When a child is born to at least one U.S. citizen parent outside of the United States, U.S. law may confer citizenship on the child, depending on various factors.

Citizenship laws are complex, and it is impossible to address all factual situations on this website. However, the most common cases are:

• Birth Abroad to Two U.S. Citizen Parents in Wedlock
• Birth Abroad to One Citizen and One Alien Parent in Wedlock
• Birth Abroad Out-of-Wedlock to a U.S. Citizen Father
• Birth Abroad Out-of-Wedlock to a U.S. Citizen Mother

Please keep in mind that in order to apply for a Report of Birth Abroad the transmitting parent must be a U.S. Citizen before the child is born.

Most of these cases require the U.S. citizen parent to have spent a specific amount of time in the United States or, in some cases, overseas working for the U.S. government and other organizations.  For specific information on each particular scenario please visit the Legal Considerations section on the travel.state.gov website.

Parents of a child born abroad to a U.S. citizen or citizens should apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for the child as soon as possible. Failure to promptly document a child who meets the statutory requirements for acquiring U.S. citizenship at birth may cause problems for the parents and the child when attempting to establish the child’s U.S. citizenship and eligibility for the rights and benefits of U.S. citizenship, including entry into the United States.

We remind you that by law, U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must use U.S. passports to enter and leave the United States.