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UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2009

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DOCUMENTS ESTABLISHING U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IDENTITY continued Ver: 11/19/07

SECONDARY DOCUMENTS (continued) Secondary Documents continued Explanation: Satisfactory reliability when a primary document not available; also requires an identity document. A Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen (FS-240)

The Department of State consular office prepares and issues this document. A Consular Report of Birth can be prepared only at an American consular office overseas while the child is under the age of 18. Children born outside the U.S. to U.S. military personnel usually have one of these. Certification of birth issued by Department of State (Forms FS-545 or DS-1350) Before November 1, 1990, Department of State consulates also issued Form FS-545 along with the prior version of the FS-240. In 1990, U.S. consulates ceased to issue Form-545. Treat an FS-545 the same as the DS-1350. United States Citizen Identification Card (I- 197 or prior version I-179)

The former Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) issued the I-179 from 1960 until 1973. It revised the form and renumbered it as Form I-197. INS issued the I-197 from 1973 until April 7, 1983. INS issued Form I-179 and I-197 to naturalized U.S. citizens living near the Canadian or Mexican border who needed it for frequent border crossings. Although neither form is currently issued, either form that was previously issued is still valid. Northern Mariana Identification Card (I-873) The former INS issued the I-873 to a collectively naturalized citizen of the U.S. who was born in the Northern Mariana Islands before November 4, 1986. The card is no longer issued, but those previously issued are still valid. American Indian Card (I-872) DHS issues this card to identify a member of the Texas Band of Kickapoos living near the U.S./Mexican border. A classification code “KIC” and a statement on the back denote U.S. citizenship. Final adoption decree

The adoption decree must show the child’s name and U.S. place of birth. In situations where an adoption is not finalized and the State in which the child was born will not release a birth certificate prior to final adoption, a statement from a State approved adoption agency that shows the child’s name and U.S. place of birth is acceptable. The adoption agency must state in the certification that the source of the birth information is an original birth certificate. Evidence of civil service employment by the U.S. government The document must show employment by the U.S. government before June 1, 1976. Official Military record of service showing U.S. place of birth The document must show a U.S. place of birth (for example a DD-214 or similar official document showing a U.S. place of birth). Evidence of qualifying for U.S. citizenship under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 Evidence of meeting the automatic criteria for U.S. citizenship outlined in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-395). Applies to adopted or biological children born outside the U.S.

THIRD LEVEL DOCUMENTS Third Level Documents Explanation: Satisfactory reliability when a primary or secondary document is not available; also requires an identity document Extract of hospital record on hospital letterhead established at the time of the person’s birth that was created at least 5 years before the initial application date and that indicates a U.S. place of birth DO NOT ACCEPT a souvenir “birth certificate” issued by the hospital.

Note: For children under 16, the document must have been created near the time of birth or 5 years before the date of application.

(MRG)