How to Get US Citizenship for a Foreign Adoptee

US citizenship entitles a person to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Becoming a citizen of the United States--if you aren't born in the country--requires that the person follow a strict, legal process. Learn how to legally gain US citizenship for a foreign adoptee.

Instructions

1. Understand that US citizenship for a foreign adoptee is granted in two basic ways and depends on the circumstances of the adoption, the age of the adoptee and the citizenship of the adoptive parents.

2. Finalize the legal adoption in the country of the adoptee. If the adoption is finalized for foreign-born child in the country of his birth, you are issued an IR-3 ("immediate relative") visa. The child is automatically granted US citizenship when he enters the country. Forty-five days after the child enters the US, a Certificate of Citizenship--legal documentation of his status as a US citizen--is mailed to the permanent residence.

3. Readopt the child in the United States. An adoptee whose adoption is not finalized in his country of birth is issued an IR-4 visa. The parents must legally adopt the child in the US for the adoptee to gain legal citizenship. Once the adoption is finalized, the child is granted US citizenship.

Tips & Warnings

• A Certificate of Citizenship to prove the adoptee's status as a legal US citizen is not automatically sent to those who received an IR-4 visa. Recipients of this visa must formally apply for the certificate and file a USCIS Form N-600 and any other required documents.

Resources

• The Adoption.com website offers downloadable documents.