I am a

U. S. citizen

A4

How do I get proof

of my U.S. citizenship?

If you were born in the United States, you do not need to apply

to USCIS for any evidence of citizenship. Your birth certificate issued

where you were born is proof of your citizenship.

1

grandparent.

What documents are usually accepted as proof of U.S.

citizenship?

The most common documents that establish U.S. citizenship are:

•Birth Certificate, issued by a U.S. State (if the person was

born in the United States), or by the U.S. Department of State

(if the person was born abroad to U.S. citizen parents who

registered the child’s birth and U.S. citizenship with the U.S.

Embassy or consulate);

•U.S. Passport, issued by the U.S. Department of State;

I was born in the United States. Where can I get a copy of

my birth certificate?

Check with the Department of Health (Vital Records) in the U.S.

State in which you were born. For more information, visit the

National Center for Health Statistics web page at www.cdc.gov/

nchs/births.htm.

I am a U.S. citizen. My child will be born abroad or recently

was born abroad. How do I register his or her birth and

I was born overseas. My birth and U.S. citizenship were

registered with the U.S. Embassy or consulate.

I need a copy of the evidence of my citizenship. Whom

should I contact?

Contact the U.S. Department of State. For more information, please

with the U.S. Embassy when I was born. Can I apply to

usually require a combination of the parent being a U.S. citizen when

the child was born, and the parent having lived in the United States

or its possessions for a specific period of time. Derivative citizenship

can be quite complex and may require careful legal analysis.

I was born overseas. One of my parents was a U.S.

citizen but never lived in the United States. One of my

grandparents was also a U.S. citizen. Could I have derived

U.S. citizenship?

If your parent was a U.S. citizen when you were born but had not

lived in the United States for the required amount of time before

M-560B (October 2013) N

M-560B (October 2013) N

have derived U.S. citizenship. The provisions of immigration law that

govern derivative citizenship are quite precise and circumstances in

individual cases can be complex. For specific information on how

the law applies, please check our Web site at www.uscis.gov, or

the U.S. Department of State Web site at www.state.gov, or call

USCIS Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283.

I was born overseas. After I was born, my parent(s)

you were a permanent resident and under 18 years old when both

parents naturalized, or if you had only one parent when that parent

naturalized.

However, if your parent(s) naturalized after you were 18, then you

will need to apply for naturalization on your own after you have

been a permanent resident for at least 5 years.

How do I apply to have my citizenship recognized?

You have two options:

•YoucanapplytotheU.S.DepartmentofStateforaU.S.

passport. A passport is evidence of citizenship and also serves

a passport to be more convenient because it also serves as a

travel document and could be a faster process.

How do I replace a lost, stolen, or destroyed Naturalization

Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship?

To apply to replace your Naturalization Certificate or Certificate

of Citizenship issued by USCIS or by the U.S. Immigration and

Naturalization Service, file a Form N-565, Application for

Replacement Naturalization Citizenship Document. Filing instructions

and forms are available on our Web site at www.uscis.gov.

General

Information

New

Immigrants

U.S. Dept.

of State

National

Center

for Health

Statistics