רכישה מחוץ לנישואין בלידה בחו"ל (INA 309)

INA §309 = 8 USC §1409 governs whether and how a child born abroad and out of wedlock to a U.S.-citizen parent acquires citizenship at birth. The framework bifurcates by transmitting parent. A USC MOTHER transmits under §309(c) = 8 USC §1409(c): for out-of-wedlock births 24 Dec 1952 through 11 Jun 2017, the mother need only have been physically present in the U.S. (or outlying possessions) for a continuous period of one year at some point before the birth. A USC FATHER transmits under §309(a) = 8 USC §1409(a), which applies the §301 transmission requirements (including the §301(g) physical-presence test) AND four additional conditions designed to establish the parent-child bond. The provision exists because out-of-wedlock births historically raised proof-of-parentage and gender-equality questions that the in-wedlock §301 rule did not, and it remains among the most constitutionally contested descent provisions.

Good moral character is NOT an element of §309 acquisition; it is documented here only to prevent cross-route confusion. Citizenship acquired at birth by descent — even with the additional §309(a) parentage conditions for fathers — vests automatically and is not conditioned on good moral character, English/civics knowledge, an oath, or residence in the United States, all of which are NATURALIZATION requirements under INA §316 = 8 USC §1427 and §312 = 8 USC §1423 (US-NAT-01) that apply only to persons becoming citizens after birth. A §309 acquirer is a citizen from birth and cannot be denaturalized under §340 = 8 USC §1451 (which reaches only naturalized persons), though a fraudulently obtained CRBA or Certificate of Citizenship can be administratively cancelled — correcting the document without stripping a genuinely vested birth status.

The claimant proves §309 acquisition by a preponderance of the evidence (8 CFR §341.2). For a USC-MOTHER claim, the package establishes the mother's U.S. citizenship, the maternal parent-child relationship (the foreign birth certificate naming the mother, hospital/medical records), and her one year (pre-2017 births) or §301(g) quantum (post-2017 births) of physical presence. For a USC-FATHER claim, §309(a) demands MORE: clear-and-convincing evidence of the blood relationship (typically DNA testing where documentary proof is weak), proof the father was a U.S. national at birth, the written support agreement (or proof the father is deceased), AND proof of legitimation, a written sworn acknowledgment of paternity, or a court paternity adjudication completed before the child's 18th birthday. The legitimation/acknowledgment timing is jurisdictional — once the child turns 18 without it, the father can no longer transmit under §309(a). Note the asymmetry of standards: the blood relationship is clear-and-convincing, but the overall acquisition is preponderance.

The procedural tracks are: CONTEMPORANEOUS — the USC parent reports the out-of-wedlock birth at a U.S. embassy/consulate, submitting Form DS-2029 plus citizenship proof, parentage proof (DNA where needed for fathers), the §309(a) support/legitimation documents for fathers, and physical-presence evidence; the consular officer adjudicates and issues Form FS-240. RETROSPECTIVE — the claimant files Form N-600 with USCIS at any age (but note the §309(a) father-legitimation step must have been COMPLETED before the child turned 18, even if the N-600 is filed later); USCIS examines and issues a Certificate of Citizenship if the elements are met. A denied N-600 may be appealed to the AAO on Form I-290B, and a federal declaratory judgment of nationality lies under INA §360 = 8 USC §1503. There is no oath, residence, or naturalization step.

Government fees parallel US-DSC-01. The retrospective Form N-600 (Certificate of Citizenship) carries a USCIS filing fee of $1,385 for paper filing or $1,335 for online filing (the standard $50 online discount), effective 1 Apr 2024 under the USCIS 2024 Final Fee Rule (89 FR 6386, codified at 8 CFR §106.2; USCIS G-1055 schedule); no biometrics fee applies to N-600, and the fee is exempt for a current/former U.S. armed-forces member filing on their own behalf and for certain adopted children under INA §101(b)(1)(E)-(G). The contemporaneous CRBA is documented via Form DS-2029, which issues the FS-240 and carries a consular fee of $100 (a replacement or amended CRBA is $50), set by the DOS Schedule of Fees (22 CFR §22.1; travel.state.gov, updated 19 Mar 2026), as of 2026-06-01. The concurrent first minor passport (DS-11) carries, for a child under 16, a $100 application fee plus a $35 execution fee ($135 total); for an adult applicant aged 16+ the book is $130 application plus $35 execution ($165 total), with an optional $60 expedite fee, $22.05 for 1-3 day delivery, and a $150 file-search fee where applicable (22 CFR §22.1; travel.state.gov, as of 2026-06-01). The out-of-wedlock context can add private costs not set by the government — chiefly accredited DNA testing to satisfy the §309(a) clear-and-convincing blood-relationship standard for fathers, and any costs of obtaining a legitimation order. A §1503 federal action carries the standard civil filing fee plus litigation costs.

החוק המבצעי הוא INA §309, מתוכנן ב-8 USC §1409, נחקק עם INA 1952 (Pub. L. 82-414, 66 Stat. 238) ופועל כפי שתוקן באמצעות Pub. L. 119-21 (4 ביולי 2025). §309(a) = 8 USC §1409(a) קובע את תנאי USC-אב; §309(c) = 8 USC §1409(c) קובע את כלל USC-אם לשנה אחת. מבנה ארבעת התנאים הנוכחי של §309(א) נכתב מחדש על ידי Pub. L. 99-653 §13 (Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1986, 100 Stat. 3657), עם הוראת תאריך התוקף הוספה על ידי Pub. L. 100-525 §8(r) (1988): עדות ברורה ומשכנעת לקשר הדם; אזרחותו האמריקאית של האב בעת לידת הילד; הסכם בכתב (אלא אם נפטר) למתן תמיכה כספית עד גיל 18; ולגיטימציה, אישור כתוב בשבועה, או פסיקת אבהות בבית המשפט לפני גיל 18. §309 פועל בהתייחסות ל-§301 = 8 USC §1401, כך שקוונטום הנוכחות הפיזית של האב הוא הדמות §301(g) קבועה לעידן, ולא מספר §309 נפרד.

Review of an adverse §309 determination tracks the descent framework: a denied Form N-600 may be appealed to the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office on Form I-290B, and a person within the United States may bring a de novo declaratory-judgment action under INA §360 = 8 USC §1503(a) (cross-referenced to 28 USC §2201), subject to a 5-year limitations period from the final administrative denial; a person abroad proceeds under §1503(b)-(c). §309 cases have produced the country's leading citizenship-equality litigation — Miller (1998), Nguyen (2001), and Morales-Santana (2017) all reached the Supreme Court — so the constitutional dimension is unusually live. A claimant whose paternal claim failed only on the gender-differential physical-presence point for a pre-2017 birth should note Morales-Santana's prospective-only remedy: it does NOT retroactively validate pre-2017 paternal claims that failed the longer quantum. Where a child seeks to litigate a parent's equal-protection theory, the Miller jus tertii standing obstacle (per O'Connor/Kennedy) must be anticipated.

Several exceptions and limits operate. CONSTRUCTIVE PHYSICAL PRESENCE: the §301(g) physical-presence credit for the parent's honorable U.S. military, U.S.-government, or qualifying international-organization service abroad applies to §309 fathers (and post-2017 mothers) because §309 incorporates §301. DECEASED FATHER: the §309(a)(3) written-support-agreement condition is excused where the father has died, though the blood-relationship and pre-18 legitimation/acknowledgment conditions still apply. PRE-18 TIMING: the legitimation/acknowledgment/paternity-adjudication condition is a hard, jurisdictional deadline at the child's 18th birthday — there is no discretionary extension. NO LEVELING-DOWN: post-12-Jun-2017 unwed mothers cannot claim the old 1-year rule, because Morales-Santana leveled up; this 'exemption' was eliminated prospectively, a counter-intuitive but load-bearing point. There is NO equitable waiver of a genuine physical-presence shortfall — the §301(g) quantum imported by §309 is jurisdictional.