The international mobility of the citizens of USA makes many of them have children born abroad, but always prevails that children can obtain the nationality American to have their legal status to return to the country.
To do this, the Laws of the US establish requirements that must be met before starting the legal process and thus obtain favorable results without loss of time.
Among the required requirements is, in principle, the demonstration that at least one of the parents is an American citizen, but there are other important ones.
And all legal documentation must be duly submitted to the authorities.
Nationality for children, according to laws
The requirements for nationality are:
- In marriage or not with father and mother who are American citizens
- In marriage or not with a American citizen father or mother
- That the father or mother has legally resided in the US or in one of their adjacent territories, before the child’s birth. While a specific period is not required, the ideal is that it is not less than two years.
- The birth must be reported to the nearest consulate or embassy to obtain a consular birth report abroad (CRBA).
- All documentation that will be presented to the authorities, such as parents’ citizenship evidence, birth certificates, passports, or CRBA must be in force
- If the child is under 18 years of age, citizens can be requested through the American citizen father, complying with residence and custody requirements.
In any case, immigration agents recommend contacting the US embassy or consulate in the country in which they are or with a lawyer specializing in the subject to obtain necessary information about the child’s individual case.
