If you have a legitimate claim to US citizenship, in order to establish that claim you need to submit an application for some type of citizen document. If your birth took place outside the territorial US and you acquired US citizenship at birth from your parents or derived it through your parent's naturalization, the following documents will be recognized as proof of US citizenship.
- US Passports - Certificates of Citizenship
US Passports If you were born abroad to US citizen parents, you can apply for a US passport in the same manner as someone born in the United States. However, you will have the additional requirement of establishing your citizenship claim. Passports are available from passport offices in the US (run by the US department of state) and at the US consulates outside the US. Wherever you are applying, you will be instructed to present proof of your parents US citizenship and evidence that they, and you, complied with any applicable US residency requirements. You will need to present documents such as birth or citizenship records of your parents or grandparents and work or tax records establishing US residency for your parents or grandparents.
Certificates of Citizenship
Certificates of citizenship are issued only inside the US by USCIS offices. Anyone with a claim to US citizenship can apply for a certificate of citizenship. In most cases it is harder and takes considerably longer to get a certificate of citizenship in comparison to a US passport. However, in situations where your US citizenship was acquired automatically through the naturalization of a parent, certificate of citizen applications are the best choice. Actually, the moment a parent is naturalized, the children can, upon the parents demand be issued certificates of citizenship simultaneously with their naturalization certificates.
Certificates of citizenship not requested simultaneously with a parent's naturalization can be applied for later, on form N-600. Form N-600k must be used for children living outside the US who apply for citizenship through their parents. The current fee for both the N-600 and the N-600k is $600 dollars. Copies of these forms and detailed instructions are available on the USCIS website.
I recommend that you also prepare a cover letter explaining the basis of your claim to US citizenship and describing the documents you are offering as proof. These ought to include your parent's birth certificates, marriage certificate, and any divorce decrees to show legal changes in your name since birth. If you are not applying as the child of a naturalized citizen, your letter should also list whatever evidence you will be presenting to show that you have met any residency requirements.
Form N-600, the documents, and the cover letter should be submitted to the USCIS office having jurisdiction over your place of residence in the US, as indicated on the USCIS website. If you're filing form N-600k, you can choose to send it to any USCIS field office. You will more than likely be called in for an interview on your application. In the busier USCIS offices, it can take up to a year to get a decision on an application for a certificate of citizenship.
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