There are two paths for children of service members stationed abroad to become U.S. citizens, and which one applies depends on one thing: whether the child is already a lawful permanent resident.

If the child has a green card

Under INA §320, children of U.S. armed forces members or government employees stationed abroad can acquire citizenship automatically, without requiring physical presence in the United States.

The conditions: the child is under 18, at least one parent is a U.S. citizen, the child holds LPR status, and the child is living abroad in the legal and physical custody of the service member or their accompanying U.S. citizen spouse, pursuant to official orders.

Citizenship is acquired automatically when those conditions are met. No formal naturalization process. To prove it, the parent applies for a U.S. passport directly or files Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship.

If the child doesn't have a green card

INA §322 covers this. The child can be naturalized abroad without ever traveling to the U.S., provided the parent is an active member of the Armed Forces and meets the following requirements.

Key requirements: the child must be under 18 and unmarried, residing abroad in the legal and physical custody of a U.S. citizen parent, and the parent must generally have 5 years of physical presence in the U.S., with at least 2 of those years after age 14. But time spent abroad on official military orders counts toward that physical presence requirement. The standard requirement that a child be lawfully admitted to the U.S. is waived. The child doesn't need to be an LPR to qualify.

The filing is Form N-600K. Include a cover letter flagging "322(d): Child of Military Member Overseas." Supporting docs include the child's birth certificate, proof of the parent's citizenship, two passport photos, and military orders such as PCS orders or a DEERS Enrollment Form DD-1172, showing the child is authorized to accompany the service member.

The entire process, including the oath of allegiance, can be completed overseas. No one has to travel back to the States.

If you're a service member stationed abroad and your child isn't yet a U.S. citizen, this is worth looking at now and not after PCS orders change everything again.

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