Apply for Citizenship
Individuals who have previously been documented as U.S. citizens:
If you have previously been issued any of the following documents, you may immediately begin your application for your first U.S. passport. If you are no longer in possession of any of these documents, you must obtain a certified copy from the issuing authority.
- A U.S. Birth Certificate:
For certified copies, please contact the state in which you were born. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a list of state contact information for this purpose; - A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240):
For information on how to obtain certified copies of FS-240 please visit the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs webpage “Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)”; - A Certification of Birth (Form FS-545 or DS-1350):
The Department of State no longer issues Certifications of Reports of Birth (DS-1350). However, all previously issued DS-1350s are still valid for proof of identity, citizenship and other legal purposes; - A U.S. Certificate of Citizenship:
For information on how to apply for a certificate of citizenship please visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) webpage “N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship”; - A U.S. Naturalization Certificate:
For more information on how to obtain certified copies of your naturalization certificate please visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) web-page “How Do I Obtain Certified True Copies of a Certificate of Naturalization?”; - A Passport of Your U.S. Citizen Parent(s) in which you are included:
For copies of your parents’ passport records, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs web-page “Obtain Copies of Passport Records”.
Once you are in possession of one of the above listed documents, please see our instructions provided at our web-page “Passports” to apply for a U.S. passport.
Individuals who have never been documented as U.S. citizens:
If you were born outside the United States, have not been previously documented as a U.S. citizen, and are:
- Under the age of 18: Please see our instructions provided on our web-page “Report Birth Abroad” to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA).
- Over the age of 18: Please see our instructions provided on our web-page “Citizenship Claim” for claiming U.S. citizenship.