DERIVATIVE U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR ADULTS

::UPDATE::

NEW PROCEDURES IMPLEMENTED FOR DERIVATIVE U.S. CITIZENSHIP

Please read all information on this page to understand the application process, including making an appointment and preparing documents for the interview.  If you do not bring the required documentation, we will suspend processing of the application and you may be required to schedule another appointment.

Applicants 18 years old and over, born outside the United States, may claim U.S. citizenship from a parent who at the time of the applicant’s birth was a United States citizen.  Once the citizenship claim is established, the applicant qualifies for a first-time U.S. passport.  Applicants 18 years old and over are not eligible for CRBA issuance.

In order for an adult applicant to claim U.S. citizenship, the applicant must fulfill all of the following three requirements:

1.  TRANSMISSION – The U.S. citizen parent(s) must have been a U.S. citizen at the time of the applicant’s birth and have sufficient physical presence in the U.S. to transmit citizenship.  The transmission requirements depend on the date of birth of the applicant and the legal relationship between the parents at the time of the birth of the applicant.  See the Transmission Requirements for Citizenship.

2.  LEGITIMATION – This requirement is fulfilled when a determination is made that the legal requirements of the section of citizenship law, which applied at the time of birth of the child, have been met.  An applicant born to a female U.S. citizen (and non-U.S. citizen father) is automatically legitimated.  Proof of legitimation is required for a child born to a male U.S. citizen.  Persons born to an in-wedlock U.S. citizen father and non-U.S. citizen mother are legitimated by virtue of the marriage.  Applicants born to an out-of-wedlock U.S. citizen father and non-U.S. citizen mother and not legitimated by the natural parents’ subsequent marriage may have been legitimated under the Immigration and Nationality Act by one of two methods.  See the Legitimation Requirements for detailed information.

3.  FILIATION – The applicant must establish a biological and legal relationship with the claimed U.S. citizen parent.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DERIVATIVE CITIZENSHIP FOR ADULTS

YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PRESENT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW FOR DERIVATIVE U.S. CITIZENSHIP.

PLEASE NOTE, if you do not bring the required documentation, we will be obliged to suspend processing of the application and you will be required to schedule another appointment.  To assist with your preparation, please download, print-out and complete the Derivative Citizenship checklist available below and bring it with you to your appointment.

Official Department of State forms are available in PDF, fillable PDF, and FAR (the Department’s standard form format).  If you encounter difficulties accessing forms, your computer may need additional software to facilitate the FAR format.  You may download such software by clicking the link: download the filler application.

• The signed Derivative Citizenship Checklist. Click and print the Derivative Citizenship Checklist (pdf).
• Photos of applicant.  You will need three identical passport photographs, 2in x 2in (5cm x 5cm) in dimension, set against a white background.  Click here for photo instructions.
• Unsigned, completed Application for a U.S. Passport (DS-11).  Do not sign this form until so instructed by a Consular Officer.  The form must be completed electronically and printed.  A form completed by hand cannot be accepted.
• Original Philippine birth certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO), and one photocopy of the same.  Birth certificates by the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) in lieu of the NSO Birth Certificates, are not acceptable.  Click here for a sample of an NSO birth certificate. For an applicant born in a country other than the Philippines, please bring the birth certificate issued by the government in the country of birth.
• Passport/Identification of the applicant.  The applicant must bring his/her passport.  In the absence of a passport, we will accept two other forms of photo identification, such as postal ID, Senior Citizen’s ID, Voter’s ID, or digitized government-issued IDs like SSS, PRC, BIR, or Driver’s License.  Please bring the original ID and one photocopy of each.
• Photographs of the applicant at different ages.  These photos should be a sampling that represents the applicant’s physical evolution from infancy to current age.  If possible, the photos should show the applicant and the U.S. citizen parent together.
• Evidence of parent’s U.S. citizenship.  The applicant must present proof of citizenship of the U.S. citizen parent.  Possible evidence includes current and expired U.S. passports and Certificates of Naturalization.  Please bring the original, if obtainable, and photocopies of each.
• Parents’ marriage certificate, if applicable.  Please bring the original Marriage Certificate and one photocopy.  For marriages conducted in the Philippines, only a marriage certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO) is accepted.  A marriage certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) is not acceptable.
• If the parents were not married at the time of the birth of the applicant, evidence of Legitimation must be submitted.  Please review the Legitimation Requirements for additional details.
• Divorce and annulment decrees/death certificates, if applicable, and one photocopy of same.  The applicant must show termination of all prior marriages of his/her mother and/or father.  Please bring certified translations if the decrees or certificates are not in English.
• Death certificate of the U.S. citizen parent, if applicable.  Please bring the original Death Certificate of the applicant’s U.S. citizen parent and one photocopy.  For death certificates issued in the Philippines, an NSO death certificate is required.  A death certificate issued by the LCR is not acceptable.
• Documentary Evidence (original and one photocopy) of U.S. citizen parent’s physical presence in the U.S. The law requires the derivative applicant to present proof that his/her U.S. citizen parent(s) resided physically in the United States for a defined period of time.  Regularly available documents that may establish physical presence in the U.S. before the child’s birth include: Transcripts from High School and/or College, Income Tax Returns and W2s, old passports, and a DD-214 Separation Statement (Military Members only).  There are many other documents that may be submitted to demonstrate previous physical presence in the U.S., and the Consular Officer will evaluate any of these.  Please bring one photocopy of each document to be presented.  See the Transmission Requirements for Citizenship.
• Evidence of couple’s relationship prior to the conception of the applicant.  The burden of proving a claim to U.S. citizenship, including blood relationship, is on the person making such claim.  Photos prior to the time of conception, letters, and other correspondence, may help to establish the parents’ relationship prior to the conception of the applicant.  Genetic testing is a useful tool for verifying a stated biological relationship when no other form of credible evidence is available in conjunction with a citizenship application.  Note: Do not initiate a DNA Test unless it was recommended by the Embassy for your pending CRBA or Passport application.  A DNA Test that was done independently and not according to Department of State procedures will not be accepted to support a CRBA or Passport application. For more information, please review our DNA testing procedures. Click here for English version. Click here for Tagalog version.
• Receipt of payment of passport application fee (non-refundable).  The fee for an adult passport is $135, and will be paid at the Consular Section on the day of the appointment, in cash (either dollors or pesos) and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club).

HOW TO APPLY

U.S. Embassy Manila is implementing an online appointment-only system for Claims to U.S. citizenship.  After gathering all required documentation, you may schedule an appointment for an in-person interview.  The applicant must be present at the interview.  On the day of your appointment, please arrive at the Embassy at least 30 minutes before your appointment time.  When you arrive at the American Citizens Services area, wait for your quematic number to flash on the screen and be ready with your appointment confirmation printout, the Derivative Citizenship checklist, and supporting documents.

Please be aware that you must have a separate appointment for each applicant who is applying.  As there are many people seeking appointments, we ask you to please cancel your appointment if you will be unable to come to the Embassy.

Schedule an APPOINTMENT by clicking here.  Please make only one appointment – the Embassy will cancel all but one appointment for people who reserve multiple appointments and will cancel all subsequent appointments if you do not show up for an appointment .  Use a valid e-mail address and print your appointment confirmation.  Select the service “Report the birth abroad of a child of a U.S. citizen”.  (Note: Although there is a reference to obtaining a social security number on the appointment request form, Embassy Manila has a Social Security Administration office, and therefore the American Citizen Services section does not work on requests for children’s social security numbers.   You may visit the Social Security Administration website by clicking here.)

You may cancel your appointment by clicking here.