Minor acquired Citizenship through Parents Naturalization

[harikuma48]

Hello,

I am a parent of a minor Kid (age 15), My wife and I got citizenship through Naturalization. He is eligible for the Passport through derived citizenship through his parents.

Can you let me know if it's mandatory to apply for N-600 or can we directly go with his Passport?

Also, will it cause any issue if we go with both Passport and file for N-600?

Any suggestion is appreciated.

[Enub4]

From what I read, is not mandatory to apply for N-600 for minors and they can get the US Passport directly. An unexpired US Passport is enough proof of citizenship.

Some people do like to have a certificate for their children and also get the certificate and not just the passport.

[harikuma48]

From what I read, is not mandatory to apply for N-600 for minors and they can get the US Passport directly. An unexpired US Passport is enough proof of citizenship.

Some people do like to have a certificate for their children and also get the Certificate and not just the passport.

Thanks So much for the response. What're the advantages of having a Certificate of citizenship for Mindor kid? if the state is allowing to have a passport without going through the Certificate? Can we apply both of them in parallel?

[Enub4]

I guess some people want to have an extra document to easily prove citizenship. Others see the certificate as expensive and not needed.
Sorry, I don't have experience with N-600 so I don't know if it is possible to get both in parallel. Reading the N-600 instructions it asks for "Proof of U.S. Citizenship" and it doesn't say "Copy", so I don't know if you need to send your Certificates in original for N-600 and those are required too (the originals) for passport the first time.

[ST2022]

As someone who has applied for N-600 for our eldest I can recommend the advantages. The choice to apply is yours to make :

- N600 is direct proof that US immigration authorities have confirmed your citizenship (child's in this case).
- Unlike a US passport, there is no expiration date on a Certificate of Citizenship (N-600 gets you this certificate).
- Having this N600 completed prepares your child to NOT have to prove the derived way of how he/she got her Citizenship.
-- comes handy when the kid pursues higher studies and constantly has to prove being. citizen. photocopy of this one certificate is all that is needed.


** in this journey , should you apply/reissue for OCI card later in life (this document for the child will be needed). having the Certificate of Citizenship will prove very valuable.

Thanks & best regards

[harikuma48]

As someone who has applied for N-600 for our eldest I can recommend the advantages. The choice to apply is yours to make :

- N600 is direct proof that US immigration authorities have confirmed your citizenship (child's in this case).
- Unlike a US passport, there is no expiration date on a Certificate of Citizenship (N-600 gets you this certificate).
- Having this N600 completed prepares your child to NOT have to prove the derived way of how he/she got her Citizenship.
-- comes handy when the kid pursues higher studies and constantly has to prove being. citizen. photocopy of this one certificate is all that is needed.


** in this journey , should you apply/reissue for OCI card later in life (this document for the child will be needed). having the Certificate of Citizenship will prove very valuable.

Thanks & best regards

Thanks for the response, this is helpful. Can you apply both in parallel? I have an appointment for the passport in the next two weeks and thinking of applying passport and the same time can I apply for N-600? How did you do in your case?

[ST2022]

Here is how we handled it :
- once parents get naturalized and get the docs.
- get SSN records updated
- apply for US Passports for all (kids as well)
In our case we got passport book/card as well. They can be used as independent documents to prove citizenship. The US passport card is easy to carry, substitutes for REAL ID document now needed for air travel. My daughter uses her US passport card for US travel thru TSA as our state lags behind in converting DL to REAL ID .
- once you get US passport surrender/renunciation your Indian ppt ( if Indian citizen and wish to get OCI).
- apply for N-600 at the end. In our case we applied and got the certificate of citizenship in 3 months- but reading some forum sites it is now taking up to 13 months.

The N-600 is costly, takes time but in our case we did not want to just bank on a US passport which has expiration date and one can forget to renew/get lost or damaged. The certificate of citizenship is one document that proves the final status as determined by USCiS.

[harikuma48]

Here is how we handled it :
- once parents get naturalized and get the docs.
- get SSN records updated
- apply for US Passports for all (kids as well)
In our case we got passport book/card as well. They can be used as independent documents to prove citizenship. The US passport card is easy to carry, substitutes for REAL ID document now needed for air travel. My daughter uses her US passport card for US travel thru TSA as our state lags behind in converting DL to REAL ID .
- once you get US passport surrender/renunciation your Indian ppt ( if Indian citizen and wish to get OCI).
- apply for N-600 at the end. In our case we applied and got the certificate of citizenship in 3 months- but reading some forum sites it is now taking up to 13 months.

The N-600 is costly, takes time but in our case we did not want to just bank on a US passport which has expiration date and one can forget to renew/get lost or damaged. The certificate of citizenship is one document that proves the final status as determined by USCiS.

Thanks this is helpful, did you do recently?
Did you fill N-600 form yourself or through Attorney?

[ST2022]

Naturalized back in 2011, and filled N600 on my own.
I don’t think a lawyer is needed.

[SouthBay2019]

Here is how we handled it :
- once parents get naturalized and get the docs.
- get SSN records updated
- apply for US Passports for all (kids as well)
In our case we got passport book/card as well. They can be used as independent documents to prove citizenship. The US passport card is easy to carry, substitutes for REAL ID document now needed for air travel. My daughter uses her US passport card for US travel thru TSA as our state lags behind in converting DL to REAL ID .
- once you get US passport surrender/renunciation your Indian ppt ( if Indian citizen and wish to get OCI).
- apply for N-600 at the end. In our case we applied and got the certificate of citizenship in 3 months- but reading some forum sites it is now taking up to 13 months.

The N-600 is costly, takes time but in our case we did not want to just bank on a US passport which has expiration date and one can forget to renew/get lost or damaged. The certificate of citizenship is one document that proves the final status as determined by USCiS.

I agree with everything ST2022 indicated above. I read the following benefits of why one should get certificate of citizenship for children:

It can be essential for certain purposes such as a federal security clearance or petitioning an alien for an immigration benefit.

[newacct]

I agree with everything ST2022 indicated above. I read the following benefits of why one should get certificate of citizenship for children:

It can be essential for certain purposes such as a federal security clearance or petitioning an alien for an immigration benefit.

A US passport works for petitioning a relative to immigrate.

[ST2022]

Sharing this from the USCIS website.




Filing

I already have a U.S. passport issued by the Department of State. Am I required to file a Form N-600 for a Certificate of Citizenship?


No. You are not required to file a Form N-600 for a Certificate of Citizenship. The Certificate of Citizenship is an optional form. A validly issued U.S. passport generally serves as evidence of your U.S. citizenship during its period of validity unless that passport has been revoked by the Department of State. However, you may be required to submit your Certificate of Citizenship when attempting to apply for certain other benefits, including, but not limited to:

• Social Security benefits
• State issued ID including a Driver’s License or Learning Permit
• Financial Aid
• Employment
• Passport Renewal

[harikuma48]

Thanks for all the responses. We got the US passports (including for my minor kid). I will apply for the N 600 form for my minor. Any suggestions or things to care about while filling N600?

@ST2022, do you think we should renunciation Indian citizenship first and then apply N600 for minor?

[ST2022]

harikuma48, with having acquired US passports getting the renunciation/surrender certificate taken care next would make sense. It will pave way for OCI which needs this renunciation to be done first.

Dealing with VFS/consulates takes time and patience and the process often changes with little warning.


N-600 can be done last, and you submit directly. Don’t recall the details but form is straightforward. This document is for the long haul.

[harikuma48]

@ST2022 Thanks so much.