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Child Born Abroad to U.S. Citizen
- Birth abroad to TWO U.S. citizens:
In most cases, an individual is a U.S. citizen if all of the following are true:
- Both parents were U.S. citizens when the individual was born; and
- At least one parent lived in the U.S. at some point in his or her life.
The record of birth abroad, if registered with a U.S. consulate or embassy, is proof of the citizenship. An individual can apply for a passport to have the citizenship recognized. If additional proof of the citizenship is needed an individual may file a Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship. This form can be downloaded from the Immigration Forms section of the USCIS website.
- Birth abroad to ONE U.S. citizen:
In most cases, an individual is a U.S. citizen if all of the following are true:
- One of the parents was a U.S. citizen when the individual was born;
- The individual’s citizen parent lived at least five (5) years in the U.S. before the individual was born; and
- At least two of these five (5) years in the U.S. were after the individual’s citizen parent's 14th birthday.*
The individual’s record of birth abroad, if registered with a U.S. consulate or embassy, is proof of the citizenship. The individual can also apply for a passport to have the citizenship recognized. If additional proof is needed of the individual’s citizenship, an individual may file a Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship. This form can be downloaded from the Immigration Forms section of the USCIS website.
If an individual was born before November 14, 1986, the individual is a citizen if the U.S. citizen parent lived in the U.S. for at least ten (10) years and five (5) of those years in the U.S. were after the citizen parent's 14th birthday.
Related Topics
Noncitizen Categories & USCIS Codes Introduction
Asylees and Authorization to Work