After Your Child Enters the United States

All IR-3/IH-3, IR-4/IH-4 and IR-2 children are admitted as permanent resident aliens.

Depending on your child’s visa classification, we will mail to your child either a permanent resident card, known as a Green Card, or a Certificate of Citizenship.

A child who immigrates to the United States as the adopted child of a U.S. citizen automatically becomes a U.S. citizen if the adoption is full and final before the child’s 18th birthday, if the child is "lawfully admitted" as a permanent resident before his or her 18th birthday, and if he or she "is residing" in the United States in the citizen parent’s legal and physical custody before his or her 18th birthday.

Your child has not established residency and is therefore not a United States Citizen	Your child must actually be residing in the United States after entering with an immigrant visa to become a U.S. Citizen and to receive a Certificate of Citizenship. A visit to the United States before returning overseas does not count as residence. Intent to permanently reside in the United States is not enough to establish residence in the United States either during or between visits. If your child does not actually reside in the United States, then we will mail him or her a permanent resident card, known as a Green Card, rather than a Certificate of Citizenship. Your child must actually reside with a petitioning parent in the United States. If your child resides in the United States, but the original adoption was disrupted (before the child obtained U.S. citizenship), you generally must, as the new adoptive U.S. citizen parent(s), have adopted the child before age 16 (or 18 if the sibling exception applies) and have 2 years of legal custody of your child and have also jointly resided with your child for 2 years before you may file a Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship. You can find the filing fee for the Form N-600 by visiting our Fee Schedule, Form G-1055 page.

Your child has not established residency and is therefore not a United States Citizen

Your child must actually be residing in the United States after entering with an immigrant visa to become a U.S. Citizen and to receive a Certificate of Citizenship.
A visit to the United States before returning overseas does not count as residence.
Intent to permanently reside in the United States is not enough to establish residence in the United States either during or between visits.
If your child does not actually reside in the United States, then we will mail him or her a permanent resident card, known as a Green Card, rather than a Certificate of Citizenship.
Your child must actually reside with a petitioning parent in the United States.
If your child resides in the United States, but the original adoption was disrupted (before the child obtained U.S. citizenship), you generally must, as the new adoptive U.S. citizen parent(s), have adopted the child before age 16 (or 18 if the sibling exception applies) and have 2 years of legal custody of your child and have also jointly resided with your child for 2 years before you may file a Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship. You can find the filing fee for the Form N-600 by visiting our Fee Schedule, Form G-1055 page.

My Child's Certificate of Citizenship is Lost/Destroyed

You may choose to file a Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document, with fee. You can find the filing fee for Form N-565 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.
Instead of in addition, you may choose to obtain a U.S. passport for your child. Information about United States passports and when they are required may be found on the U.S. Department of State website: www.travel.state.gov.

Last Reviewed/Updated:

01/24/2025

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After Your Child Enters the United States

My Child's Certificate of Citizenship is Lost/Destroyed