But what if you were born abroad to U.S. citizen parents? You probably are a U.S. citizen, but you need to get some paperwork to prove this. Or what if you were born abroad and only one of your parents was a U.S. citizen at the time? That’s a little trickier. How do you determine if you “acquired” U.S. citizenship at birth through a parent, or if you “derived” U.S. citizenship as a minor through your parent(s)? Fortunately, if you are willing to spend some time researching these issues, you can save yourself a bundle in attorneys fees. Below are four charts that attorneys use to assist them in such cases. These charts are difficult to find on the USCIS website, but we replicate them here so that you can use them to start your research.
