Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship

Certain individuals can file Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship, to obtain a Certificate of Citizenship. The certificate serves as evidence of a person’s U.S. citizenship. Document holders may use the certificate to apply for a U.S. passport or various other benefits.

There are different ways to become a U.S. citizen. USCIS only issues Certificates of Citizenship to those individuals who were born abroad but are U.S. citizens at birth through their parents, or who became citizens after birth but before the age of 18. This is different than the naturalization process.

Acquired Citizenship

Derived Citizenship

A validly issued U.S. passport generally serves as evidence of your U.S. citizenship for most purposes during its period of validity. However, you may be required to submit your Certificate of Citizenship in order to obtain your initial passport or renew it. The certificate is also necessary when attempting to apply for certain other benefits, including, but not limited to:

• Social Security benefits
• State issued ID including a Driver’s License or Learning Permit
• Financial Aid
• Employment

Forms N-600 and N-600K are very similar but have unique use cases. Certain people use the N-600 application to obtain a certificate that evidences the date they became a U.S. citizen. If the applicant is a child who regularly resides outside the United States, the applicant (or parents acting on behalf of the applicant) must instead file Form N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322.

Eligibility to Apply for a Citizenship Certificate

Who qualifies for Form N-600?

Generally, a person born outside of the United States may acquire citizenship at birth if that person has at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen and the U.S. citizen parent meets certain physical presence requirements in the U.S. prior to the person’s birth. Alternatively, certain foreign-born persons may derive citizenship after birth when a parent naturalizes as a U.S. citizen. Both may be able to claim citizenship and request a Certificate of Citizenship.

Eligibility for Derived Citizenship

Under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (INA §320), a child automatically derives U.S. citizenship from a parent when all three of the following conditions are true at the same time:

• The child is a permanent resident under 18 years of age;
• At least one of the child’s parents is a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization; and
• The child resides in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent.

A Citizenship Certificate is a U.S. identity document for a person who obtained U.S. citizenship through parents (derivation or acquisition).

The order of these events makes no difference. The child is a U.S. citizen by matter of law once all are true. The effective date of the Child Citizenship Act is February 27, 2001. Therefore, only persons under the age of 18 on or after that date (who satisfy the requirements of the law) derive U.S. citizenship.

Eligibility for Acquired Citizenship

Citizenship laws for acquisition have changed many times over the years. Eligibility is dependent on the date of the child's birth and the law in place at that time. The current law became effective November 14, 1986. For children born on or after November 14, 1986, the following is an overview of the law:

Children Born in Wedlock

• Child with Two U.S. Citizen Parents
  At least one parent must have resided in the United States at any time before the child’s birth.
• Child with One U.S. Citizen Parent and One U.S. National Parent
  The U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least one year before the child’s birth.
• Child with One U.S. Citizen Parent and One Foreign National Parent
  The U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States for at least 5 years, including at least 2 years after 14 years of age.

Children Born out of Wedlock

• Child Born Out of Wedlock to a U.S. Citizen Mother
  The U.S. citizen mother must have been physically present in the United States for one continuous year before the child’s birth.
• Child Born Out of Wedlock to a U.S. Citizen Father
  The child is a citizen if all of the following conditions are met:
  • A blood relationship between the child and the father is established by clear and convincing evidence;
  • The child’s father was a U.S. citizen at the time of the child’s birth;
  • The child’s father (unless deceased) has agreed in writing to provide financial support for the child until the child reaches 18 years of age; and
  • One of the following criteria is met before the child reaches 18 years of age: (A) The child is legitimated under the law of his or her residence or domicile; (B) The father acknowledges in writing and under oath the paternity of the child; or (C) The paternity of the child is established by adjudication of a competent court.

  Citizenship laws have changed extensively over the years. Therefore, the year of the applicant's birth can affect the determination of eligibility to file Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship. CitizenPath’s Citizenship Certificate Package can help most people determine eligibility. Our software will ask you a series of questions about you and your parents to decide if you may file Form N-600.