U.S. Embassy in Baghdad complete

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After months of delay, the United States has established an embassy in Baghdad, the State Department said Monday.

Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy said Monday he signed a "certificate of occupancy," which gives the United States ownership of the heavily fortified embassy compound inside the Green Zone and allows staff to move into its 27 buildings.

Kennedy said that before he approved final occupancy, he got assurances from a team of experts who tested the fire, electrical, mechanical and communications systems inside the buildings.

The sprawling facility will provide secure housing for U.S. personnel who currently live and work in Saddam Hussein's former Republican Palace, which has increasingly come under fire inside the Green Zone.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker told reporters Friday he expected officials to begin moving into the facility in late May or early June.

The Vatican-size compound, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic facility in the world, was scheduled to open in September at a cost of $592 million, but the price tag is expected to rise to more than $730 million.

Completion delays, safety concerns and new requirements for additional secure office space for the U.S. ambassador and the commander of multinational forces in Iraq delayed the project by six months. The project started 2½ years ago.