SSAgent: "She needs one, otherwise I can't process the application."
Me: "No she doesn't. Even the http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber website says she doesn't need one."
SSAgent: "That can't be. I never heard of this. You will need to get her a US birth certificate first"
Me: (Long Pause - since you can't get a US birth certificate if you're not a US Citizen by birth!!!) "Ok. Let's say someone naturalizes and becomes a citizen. They don't have a US birth certificates either. Can't they get a SSN?"
SSAgent: "Right… I will have to check with my supervisor."

Duh! The law which regulates these things has only been in effect for over 12 years!!! Thankfully the supervisor was able to sort this out (after reading the info on the ssa.gov website) and we got the SSN in the mail about 10 days later.

--Did our child loose her foreign citizenship through be becoming a US Citizen?--
Short answer (in our case): NO!
This case varies by each country and has nothing to do with US law. The US can't take away your foreign citizenship, only the country where you (or your child) is originally from can revoke/cancel your foreign citizenship. In our case German law states: If by APPLICATION one shall receive a foreign (in our case, US) citizenship, this leads to loss of German citizenship. Here is the clue: Our daughter didn't apply for US Citizenship, she became a citizen by operation of law ("Derivative Citizenship"). In this case our daughter is a dual citizen. Each country is different so you should check the laws of your country individually.

http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/05__Legal/02__Directory__Services/02__Citizenship/Citizenship__Loss.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html

-- Certificate of Citizenship through USCIS (N-600) --
Another way for proof of citizenship is a Certificate of Citizenship (COC) through USCIS. I'm still deciding to file this form with USCIS since my child would get a nice official document ending the green card process with USCIS AND this agency "officially recognizing" her citizenship. BUT the reason NOT do it is simple: By law our child is a US Citizen and even the DOS website writes she doesn't need a COC. Her US Passport is proof of her citizenship. AND USCIS will charge you $600+ for just filing the N-600 form + you might have to travel pretty far if a USCIS office won't be able to conduct a short interview in your area (even though USCIS writes you might not even have an interview).
At the same time I applied for a Passport card for her. The cost was only $15 extra and we keep it in a safe place. This way she has backup proof of citizenship if she should ever loses her passport.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1312.html#6 "Must the Child Get a Certificate of Citizenship?"

--Disclaimer--

This process written above is based on our personal experience. It is in no way legal advice. Feel free for contact me if you have any questions.