N-600 age limit?

A

alwayslazyboy

New Member
Hi, my mom became a US citizen back in 2005. i was still under 18 at that time ( with a green card). I know i became a US citizen through her. But now I'm 21 years old(without coc), can i still file N-600? or is it too late?
 
You can file anytime after you turn 18... You don't necessarily have to file before you turn 18 for N-600.

I just sent in my N-600 and I'm 33, but my mom naturalized when I was 15 (about 18 years ago, wow time flies). I had no idea derivative citizenship existed so I just finally got my act together to get the CoC.

Also, via this board, the forums here, I found out an even easier way to prove your citizenship is to apply for a US Passport. As long as you have your mother's naturalization certificate, your birth certificate, and proof that you were/are an LPR (green card) at the time she was naturalized, you can apply for a passport, which has a 2-4 week turnaround, vs. the N-600 which has a 5-6 month turnaround. Look for another thread I started for more info (I'd post the URL here but the forums won't let me post a URL yet b/c I'm a new registrant).

Hope that helps and good luck lazyboy.
 
From the N-600 instructions http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-600instr.pdf at the bottom of the first page:

Any person who was born a U.S. citizen outside the United States or who fulfilled the requirements for becoming a U.S. citizen prior to their 18th birthday may file this form at any time during his or her lifetime. (Italics mine).
 
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The OP does not say he was born US CITIZEN. He had a Green Card at that time. Not sure if he can file N600. I still think (not 100% sure) N 400 is required. Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
Respectfully, Sethumadhavan, I'm sure you are wrong. The part I quoted doesn't just say "born a U.S. citizen", it also says "or who fulfilled the requirements for becoming a U.S. citizen prior to their 18th birthday." It seems clear to me that a person like your teenage son or my teenage daughter, who acquired derivative citizenship when their parent(s) naturalized, may file N-600 at any time, even decades from now.

RicoCA, above, mentions this. You have to be careful if your parent naturalized before 2001, because the rules changed in 2001, due to the Child Citizenship Act which came into effect then. The OP's mom, however, naturalized in 2005, when he was under 18. This seems like a clear case of eligibility, unless his parents were separated or divorced and his mom didn't have sole custody.
 
It does not matter when you are applying for N600. Important thing is whether you were a LPR at the time the parent(s) became citizens and also when the parents became citizens. Both parents needs to be citizens for derivative it they naturalized before 2001. Only one parent is enough if the parent naturalized after 2001.
 
rpranesh said:
It does not matter when you are applying for N600. Important thing is whether you were a LPR at the time the parent(s) became citizens and also when the parents became citizens. Both parents needs to be citizens for derivative it they naturalized before 2001. Only one parent is enough if the parent naturalized after 2001.
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What rpranesh says is exactly right if both parents were still married to each other and living as a family unit at the time of naturalization. In situations of parental separation or divorce, the rules are, reasonably enough, a bit different. Both pre-2001 and post-2001, one naturalizing parent is enough (even pre-2001), if that one parent had sole custody of the child at the time of naturalization. In the post-2001 case, if the parents are separated and divorced, the naturalizing parent has to be the one with custody. You don't get derivative citizenship from the naturalization of a non-custodial parent. I'm uncertain whether post-2001, it has to be sole custody, or if joint custody will work.
 
RicoCA said:
You can file anytime after you turn 18... You don't necessarily have to file before you turn 18 for N-600.

I just sent in my N-600 and I'm 33, but my mom naturalized when I was 15 (about 18 years ago, wow time flies). I had no idea derivative citizenship existed so I just finally got my act together to get the CoC.

Also, via this board, the forums here, I found out an even easier way to prove your citizenship is to apply for a US Passport. As long as you have your mother's naturalization certificate, your birth certificate, and proof that you were/are an LPR (green card) at the time she was naturalized, you can apply for a passport, which has a 2-4 week turnaround, vs. the N-600 which has a 5-6 month turnaround. Look for another thread I started for more info (I'd post the URL here but the forums won't let me post a URL yet b/c I'm a new registrant).

Hope that helps and good luck lazyboy.
Click to expand...

Did the law in effect in 1987 (when I turned 18) accept the condition that the naturalized parent had joint and legal custody?
my parents divorced before i turned 18. my mom remained a green card holder my father naturalized before i turned 18. my father had joint and legal custody of me....
am i eligible to apply for derived citizenship?
 
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