Under 18 Application For Citizenship

M

murphy1112

New Member
Hi,
We (self, wife and sons whose ages are 15 and 17) received our Green Card in 2002. My wife and I are eligible to apply now.
We want to know if we can apply for our sons Citizenship now when we apply or do we have to wait until each of them turn 18?
We would appreciate a response.

Thanks

Murphy1112
 
If you naturalize before they are 18, they will automatically get citizenship (assuming they are still living with you in the US). After that, it is just a matter of them getting proof that they are citizens (via the N-600 process), rather than applying to obtain their citizenship (N-400).

But given how slow the processing is (12-18 months) it may be too late for the 17-year-old son to benefit from that (he'll have to apply on his own if he turns 18 before you get citizenship).
 
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Thanks for the reply,I hate to bother you with some more questions :
Under whose form do we put their names ?
Father or mother ?
The fees will be for the two adults or do we add the fee for each child too ?
If we file online when do we send the photographs, copy of green card and fees ?
My son age 17 had a curfew violation, which was dismissed by court , do we
have to add that on the mothers/fathers form ?
Thanks
murphy1112
 
Put their names on both of your applications. The form simply asks you to list your children, without regard for whether they are eligible for citizenship, so both of you should list them if both of you are their parents.

Pay fees for you two adults only. After you naturalize, there is a separate fee each for the children's N-600 or N-400.

Don't list your son's violations. But he will have to list them if he has to apply on his own after becoming 18.

I don't know about the online filing.
 
What's being said is:
i. You do not explicitly apply for N-400 citizenship for children under 18yrs, so no fees for them are due at this point in your application. You do however have to list all children on your own N-400 forms.

ii. Assuming your children are LPRs, normally resident with you (i.e. in your custody), they automatically become US citizens when either parent takes the oath of naturalization. At this point you can directly apply for their passports at a post office (requires their GC, birth certificate and your natz certificate) or you can apply for an N-600 Certificate of Citizenship. Typically the passport comes quickly, which the N-600 can take a year or more.

iii. If the child attains the age of 18 before either parent naturalizes, they will need to submit their own N-400.
 
... why would we (my kid, i mean) need a n-600!? he'll obtain his passport through...

...his parents and... that's 'bout it! no need for a additional $$$, in that respect!


boatbod said:
What's being said is:
i. You do not explicitly apply for N-400 citizenship for children under 18yrs, so no fees for them are due at this point in your application. You do however have to list all children on your own N-400 forms.

ii. Assuming your children are LPRs, normally resident with you (i.e. in your custody), they automatically become US citizens when either parent takes the oath of naturalization. At this point you can directly apply for their passports at a post office (requires their GC, birth certificate and your natz certificate) or you can apply for an N-600 Certificate of Citizenship. Typically the passport comes quickly, which the N-600 can take a year or more.

iii. If the child attains the age of 18 before either parent naturalizes, they will need to submit their own N-400.
Click to expand...
 
mlsimmy said:
...his parents and... that's 'bout it! no need for a additional $$$, in that respect!
Click to expand...
True, the passport is good enough proof, but unlike the Certificate of Citizenship the passport must be renewed. It's good to have an everlasting document like the Certificate of Citizenship ... it may be of value when proof of citizenship is needed for travel or employment, but the passport is unavailable because it expired while the renewal was caught in a lengthy backlog.
 
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good point - other than that...!?

:D
Jackolantern said:
True, the passport is good enough proof, but unlike the Certificate of Citizenship the passport must be renewed. It's good to have an everlasting document like the Certificate of Citizenship ... it may be of value when proof of citizenship is needed for travel or employment, but the passport is unavailable because it expired while the renewal was caught in a lengthy backlog.
Click to expand...
 
Apart from the expiry/renewal issue, the certificate acts as another official document of citizenship, which can be valuable if the passport is lost or destroyed. Born citizens have their birth certificate, naturalized citizens have the certificate of naturalization. Derived citizens don't have that extra proof unless they apply for that certificate.

But there's no need to rush to get it ... when they grow up, the kids can decide for themselves if they want the added security and convenience of the certificate (provided that their parents keep the necessary documentation on their naturalization and parental relationship available, of course).
 
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