If you meet certain requirements, you may become a U.S. citizen either at birth or after birth.

To become a citizen at birth, you must:

• Have been born in the United States or certain territories or outlying possessions of the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States; OR
• had a parent or parents who were citizens at the time of your birth (if you wereborn abroad) and meet other requirements

To become a citizen after birth, you must:

• Apply for “derived” or “acquired” citizenship through parents
• Apply for naturalization