Apply for a birth certificate for a child born in the United States through your state's department of health. Visit the website, download, complete and print the Birth Certificate Application Form. Sign and notarize the form, then send it to the state department of health through mail or fax. Attach the applicable fee to the application form. Allow 4-6 weeks for processing of the birth certificate. Use this as one form of certifying U.S. citizenship.
Obtain a Consular Registration of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for a child born outside the United States. Register the birth of a child born to U.S. parents at the U.S. consulate in the country you are in. Register this birth before the child reaches 18 years to certify that the child has acquired U.S. citizenship through birth. The CRBA can be used to certify citizenship.
Acquire a Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600) as proof of U.S. citizenship if you were born to parents with U.S. citizenship. Download the form from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website and fill it in by following the instructions provided. Submit the form to the USCIS local office with a filing fee of $600. Present citizenship evidence, such as your parents' birth certificates, marriage certificates and naturalization certificates if you were born outside the U.S. Use the certificate of citizenship to certify U.S. citizenship.
File for naturalization so you may obtain the naturalization certificate if you were born in the United States or have lived there for at least 10 years. Download Form N-400 from the USCIS website and follow the instructions for filling it out. Use the various addresses issued by USCIS to submit your form with the filing fee of $680. Receive your naturalization certificate during the naturalization ceremony the USCIS will invite you to. Use this document to certify your U.S. citizenship.
Apply for a U.S. passport if you are a U.S. citizen by birth or through naturalization. Download the form DS-11 from the U.S. Department of State website (travel.state.gov). Fill it in and submit it with evidence of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or a certificate of naturalization and citizenship. Provide identification documents, such as a valid driver's license. Include a passport photo and the applicable fee. Consult the website travel.state.gov to find your state's passport acceptance agency. Use your passport to certify U.S. citizenship.