Most Americans who live abroad know that when they have children, they need to register the child as a US citizen at the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. This process provides their children with a passport and a US consular report of birth abroad. This process does not have to be done immediately after the child’s birth, but can happen anytime until they reach the age of 18.
However, there are many citizens who do not know about this rule, and assume that either they are not eligible to pass on citizenship to their kids, or that their children can obtain a US passport at any point. Others, when they realize that their offspring are now adults (over 18), believe that nothing can be done in order to obtain a US passport for them, and they count it as a lost opportunity.
The good news – even if your child is over 18, you can still register them as US citizens if they are eligible.
However, there are a few provisions. At the time the child being registered as a citizen was born, at least one of their parents must already have been a US citizen and have lived in the US for at least 5 years. Those 5 years must include at least 2 years over the age of 14. If you meet both of those criteria, regardless of the age of your child, they are still considered a US citizen and are eligible to get their US passport.
The only downside for registering your adult child after the age of 18 is that they will not receive the US consular report of birth abroad. This document is additional proof of their citizenship should they lose their passport at some point. If they lose their passport and need to get a new one, they will need to essentially register all over again and prove that they were born to a US citizen who resided in the United States for at least 5 years.
If you are not eligible to receive citizenship through your US citizen parent since they didn’t live in the US or don’t have the correct documents, you may still be eligible for a Green Card. This application would be made by your US citizen parent and would allow you to become a legal permanent resident of the US.
If you need help navigating this process and registering your adult child as a US citizen, contact us and we will be happy to assist.
