For a U.S. citizen parent to transmit citizenship to their child born abroad, the U.S. citizen parent must provide evidence he or she resided in the United States for the required length of time.

The length of time required depends on when the child was born, whether one or both parents are U.S. citizens, and whether the parents were married at the time of the child's birth.

For children born to one U.S. citizen parent after June 11, 2017, the U.S. citizen parent must demonstrate they resided in the United States for at least five years of their life before the birth of the child, with at least two of those years occurring after the parent turned 14 years old. The five years do not need to be consecutive, nor do they need to be immediately before the birth of the child. This requirement applies whether the child was born in wedlock (the parents were married to each other at the time the child was born) or out of wedlock (the parents were not married to each other at the time the child was born).

For children born in wedlock (both parents married to each other) to two U.S. citizens, at least one parent must show proof they resided in the United States at any time before the birth of the child.

"In wedlock" refers to legal marriage registered with civil authorities.

Information for other family situations is available on the Department of State website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/us-citizenship/Acquisition-US-Citizenship-Child-Born-Abroad.html

To demonstrate physical presence in the United States for the required length of time, the U.S. citizen parent must provide documentary evidence at the interview.

The best evidence includes exact dates when the U.S. citizen was physically present in the United States, for example: school records (elementary/middle/high school), university transcripts (not diplomas), employment contracts, pay stubs, W2 forms, social security statements, previous passports, etc.

Documents such as driver's licenses, diplomas, and vaccination records can be brought if no other evidence is available, but as they usually only indicate a handful of days the parent was required to be physically present in the United States, the items listed in the paragraph above are preferable.

The evidence must establish the U.S. citizen parent's physical presence BEFORE the child was born.

**NOTE: Being a dependent of or serving in the U.S. military or Department of State posted abroad counts as physical presence in the United States. For proof of this time, we require documentation specifically stating the transmitting parent was serving or was listed as a dependent on military or diplomatic orders, which include specific time frames.