The basic document needed to establish a person's identity and citizenship in order to obtain a passport is a birth certificate. These are issued by either the US state of birth or by the US Department of State for overseas births to US citizens. A child born in the US is in nearly all cases (except for children of foreign diplomats) automatically a US citizen. The parents of a child born overseas to US citizens should report the birth to the corresponding US embassy/consulate to obtain a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or they will need to apply for recognition of their citizenship at a later date.