Intercountry Adoption
Securing U.S. Citizenship for Your Child
With the implementation of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-395), you no longer must apply to INS to naturalize your child as a U.S. citizen. Effective February 27, 2001, U.S. citizenship confers automatically when a child is adopted from abroad by a U.S. citizen. The precise time that citizenship confers depends on the child's immigration status upon entering the United States.
If the adoption has been finalized in the foreign country, and the child has been issued an IR-3 visa, citizenship confers when the child legally enters the United States. If the child has been issued an IR-4 visa, which requires parents to adopt or readopt the child in the United States, citizenship confers on the day the adoption is finalized in the United States.
Parents wishing to obtain documentation of their child's citizenship may apply for a U.S. passport from the Department of State or may obtain a Certificate of Citizenship from INS. To apply for the Certificate of Citizenship for the child, parents must file INS Form N-643 along with a filing fee and required supporting documentation.
This material may be reproduced and distributed without permission; however, appropriate citation must be given to the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse.
