Dual and multiple citizenship is permitted under U.S. law. All U.S. citizens are required to enter and exit the United States using a valid U.S. passport. If you have questions about which passport to use to enter and exit another country, contact the immigration authorities of that country.
Please review ourPassport and Citizenship FAQsand ourVisiting the U.S. Embassypage for common questions about passports and visiting the U.S. Embassy London for an appointment.
How to claim U.S. citizenship and apply for your first U.S. passport
If you are 18 or over and you were born outside the United States, you may have a claim to U.S. citizenship if one or both of your parents was a U.S. citizen at the time of your birth.
A U.S. official can only determine citizenship as part of a formal application. We are unable to pre-assess applications or advise on the likelihood of issuance before that process. If you think you may have a claim, we encourage you to apply.
Click here to complete Form DS-11 online. After you have answered the questions, Form DS-11 will generate as a PDF file. You must print the form because it will not be submitted to us electronically. Do not sign the form until you are asked to sign it during your appointment.
Visittravel.state.gov for U.S. passport photograph requirements, including instructions, image size, and examples.
If your U.S. citizen parent is deceased, please assemble as many of the documents listed below as you can, together with your parent’s death certificate. The consular officer will advise you during your appointment if additional evidence is required.
1) Affidavit of parentage
Click here to download and print the Affidavit of Parentage (PDF, 4 pages, 518KB).
- If your U.S. citizen parent is in the United Kingdom, they should accompany you to your appointment at the Embassy to sign the affidavit under oath.
- If your U.S. citizen parent is in the United States, the affidavit can be signed before a notary public. Your parent should send the affidavit to you together with a notarized copy of the ID your parent showed to the notary.
- If your U.S. citizen parent is in another country, they can sign the affidavit under oath at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
2) Physical presence
Physical presence is the actual time your U.S. citizen parent was physically within the borders of the United States before your birth. Please double-check the transmission requirements on the Department of State’s website to see what evidence you need to provide and over what period of time.
Examples of physical presence may include:
- Education records or transcripts
- Employment records
- Expired passports with evidence of travel to the United States
Other proof may be accepted depending on the circ*mstances of your case. Please bring as much documentation as you have. You can discuss this with the consular officer during your appointment
3) Evidence of parentage
Credible and substantial evidence of the blood relationship between yourself and your U.S. parent(s) is required in the form of a birth certificate.
4) Evidence of your parent(s) U.S. citizenship when you were born
Such as a U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), Certificate of Citizenship or Certificate of Naturalization
5) Evidence of your parents’ marriage (if applicable)
If your parents are or were married to each other at the time of your birth, their civil/legal marriage certificate will be required. If your parents are no longer married, we will also require evidence of the termination of the marriage, such as a divorce certificate or death certificate.
6) Evidence of your parents’ change of names (if applicable)
If your parents have ever changed their names since your birth, provide the relevant documentation (such as marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or change of name deed).
- Form DS-11
- Your U.S. passport photograph
- Evidence from your U.S. citizen parent
- A pre-paid (up to 500g) self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope for your documents to be mailed to you once processing of your application is complete. Alternatively, you can arrange for your passport returned to you after processing, by the courier service, DX. Information on this service can be found at https://www.dxdelivery.com/consumer/dx-services-for-us-embassy#book-service
- Your birth certificate. The long form birth certificate including your parents’ information is required. The short form UK birth certificate that shows only the child’s details is not sufficient.
- Your identifying documents. Please provide all current and expired foreign passports that you have.
- Evidence of name change (if applicable). If you have ever changed your name since birth, provide the relevant documentation (such as marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or change of name deed).
Additional documentation may be requested depending on the circ*mstances of the case. You will be advised during your appointment if additional evidence is required.
Certificates must either be the originals or certified copies provided by the certificate issuing authority. Click here to find out how to obtain certified copies to replace missing documents. Your original documents will be returned to you during the appointment.
If any documents are not in English, you must bring a translation supplied by an official translator as well as the original document in the original language.
When scheduling the appointment you should make a written note of the following:
- The appointment confirmation number generated.
- The date and time for your appointment. You will not receive email confirmation of the appointment date.
- Theappointment password. You will require the password if you need to cancel the appointment. No record of your password is kept at the Embassy.
You are not required to present a printout of the confirmation sheet on the day of the appointment as your name will be on the access list for that day, although you may wish to keep a copy for your records. Please ensure that you arrive at the Embassy/Consulate at the appointed time, otherwise we may be required to cancel your appointment.
Please click here to book an appointmentto take place at U.S. Embassy London.
At U.S. Embassy London we aim to be open and accessible to all visitors. If you require additional assistance or accessibility accommodations when attending your appointment, please complete the Access London Passport & Citizenship contact formhere. We endeavor to respond to all enquires within 48 hours.
Please Note:The Access London contact formis for passport and citizenship appointments. For visa services please consult the U.S. Embassy Londonwebsite.
If there are no appointments available when you first check the booking system, please keep checking.New appointments are regularly added, including appointments made available from daily cancellations.These appointments can only be booked through the online calendar, not by email or telephone, which is why it is important to keep checking the calendar.
If you reach five working days before your booked, urgent overseas travel date and you have been unable to book an appointment despite checking the online calendar regularly, you canclick here to request an emergency appointment.Please include the following information in your request:
- The full name of each applicant, and the passport or citizenship service they require.
- The date, time, and point of departure of the overseas travel.
Pleaseclick here to book an appointment to take place at U.S. Consulate General Belfast.
If you are unable to book an appointment at least 3 weeks prior to your travel date, please emailacsbelfast@state.govexplaining your circ*mstances for advice.If you need to apply for a passport and you have imminent confirmed travel (within the next three weeks), please emailacsbelfast@state.govexplaining your circ*mstances for advice.
Please click here to book an appointment at the U.S. Consulate General Edinburgh. Processing time for a full validity passport is approximately 3 weeks from the time of your appointment or the time we haveall of the required documentation (whichever is latest).
How much to pay.
$165 (for applicants aged 16 and over). There is an additional fee of $30 if also applying for a Passport Card.
Acceptable payment methods:
- Pay online before your scheduled appointment using theU.S. government’s secure payment site. Paying online will reduce the wait time during your appointment. If you are paying online, you must print your payment confirmation page (which shows the transaction details) and bring it to your appointment. Click here to pay online.
Alternatively pay in-person at your appointment by:
- Credit/Debit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) – card transactions are in U.S. dollars, and you may be subject to additional fees applied by your payment card provider. The cardholder must be present at the time of payment.
- Cash (in U.S. dollars or pounds sterling)
Contactless/Apple Pay methods are not accepted.
Please note that there is no expedited service outside the United States. The option to pay by cash applies to in-person applications at the U.S. Embassy, London and U.S. Consulate General, Belfast. U.S. Consulate General, Edinburgh cannot accept cash payments.
The average timeframe is approximately three weeks. This estimate is for guidance only as some cases can take longer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I was born in the UK and I am now in the United States
Click here to find out how to apply for a U.S. passport for your child in the United States. Your claim to citizenship will be adjudicated as part of the passport application process.
I was born in the UK and I am now in another country
Visit the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate to find out how to apply for your first U.S. passport in that country.
The Embassy does not keep copies of CRBA certificates or passport applications on file.
If you believe that a CRBA may have been issued, you may apply for a copy of a CRBA certificate through the Department of State in the United States. Click here to find out how.Information about how to apply for copies of U.S. passport records can also be found through the Department of State’s website.
If you wish to live in the United States indefinitely or permanently, click here to find out if you may be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa.
Individuals with a valid immigrant visa are admitted to the United States as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) and given the forms necessary to apply for a Permanent Resident Card (‘Green Card’). LPRs can apply to naturalize as a U.S. citizen after fulfilling a residency requirement.
All U.S. citizens are required to enter and exit the U.S. using a valid U.S. passport. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you resolve your claim to citizenship before you next travel to the United States.
