Legal Definitions - Certificate of Citizenship

The Certificate of Citizenship is an official document issued by the United States government that serves as definitive proof of an individual's U.S. citizenship. It is typically sought by people who became U.S. citizens automatically through specific legal provisions, rather than through the naturalization process (which results in a Certificate of Naturalization). This includes individuals who were born outside the United States to U.S. citizen parents, or those who acquired citizenship "by action of law" while residing in the U.S., often as minor children of U.S. citizens. A key example of this is the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which allows certain foreign-born biological and adopted children of U.S. citizens to automatically acquire citizenship once specific conditions are met, such as residing in the U.S. in the legal and physical custody of their U.S. citizen parent(s).

• Example 1: Maria and David, both U.S. citizens, were living in Germany for several years due to David's job when their daughter, Lena, was born. Although Lena was born on foreign soil, she is a U.S. citizen because both of her parents are U.S. citizens. To obtain official documentation proving Lena's citizenship for school enrollment and future travel, Maria and David would apply for a Certificate of Citizenship on her behalf.

  Explanation: This illustrates the case of an individual born outside the United States to U.S. citizen parents. Lena automatically acquired U.S. citizenship at birth, and the Certificate of Citizenship provides the formal, government-issued proof of this status.

• Example 2: Elena immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine with her five-year-old son, Sasha, and eventually became a lawful permanent resident. After several years, Elena successfully applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship through naturalization. Because Sasha was under 18, a lawful permanent resident, and living in the U.S. in Elena's custody at the time of her naturalization, he automatically became a U.S. citizen under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. Elena would apply for a Certificate of Citizenship for Sasha to officially document his new status.

  Explanation: Sasha acquired U.S. citizenship "by action of law" through his mother's naturalization, as provided by the Child Citizenship Act. The Certificate of Citizenship serves as the official proof that he is now a U.S. citizen without needing to go through a separate naturalization process himself.

• Example 3: A U.S. citizen couple, Sarah and Tom, adopted a three-year-old girl named Mei from China. After Mei entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident and began living with Sarah and Tom, she automatically became a U.S. citizen under the provisions of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. To ensure Mei has clear, official documentation of her U.S. citizenship, Sarah and Tom would apply for a Certificate of Citizenship for her.

  Explanation: This scenario demonstrates how a foreign-born, adopted child of U.S. citizen parents can acquire citizenship automatically under the Child Citizenship Act. The Certificate of Citizenship is the formal document that verifies Mei's U.S. citizenship status.