N-600K Form, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322

The N-600K form is an application for citizenship for children of U.S. citizens who are living outside the United States. The form is used to establish the child’s claim to U.S. citizenship and to obtain a Certificate of Citizenship and is filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

The child must be under 18 years of age and must have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, either by birth or naturalization. The child must also be primarily residing outside of the United States in the legal and physical custody of the citizen parent. If the child meets these requirements, the USCIS will adjudicate the form and, if approved, issue a Certificate of Citizenship. The N-600K form is available on the USCIS website or by contacting USCIS directly.

Getting Started: Required Documents and Evidence

Required Documents

• On Form N-600K, the parents must provide two passport-style photographs of the child.
• The child’s birth certificate or record must be submitted with Form N-600K. If the child was born outside of the United States, a foreign birth certificate must be submitted with an English translation.
• The U.S. citizen parent must submit a copy of his or her birth certificate or record. If the U.S. citizen parent was born abroad, he or she must submit an original or certified copy of his or her foreign birth certificate, as well as an English translation.
• The parents must have met the required time of physical presence in the United States and provide proof. If the parent does not meet the requirement, the child’s grandparents can be substituted if they meet the requirements.
• A U.S. citizen parent or grandparent must submit proof of U.S. citizenship. This can be done by providing a copy of a U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization, or Certificate of Citizenship.

Additional Documents Required If Applicable:

• If you are a U.S. citizen parent, you must provide your marriage certificate(s) to show that you are married.
• Provide evidence that the U.S. citizen parent terminated any prior marriage(s).
• If applying based on the U.S. citizenship of the father and the child was born out of wedlock, you must submit proof of legitimation.
• Provide proof of legal guardianship of the applicant.
• If the child was adopted or the parents were divorced, provide proof of legal custody.
• Provide proof of the child residing in the physical custody of the U.S. parent(s).
• Provide I-600 or I-800 approval notice and all supporting documentation must be submitted, or evidence that the U.S. parent has completed the two-year custody and joint residence requirement.
• If relevant, provide a copy of the full, final adoption decree.
• If relevant, provide any legal name changes and evidence.

If for any reason you aren’t able to provide the evidence or documents that are requested, you will need to include any secondary evidence you have. Alternatively, you’ll need to provide a written explanation for why you don’t have the required documentation.

Am I Eligible To Gain U.S. Citizenship Through Form N-600K?

The eligibility requirements for form N-600K can be complicated. Requirements vary based on whether your parents lived in an outlying possession or a U.S. territory. Additionally, the death of a U.S. citizen parent could complicate the process.  This list will give you a good idea of what is required for the form, but sometimes talking to an immigration attorney can help make things more clear.

Requirements for N-600K Eligibility

• To be eligible to file Form N-600K, you must be the child of a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization. This includes having an adoptive parent who is a U.S. citizen.
• You must be under the age of 18.
• You are a lawful permanent resident of a country outside of the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent, or, if the U.S. citizen parent is deceased, in the legal and physical custody of a person who does not object to the application.
• You are able to be present in the United States in accordance with lawful admission and you maintain that lawful status during the application process.
• You have either parents or grandparents that are U.S. citizens:
  • Option 1, Parents: To be eligible for Form N-600K, your U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States, American Samoa, or Swains Island for no less than five years (at least two of which were after their 14th birthday).
  • Option 2, Grandparents: To be eligible for a Certificate of Citizenship on the basis of a U.S. citizen grandparent, the child must have a U.S. citizen grandparent who was physically present in the United States for a period or for multiple periods totaling no less than five years (at least two of which were after their 14th birthday).

Children Born Out of Wedlock, Adopted, or Orphaned

If you were born out of wedlock and are seeking citizenship through your U.S. citizen father, you must be legitimated in the United States or abroad under the law of your residence or domicile or the law of your father’s residence or domicile. You must be n the legal custody of your father at the time of such legitimation and legitimated before your 16th birthday. 

If you were adopted or are an orphan, your adoptive parent(s) must have had legal custody of you for at least two years and you must have resided with the adoptive parents for at least two years. Orphaned children must be the beneficiary of an approved I-600 Form.

Filing Fee

The filing fee for Form N-600K is $1,170. You may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, or cashier’s check. When filing at a USCIS lockbox, you may also pay by credit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Keep in mind when filing that these fees are non-refundable just like biometric fees. You can calculate your fees with this calculator on the USCIS website.

Steps To Complete Form N-600K

When completing Form N-600K, be sure to answer all of the questions accurately and completely. Although the steps are fairly straightforward, we have provided some additional guidelines to assist you with your application process:

Part 1: 

First, you’ll provide information about your eligibility by categorizing whether you have a biological parent who is a U.S. citizen, if you are adopted, or if you are the grandchild of a U.S. citizen grandparent. You’ll also input the  “A-Number,” which would be the alien registration number on the applicant’s green card (if they have one).

Part 2:

This section is the basic information about you, including your aliases, social security number, USCIS online account number, birth date, and birth country.  If you don’t have a social security number, that section may be left blank. 

If you are not the beneficiary of an approved I-600 Petition to classify yourself as an immediate relative of a deceased parent, you must be able to provide proof that your U.S. citizen parent had two years of legal and physical custody of you. Finally, make sure to leave question 14 blank. It will be completed by the USCIS officer during the interview. 

Part 3:

This section is for basic information about the biological or adoptive parent who is a U.S. citizen including name, social security number, address, birth date, naturalization information, and marital history.  

Part 4:

This section is only completed if the applicant applying for citizenship for the child is a grandparent and the U.S. citizen parent has not been in the United States for five years. 

Part 5:

In this section, you’ll provide information about the physical presence requirement being met by the parent.

Part 6:

This section asks for information about the legal guardian of the applicant. This section cannot be left blank unless the U.S. parent(s) is deceased.

Part 7:

Here, you will Inform USCIS as to which filing office you will conduct your interview. It will take 90 days for USCIS to schedule the interview, so make sure to send your application at least 90 days before the applicant turns 18. 

Part 8 -10 

The final sections are for the applicant’s signature, information about interpreters and their signature (if relevant), and any preparers who helped with the application and their signature
(if relevant). 

Part 11:

This section is where you can provide additional information that did not fit in other sections of the form. 

Part 12 -13:

Leave these sections blank until your interview when you and the immigration officer will sign and issue a certificate of citizenship. 

Contact an Immigration Attorney Today

Filing for N-600K can be expensive, and you will want to get it right the first time, especially if the applicant is nearing the age of 18. Our 70 years of combined experience have helped many parents gain citizenship for their children. A caring Chicago immigration lawyer at Scott D. Pollock & Associates P.C. is here to help you gain citizenship through Form N-600k. Contact us at 312.444.1940 or through our online contact form today.