Birth of a Child
Requirements to Transmit U.S. Citizenship to a Child Born Abroad
The requirements of U.S. law listed below apply to a child born outside the United States after November 14, 1986, and indicate citizenship and marital status at the time of the child's birth.
Both parents U.S. citizens, whether married to each other or not:
The child is a U.S. citizen if at least one parent spent at least one day in the United States.
One U.S. citizen parent, one alien, married to each other:
The child is a U.S. citizen if the U.S. citizen parent (either mother or father) spent a total of five years in the U.S. before the child's birth, two of which were after the age of 14.
U.S. citizen father and alien mother, not married to each other:
The child is a U.S. citizen if the U.S. citizen father spent a total of five years in the U.S. before the child's birth, two of which were after the age of 14, AND the father must formally acknowledge parentage and agree to financially support the child through age 18.
U.S. citizen mother and alien father, not married to each other:
The child is a U.S. citizen if the U.S. citizen mother spent a total of one continuous year in the U.S. at any time before the child's birth.
What if I cannot meet these requirements?
A new US. law passed in 2000 may still help you. If you did not spent sufficient time in the United States to pass your U.S. citizenship to your child born abroad, but if your U.S. citizen parent (the grandparent of the new child) did meet the requirements outlined above, then the child may be eligible for expeditious naturalization.