Wife has kid in Japan, but I am a US Citizen. Can my child easily get US Citizenship?

[Trymester3 6]

Hello,

My wife is not even pregnant yet, but I would like to plan ahead. I am a born US Citizen, my wife is currently a US Green Card holder. She is still a Japanese citizen though.

Since she is the one that will have to go through the pregnancy, I am willing to have our child born in Japan if she'd like. It'll be easier on her.

Will it be easy to afterwards get my child US Citizenship even if we don't travel back to the US any time soon?

I don't think Japan and the USA offer dual citizenship.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Boiler 46,109]

There are residency requirements, for you to pass on Citizenship, but assuming you have mainly lived your life in the US then you would file a CRBA, Citizenship would derive through you.

No idea about Japan, would imagine it is similar.

[JimmyHou 611]

Hello,

My wife is not even pregnant yet, but I would like to plan ahead. I am a born US Citizen, my wife is currently a US Green Card holder. She is still a Japanese citizen though.

Since she is the one that will have to go through the pregnancy, I am willing to have our child born in Japan if she'd like. It'll be easier on her.

Will it be easy to afterwards get my child US Citizenship even if we don't travel back to the US any time soon?

I don't think Japan and the USA offer dual citizenship.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

You can pass on citizenship to your child under certain conditions. Mainly, if you've lived in the US for more than 5 years (2 of which were after you turned 14).

Details here:

http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-parents

The U.S. doesn't care if the child has Japanese citizenship, but Japan will require the child to renounce one of the two before turning 22.

http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/information/tcon-01.html

Please double-check this information for yourself by contacting the Japanese embassy.