Requirements for United States Citizenship 



Source: http://london.usembassy.gov

Transmission Requirements for U.S. Citizenship Children born abroad to U.S. citizen parents may have a claim to U.S. citizenship. The following is a brief description of the various circumstances under which a child born abroad acquires American citizenship. Child born in wedlock to two U.S. citizens A child born outside of the United States or its outlying possessions to two U.S. citizen parents is entitled to citizenship, provided one of the parents had, prior to the birth of the child, been resident in the United States or one of its outlying possessions. (No specific period of time is required.) Child born in wedlock to one U.S. citizen parent and one non U.S. citizen parent on or after November 14, 1986 A child born outside of the United States to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. citizen parent may be entitled to citizenship providing the U.S. citizen parent had been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for five years, at least two years of which were after she/he reached the age of fourteen. This period of physical presence* must have taken place prior to the birth of the child. Child born in wedlock to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen parent between December 24, 1952 and November 13, 1986 A child born outside of the United States to one U.S. Citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen parent, may be entitled to citizenship providing the U.S. Citizen parent had, prior to the birth of the child, been physically present* in the United States for a period of ten years, at least five years of which were after she/he reached the age of fourteen. Child born out of wedlock to a U.S. Citizen mother A child born outside of the United States and out of wedlock to a U.S. Citizen mother is entitled to U.S. citizenship providing the U.S. Citizen mother had been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least one year at some time prior to the birth of her child. Child born out of wedlock to a U.S. Citizen father A child born outside of the United States to an U.S. Citizen father where there is no marriage to the non-American mother is entitled to U.S. Citizenship providing the American citizen father had been physically present in the United States for the period of time as specified in  previous paragraphs for children born in wedlock to one U.S. Citizen and one non-U.S. Citizen parent, either before or after November 14, 1986; and 1. the alien mother completes an "Affidavit to establish paternity of child" at this office before a consular officer; and 2. the father signs a sworn statement agreeing to provide financial support for the child until she/he reaches the age of 18 years; and 3. the father provides a written statement acknowledging paternity; or 4. the child is legitimated under local law (in England and Wales legitimization can only take place as of when the parents marry, provided the father is domiciled in England and Wales); or 5. paternity is established by a competent court before the child attains the age of 18 years; *PHYSICAL PRESENCE This is the actual time when the parent was physically present in the United States, not simply as a resident. This means that any travel outside the United States, including vacation, should be excluded. Please submit old passports if available, as evidence. If unavailable, other evidence may be required. Note: Any periods of time spent overseas with the United States Military/Government etc. may be computed as physical presence in the United States for transmission of citizenship purposes. Time spent as a dependent of a United States Military/Government employee may also be computed as physical presence. Military records may be requested. I believe that my child has claim to U.S. Citizenship. What next? If you believe that your child has a claim to U.S. Citizenship, it will be necessary for the U.S. citizen parent to appear in person at this office in order to execute an application for a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" before a consular officer. At that time, a passport application may also be executed. What if I do not meet the requirements for transmission of citizenship to my child? It may be possible for your child to apply for expeditious naturalization or an immigrant visa. Read more.... [WIP] I am over the age of 18 and I believe I have a claim to U.S. Citizenship. What next? Please follow this link for further instructions. Reporting the Birth of a Child Born in the UK to a U.S. Citizen If your child has a claim to U.S. citizenship, it will be necessary for the U.S. citizen parent to execute an application for a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" before a consular officer. This Report is official evidence of citizenship issued to a person under the age of 18 who was born abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s) and acquired citizenship at birth. At the time you report the birth of your child, you may also submit an application for his or her U.S. passport. We recommend that you report your child's birth as soon as possible after his/her birth. It is not possible to register a child over the age of 18. The child must accompany the parent to the Embassy. If the child was born out of wedlock and the father is the U.S. citizen parent, the child's mother must also appear at the appointment. Note: If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, and that parent is not presently in this country, please contact the Embassy for further instructions. Application Requirements: Please bring the following to your appointment: British Birth Certificate: Please bring the child's long-form birth certificate, which is issued by the local authorities. This document shows both parents' names. Marriage Certificate: Original certificate issued by the local authorities. If married in the United States, please provide a state certificate issued by the civil authorities. Evidence of Parents' Citizenship and Identity: Parents' current U.S. passports must be submitted at time of application. Note: Military members in active duty status may present the following evidence if not in possession of a US passport: U.S. birth certificate issued by the state Vital Statistics Office bearing a raised state seal and showing a file date no later than one year from the date of birth; or certificate of naturalization; or Consular Report of Birth (form FS-240 or FS545), if parent was born outside the United States; and  U.S. military ID card. Divorce Decrees/Death Certificates: It will be necessary to show termination of all prior marriages. Note: If divorced in the UK, please submit Decree Absolute and Decree Nisi. Form DS-2029: Application for Consular Report of Birth. Page 2 of the the DS-2029 is an application for a Social Security Number Card for your child if he/she is under the age of 5 at the time of application. Do not sign the form until told to do so - it must be executed in the Embassy. The application will be processed by the Federal Benefits Unit of this Embassy. It is important to note that your names as on file with the Social Security Administration must match the names used on the application for a number for your child. Your appointment confirmation sheet. Please see "Method of Application" below for more information on making an appointment; In addition to the documents listed above, you may be required to provide proof of your physical presence in the U.S. before the child's birth. Please submit old passports, if available, as evidence. If unavailable, other evidence, such as school transcripts or employment records, may be accepted. Fees: The application fee is U.S. $65.00. Method of Application: You are required to apply for the passport in person at this office. An appointment is necessary.  For instructions on applying for your child's first passport (which can be done at the same time as registering the birth). Return of Documents after Processing: U.S. citizens who appear in person will have their documents returned to them by the Embassy's contracted courier, Visa Delivery Services (VDS), once processing has been completed. This service can be purchased from the VDS representative in the lobby of American Citizen Services on the day you visit the Embassy. VDS will give you an unique Tracking ID number which can be used to track the progress of your passport from the Embassy by using their website. Detailed information on VDS services is available from their website at www.visadelivery.com.