The Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561) is a document issued by the U.S. government as proof of U.S. citizenship. Only individuals who obtained U.S. citizenship either by action of law while residing in the United States or by having been born outside of the United States to U.S. citizen parents may apply for a U.S. Certificate of Citizenship. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows certain foreign-born, biological and adopted children of American citizens to acquire American citizenship automatically.
[Last updated in December of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]