There are three ways a person may become a citizen of the United States. The first way is by birth. One is automatically a citizen if he was born in the United States. In this instance, one's birth certificate is proof of citizenship. One is also a citizen if he is born outside the U.S. and is the offspring of at least one U.S. citizen and certain conditions apply. In this scenario, one may want to obtain a certificate of citizenship to prove citizenship. (For more information regarding citizenship by birth, please click here).

The second way one can become a citizen is by meeting the requirements for citizenship set forth in the Child Citizenship Act, which has been in effect since February 27, 2001. If the child meets these requirements, then he is automatically a U.S. citizen even though he was not born a U.S. citizen and did not go through the naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen. In this scenario, one may want to obtain a certificate of citizenship to prove U.S. citizenship. (For more information regarding the Child Citizenship Act, please click here).

The third way one can become a citizen is through a process called naturalization. Naturalization enables a person who was not born a citizen of the United States to become a United States citizen. (For information regarding naturalization, please click here).

For more information on citizenship, please click one of the links below:
Description
Citizenship by Birth
Child Citizenship Act of 2000
Frequently Asked Questions about Citizenship

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Naturalization