A child born abroad to a U.S. citizen father not married to the child’s mother acquires U.S. citizenship at birth as long as:

• A blood relationship between the child and the father is established by clear and convincing evidence.
• The father was physically present in the United States for at least a total of five years before the child’s birth, two of which were after the age of fourteen.
• The father must officially recognize the child as his own, either by submitting a notarized Affidavit of Physical Presence or Residence, Parentage and Support (PDF 112 KB) or court documents establishing paternity. He must also pledge to financially support the child until he or she reaches 18 years of age.

A child born abroad to a U.S. citizen mother not married to the child’s father acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the mother was a U.S. citizen at the time of the child’s birth, and if the mother had previously been physically present in the United States for a total of five years before the child’s birth, two of which were after the age of fourteen.

Important! For children born out of wedlock before June 12, 2017, qualifying through the mother, the mother must have been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of twelve months before the child’s birth.