In the latest edition of "Ask the Consul," the U.S. Embassy outlines the process for transmitting U.S. citizenship to children born outside the United States. A U.S. citizen can transmit citizenship if specific conditions are met, which vary depending on whether one or both parents are U.S. citizens and when the child was born.
For a child with two U.S. citizen parents, at least one must have resided in the United States at some point. If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, that parent must have been physically present in the United States for at least five years, including two years after age 14.
Eligible parents will not receive a U.S. birth certificate but can obtain a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) as an official record of their child's claim to citizenship. Applications for a CRBA should be submitted at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate where the child was born, with specific instructions available for those in Guyana.
Required documents include the child's local birth certificate, proof of the parent's citizenship and physical presence in the United States, marriage certificate if applicable, proof of identity for both parents, and hospital records for the child.
If physical presence requirements are unmet, children may still immigrate to the United States through an immigrant visa and automatically acquire citizenship upon arrival.
The fee for applying for a CRBA is $100, and applications for a U.S. passport can be submitted simultaneously once approved.
Transmission of citizenship typically needs documentation before age 18 through a CRBA; however, other pathways exist via immigrant visas and naturalization.
Further assistance is available by emailing ACSGeorge@state.gov.
"Ask the Consul" provides monthly insights into immigration law and consular topics from the U.S. Embassy with detailed information accessible online at various embassy websites.
Applicants are advised to prepare their own documents due to frequent changes in consular processes and potential inaccuracies from non-government advisors.