Alex

The US immigration Regulations require that a person holding duale/multiple
citizenships identifiy himself as a US citizen when entering the US. My wife,
children, and myself are Canadian citizens. Our children were born in the US. Would
it be OK if we present our children's Canadian citizenship certificates (or their
Canadian passports) together with their US birth certificates when entering the US?
The children are 2 and 5 yeras old.

Thanks.

Mark Carroll

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There might indeed be an exception for if they're coming in from Canada, given that
US citizens can visit Canada without a passport at all - I'd be interested to find
out. But, if you're talking about entering the US from Asia or Europe or something,
the regulations require a US passport.

-- Mark

Kev In Atlanta

You are right in the canada does not really care about the children but the parents
should have a certificate of birth showing that the children are theirs. If they are
step children you should possess your Court Order of Custody. Otherwise they may give
you trouble at the border. I know people this hasd happened to

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[usenetquote2]>>The US immigration Regulations require that a person holding duale/multiple[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]>>citizenships identifiy himself as a US citizen when entering the US. My wife,[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]>>children, and myself are Canadian citizens. Our children were born in the US. Would[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]>>it be OK if we present our children's Canadian citizenship certificates (or their[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]>>Canadian passports) together with their US birth certificates when entering the US?[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]>>The children are 2 and 5 yeras old.[/usenetquote2]
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"

Even their Canadian passports show birth in the U.S. So if entering from Canada just
claim U.S. and show the passport. Always take both passport and birth certificates
with you but do not keep then in the same bag. Most birth certificates also show the
place of birth of the parents which can back up a claim for you if passports are lost
on a trip.

Rich Wales

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On the other hand, US border officials are likely to get confused (at least
temporarily) if the original poster tries to prove his kids' US citizenship by
showing their Canadian passports.

I'd suggest showing the kids' birth certificates at the border. Have their Canadian
passports or citizenship cards ready, but don't show them unless specifically asked
to (e.g., as photo ID's to establish that the kids really are the people named in the
birth certificates).

Also, when entering the US, say that the kids are "US citizens" -- not Canadian or
"dual" citizens. Mention their Canadian citizenship only if, for some reason, US
border officials explicitly ask about their legal status in Canada. If someone has
both US and some other citizenship, all that really matters to US border officials is
that the person is a US citizen; any additional citizenship is irrelevant for
purposes of determining eligibility to enter the US.

Rich Wales [email protected] http://www.webcom.com/richw/dualcit/
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant,
or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and
are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice.

Stephen Gallagher

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Are you talking about entering the US from Canada or from further abroad?

If entering the US from Canada, you should be able to simply show their US birth
certificates. Adults who have a birth certificate are usually asked to present
additional photo ID as proof that the certficiate is really theirs. But most children
don't have any photo ID. In this case, just present their US birth certificate, and
if the INS officer wants proof that the child really is the child on the certificate
you can show the Canadian passport for photo ID purposes. Dual citizenship is
permitted but for entry purposes to the US, the fact that they are also Canadian is
immaterial.

If coming in from further abroad, then they would need US passports. There is an
exception where the US would allow a child coming from further abroad to present a US
birth certificate if the child was listed in a parent's foreign passport (note, they
can't do this if they have their own foreign passport, only if they are listed in a
parent's foreign passport.).

Stephen

Stephen Gallagher

"?" <[email protected]>
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I doubt that the INS would accept a non-US passport listing a US birthplace as proof
that the child is also a US citizen. They would want a document issued by a US
government agency.

Stephen Gallagher