Form N-600 is an application for a Certificate of Citizenship, to be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
It is used by people who acquired or derived their citizenship through that of a U.S. citizen parent or grandparent, despite having been born outside the United States -- or by parents filing on a child's behalf.
Acquisition is possible in cases where at least one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of the child's birth. Derivation is possible in cases where a parent naturalizes to become a U.S. citizen before the child's 18th birthday, or for births or adoptions after 2001, a child having at least one parent who was born in the U.S. receives a green card before turning 18. The exact rules for to who derives or acquires citizenship, however, depend on what laws were in effect in the year when you were born. Consult a lawyer for a personal analysis.
Who May Not Use Form N-600
People who may not file this form include:
- stepchildren
- children who were born out of wedlock, and are therefore considered illegitimate, and who were not legitimated prior to their 16th birthday (except for children born abroad to an eligible U.S. citizen mother or eligible children who became citizens through the naturalization of their mother)
- parents of children who regularly reside outside the U.S. -- they should use Form N-600K
- lawful permanent residents who wish to apply to naturalize (the form for this is an N-400).
Filling Out Form
Although it's important to fill out the form accurately, sometimes the form itself isn't enough to make clear to USCIS why you have derived or acquired citizenship. So make you you fully understand the basis upon which you're claiming citizenship, and then write a cover letter to go with the form, explaining your claim to USCIS.
The Form N-600 itself is divided into eight parts:
- Information About You
- Information About Your Eligibility
- Additional Information About You
- Information About U.S. Citizen Father (or Adoptive Father)
- Information About Your U.S. Citizen Mother (or Adoptive Mother)
- Information About Military Service of U.S. Citizen Parent(s)
- Signature
- Signature of Other Person Preparing This Form
Most of the form is self-explanatory, especially if you realize that it's being used by different types of applicants for different types of claims. So, not all of the boxes will apply to you. If the instructions on a particular box say, "If applicable," and that box doesn't make sense in your case (for example, it asks for your alien number but you're a U.S.-born parent filing on behalf of a child), simply leave it blank.
If a lawyer or paralegal fills out this form for you, that person should sign Part 8.
Gathering Documents to Accompany the Form
Carefully read the instructions that go with Form N-600. It's important that you prove both the U.S. citizenship status of the parent or grandparent upon whom the child's claim is based, the child's relation to the parent, and various aspects of the child's status. In some cases, again depending on the law in effect during the year of the child's birth, you'll need to prove things like where the parent or child was living at a certain time, or whether a child born out of wedlock was legitimated. Make sure to gather convincing documents, from official sources wherever possible.
Send copies of the documents, not originals. If you send originals, you're unlikely to get them back.
Filing Fee
The fee for filing Form N-600 was, as of 2011, $600; except in cases of U.S. citizen parents requesting a Certificate of Citizenship for an adopted child, for whom the fee was $550. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces filing for themselves (not for a child) do not need to pay the fee.
Check the link at the top of this article for the latest USCIS fee -- they're raised frequently.
Where to File Form N-600
Where you'll need to file the completed Form N-600 and accompanying documents and fee depends on where you live. This is one of the few USCIS forms that most applicants are asked to file with their nearest local USCIS office, in some cases in person (though some offices will accept it only by mail).
Double check that this is the case when you're ready to file, however, because USCIS is moving to a system of having most or all filings done by mail, to centralized processing facilities. If you are still allowed to file N-600 with a local USCIS office, go to the USCIS Service and Office Locator page of its website, find your local office, and read its instructions for which applications it accepts and by what form of delivery.
