You are not logged in. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed.
We welcome edits that make the post easier to understand and more valuable for readers. Because community members review edits, please try to make the post substantially better than how you found it, for example, by fixing grammar or adding additional resources and hyperlinks.
-
3Registration has nothing to do with it. The child either is or isn't a US citizen. The only thing is that if the child hasn't yet had any contact with US authorities then they're more likely to get in with a minimum of fuss. (On the other hand, if the child had a US passport and the parents didn't bring it for some reason, there would likely be considerably more fuss.)– phoogCommented Sep 13, 2016 at 19:22
-
11I figured you know that, but since in the UK "registration" has a more definite meaning, I wanted to mention it to avoid confusion. If the family travel together, the border officers will (I suspect) be fairly likely to wonder whether the child is a US citizen, and, if he is, to figure that out. They can question the mother to determine whether she was eligible to pass on her citizenship when the child was born. They may admonish the parents that the child needs a US passport; I think that's the worst possible consequence. The safest course of action is to get the child a US passport.– phoogCommented Sep 13, 2016 at 19:49
-
2Indeed, it's as straightforward as applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad at the nearest US Embassy or Consulate where an officer approves the application, and the State Department issues a CRBA (Form FS-240) which is proof of US citizenship and is used to get a US passport.– GiorgioCommented Sep 14, 2016 at 1:56
-
2@Tom do you have any basis for that assertion? US citizenship law operates automatically. Registration is not required. See travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal-considerations/…. It would of course be possible for someone born abroad not to know that he is a USC, but if US authorities decide that he is, he'll be liable for taxes etc. The absence of a CRBA only changes the likelihood that the person's US citizenship comes to the attention of US authorities; it doesn't change the fact of the person's US citizenship.– phoogCommented Sep 14, 2016 at 16:23
-
2@roetnig "required"? No. After the US citizen's 18th birthday, it is no longer possible to get a CRBA, but the person is still a US citizen, and there is no penalty for failing to get a CRBA other than the additional bureaucratic burden of not having a CRBA. See ca.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/citizenship-claims.– phoogCommented Jan 30, 2017 at 13:08
|
Show 24 more comments
How to Edit
- Correct minor typos or mistakes
- Clarify meaning without changing it
- Add related resources or links
- Always respect the author’s intent
- Don’t use edits to reply to the author
How to Format
-
create code fences with backticks ` or tildes ~
```
like so
``` -
add language identifier to highlight code
```python
def function(foo):
print(foo)
``` - put returns between paragraphs
- for linebreak add 2 spaces at end
- _italic_ or **bold**
- quote by placing > at start of line
- to make links (use https whenever possible)
<https://example.com>
[example](https://example.com)
<a href="https://example.com">example</a>
How to Tag
A tag is a keyword or label that categorizes your question with other, similar questions. Choose one or more (up to 5) tags that will help answerers to find and interpret your question.
- complete the sentence: my question is about...
- use tags that describe things or concepts that are essential, not incidental to your question
- favor using existing popular tags
- read the descriptions that appear below the tag
If your question is primarily about a topic for which you can't find a tag:
- combine multiple words into single-words with hyphens (e.g. air-travel), up to a maximum of 35 characters
- creating new tags is a privilege; if you can't yet create a tag you need, then post this question without it, then ask the community to create it for you