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I am a A4
U.S. citizen
How do I get proof
of my U.S. citizenship?
If you were born in the United States, you do not need to apply I am a U.S. citizen. My child will be born abroad or recently
to USCIS for any evidence of citizenship. Your birth certificate issued was born abroad. How do I register his or her birth and
where you were born is proof of your citizenship.1 U.S. citizenship?
If you were born outside the United States, but one or both
of your parents were U.S. citizens when you were born, Please contact the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Embassy
you may still be a U.S. citizen. This is called citizenship through or consulate in the country where your child will be born for more
derivation. There are usually additional specific requirements, and information about eligibility requirements and how to register your
sometimes citizenship can be through a combination of a parent and child’s U.S. citizenship.
grandparent.
I was born overseas. My birth and U.S. citizenship were
What documents are usually accepted as proof of U.S. registered with the U.S. Embassy or consulate.
citizenship? I need a copy of the evidence of my citizenship. Whom
The most common documents that establish U.S. citizenship are: should I contact?
• Birth Certificate, issued by a U.S. State (if the person was Contact the U.S. Department of State. For more information, please
born in the United States), or by the U.S. Department of State see their Web site at www.state.gov.
(if the person was born abroad to U.S. citizen parents who
registered the child’s birth and U.S. citizenship with the U.S. I was born overseas. I believe I was a U.S. citizen at birth
Embassy or consulate); because one or both my parents were U.S. citizens when I
was born. But my birth and citizenship were not registered
• U.S. Passport, issued by the U.S. Department of State; with the U.S. Embassy when I was born. Can I apply to
• Certificate of Citizenship, issued to a person born outside the have my citizenship recognized?
United States who derived or acquired U.S. citizenship through a Whether or not someone born outside the United States to a U.S.
U.S. citizen parent; or citizen parent is a U.S. citizen depends on the law in effect when
• Naturalization Certificate, issued to a person who became the person was born. These laws have changed over the years, but
a U.S. citizen after 18 years of age through the naturalization usually require a combination of the parent being a U.S. citizen when
process. the child was born, and the parent having lived in the United States
or its possessions for a specific period of time. Derivative citizenship
I was born in the United States. Where can I get a copy of can be quite complex and may require careful legal analysis.
my birth certificate?
Check with the Department of Health (Vital Records) in the U.S. I was born overseas. One of my parents was a U.S.
State in which you were born. For more information, visit the citizen but never lived in the United States. One of my
National Center for Health Statistics web page at www.cdc.gov/ grandparents was also a U.S. citizen. Could I have derived
nchs/births.htm. U.S. citizenship?
1An exception to this rule exists regarding children born in the United If your parent was a U.S. citizen when you were born but had not
States to foreign diplomats. lived in the United States for the required amount of time before
your birth, but one of your grandparents was also a U.S. citizen
A4—I am a U.S. citizen…How do I get proof of my U.S. citizenship? and had already met the residence requirements, then you may still
M-560B (October 2013) N
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