U.S. Citizenship — Parent
United States
Citizenship
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See if you're a match →This pathway is for people born outside the United States who may have been U.S. citizens from birth through a U.S. citizen parent. It generally depends on the parent's citizenship at the time of birth, the parent's prior physical presence in the United States, and records proving the parent-child link.
- Type
- Citizenship by descent
- Family line
- People with a documented family line to the United States
- Core records
- Civil records linking each generation
- What to know
- Usually a strong right if the facts and records line up
Summary
Some people born outside the United States are U.S. citizens from birth through a U.S. citizen parent. The exact rule depends on the law in effect on the birth date, the parents' situation, and how much time the U.S. citizen parent spent physically present in the United States before the birth.
This pathway is about recognizing possible citizenship that already exists, not applying for an ordinary visa.
Eligibility
You may fit this pathway if:
- You were born outside the United States.
- At least one parent was a U.S. citizen when you were born.
- The U.S. citizen parent met the physical-presence rule that applied when you were born.
- The parent-child relationship and the parent's U.S. citizenship can be documented.
- Any extra rules for the parents' marriage or legal parentage situation are met.
The rules vary. For example, a child born on or after November 14, 1986 to one U.S. citizen parent and one foreign-citizen parent generally needs the U.S. citizen parent to have been physically present in the United States for 5 years before the birth, including at least 2 years after age 14. Other birth dates and family situations can use different rules, so the birth date matters.
What This Route Allows
If citizenship was acquired at birth, the person is already a U.S. citizen. The practical step is usually documenting that citizenship through a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for eligible children abroad, a U.S. passport, or a Certificate of Citizenship from USCIS.
What This Route Is Not
This is not the same as naturalization. It also does not apply just because a parent later became a U.S. citizen, unless a separate child-citizenship-after-birth rule applies.
Next Steps
- Confirm which parent was a U.S. citizen when you were born.
- Gather records proving the parent-child link.
- Gather proof of the parent's U.S. citizenship.
- Gather evidence of the parent's physical presence in the United States before your birth, such as school, employment, tax, military, medical, or residence records.
- Review the rule that applied on your birth date before assuming citizenship passed.