US Citizen living overseas / Need help ASAP

Eric_04

New Member
Good evening,

So I’ve been wondering for a few days now, to make this simple,


I’m a US born citizen living overseas, however my parents aren’t US citizens. I study in an American High School in Peru, speak English fluently and so on, (I’m 15)
However the issue is that we don’t have a billing address or residence in the US. We constantly travel there but we sometimes we have some issues in customs, as I have to go with my mother in the non US citizens line, and yes that generates some troubles, in the last 10 times I’ve visited the US, we’ve gotten stopped in customs like 2-3 times, they interrogated us, checked our bags and after some 30 minutes we were free to go.

My questions here are;

If I travel with my mother, can I go through the US Citizens line in customs without any problems by myself? (She’d have to go through the non US citizens line)

Am I considered a US citizen despite not living in the US for quite some time or not at all?

I wanna finish high school here in Peru, do my International Baccalaureate and then go back to the US to find a good university, what are the procedures to re-enter the US, or are there none?

Can I rent/buy a home in the US from Peru so when I go through customs I have an address?


Thank you for your help, it’s really appreciated as I’m really damn confused on what to do.
 
I'm a US Citizen and travel miminum of twice a Year internationally and few times domestically by plane. I too get checked/searched. Don't know if your question pertains to if you actually livrd over here you wouldn't t get searched. US CBP can search whoever they see fit. Citizen or not.

I traveled once with my mother through JFK I had a GC at the time she a US Citizen. I went in the citizen line with her. I was 25 at the time. I immediately apologized whilst giving her my Passport saying Im not a citizen but we're traveling together. The CBP officer was nice and said we're traveling together and it was fine.

You're still considered a minor in the US so I don't see why your non citizen mother wouldn't be allowed to be there with you.

As far as being searched "interrogated" comes with the territory. Not much anyone can say that will change that.
 
If you’re a citizen you don’t need an address in the US. It’s your parents who technically do.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve spent out the country, as a citizen you can return any time. There will be no problem you going back for college, and because you are a citizen you will count as a domestic applicant (this gives you access to federal funding assistance etc, though your parents still need to provide financial info). You will want to do a lot of reading up on it, college applications in the US are generally far more complex than most other countries.
 
If you’re a citizen you don’t need an address in the US. It’s your parents who technically do.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve spent out the country, as a citizen you can return any time. There will be no problem you going back for college, and because you are a citizen you will count as a domestic applicant (this gives you access to federal funding assistance etc, though your parents still need to provide financial info). You will want to do a lot of reading up on it, college applications in the US are generally far more complex than most other countries.

I see, what if my parents don’t have an address in the US, because again, they’re not even citizens. Would that cause any issues in customs?

Say I’ve been accepted into college and I’m returning back to the US, but nor my parents and I have an address there, what would the procedure be?
 
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I see, what if my parents don’t have an address in the US, because again, they’re not even citizens. Would that cause any issues in customs?

Say I’ve been accepted into college and I’m returning back to the US, but nor my parents and I have an address there, what would the procedure be?

I’m somewhat confused by your first question. They must have some kind of address in the US when they come, yes? Relative, hotel, Airbnb? The address where you/they are staying on your visit is the address that is requested. What would cause issue at CBP is a suspicion that your parents would stay illegally, but given they have been a few times they clearly have solid ties back home so that isn’t an issue.

So I don’t really understand your second question either. If you are accepted into college, your address would be your college residence. What other address would you need to have? Your parents presumably would stay back home e$ept for visits so they wouldn’t need any kind of permanent address.
 
@SusieQQQ I'm assuming his concern is being hassled by customs. Searched /questioned.

I get searched and questioned all the time. At this point it doesn't even bother me. I know I'm not doing anything wrong so I let them do their jobs and I'm on my my Mery way.
 
@SusieQQQ I'm assuming his concern is being hassled by customs. Searched /questioned.

I get searched and questioned all the time. At this point it doesn't even bother me. I know I'm not doing anything wrong so I let them do their jobs and I'm on my my Mery way.

This comment seems irrelevant to my answer?
Unless they are sleeping on the street when they visit the US they have an address. It’s quite clear from the first post they get questioned, but they seem to think they need some sort of permanent US address which they don't.
 
I’m somewhat confused by your first question. They must have some kind of address in the US when they come, yes? Relative, hotel, Airbnb? The address where you/they are staying on your visit is the address that is requested. What would cause issue at CBP is a suspicion that your parents would stay illegally, but given they have been a few times they clearly have solid ties back home so that isn’t an issue.

So I don’t really understand your second question either. If you are accepted into college, your address would be your college residence. What other address would you need to have? Your parents presumably would stay back home e$ept for visits so they wouldn’t need any kind of permanent address.

Right, that kinda answered my questions, thank you!
 
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