🇺🇸 US citizenship · By right of birth
US citizenship by birth
The US Constitution grants automatic citizenship to everyone born on US soil - whatever the status of the parents.
The USA is the world's largest economy, with developed infrastructure, a high standard of living and opportunities for work, study and business. The US Constitution grants automatic citizenship to everyone born on the country's territory.
Legal grounds for citizenship
Citizenship by birth in the USA rests on the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution: anyone born on US territory automatically becomes a citizen of the country, whatever the citizenship or immigration status of their parents.
Who can get citizenship
- A child born within US territory, including Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands.
- A child born on an American ship or aircraft in international waters or airspace, if it is registered in the USA.
At the time of the birth the parents are not required to hold legal status in the USA.
What it gives the parents and relatives
Parents can apply for a Green Card only once the child turns 21. After 5 years of living in the country with a Green Card, the parents can file for citizenship. Siblings of a US citizen do not get citizenship automatically - a US citizen can sponsor them for a Green Card under the family reunification program once they come of age. Other relatives (grandparents, uncles, aunts) do not get citizenship through the child, but they can also be sponsored under the family reunification program. After receiving a Green Card, relatives need to live in the USA for at least 5 years before applying for citizenship.
The child's tax obligations
A child born in the USA becomes a lifelong tax resident: they have to declare and pay US tax on their worldwide income wherever they live, file a return every year and report foreign accounts and assets under FBAR and FATCA. There are reliefs such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit, but the duty to comply with US tax law stays with them for life.
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Advantages of a US passport
Freedom of travel
Access to more than 185 countries without a visa, including the EU, the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore.
Protection of citizens
The right to consular assistance and protection anywhere in the world.
Advantages for the family
The option to sponsor relatives for immigration to the USA.
Passing citizenship on
Children of US citizens born outside the country automatically get citizenship if at least one of the parents is a US citizen.
How to get US citizenship by birth step by step
The child is born on US territory
The child automatically becomes a citizen of the country if born in the USA, whatever the status of the parents.
Registering the citizenship
The parents receive the child's birth certificate, which confirms citizenship.
Getting a passport
Applying for a US passport through a passport agency or a post office.
Paperwork for the parents
Once the child turns 21, the parents can apply for a Green Card.
Relatives applying for citizenship
After receiving a Green Card through the family reunification program, relatives can apply for citizenship after 5 years of living in the USA.
FAQ
Does a child automatically become a US citizen?
Can the child's parents get citizenship?
What status do the siblings of a US citizen child have?
Do I need to live in the USA to keep the citizenship?
Can citizenship be passed to a child born outside the USA?
187 visa-free countries with a US passport
Europe
Americas
Asia and Oceania
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