08 May The Royal Birth & US Citizenship
Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meaghan on the birth of their son! Meghan, assuming she hasn’t renounced her US citizenship, may be able to transfer citizenship to her son. Under US citizenship rules, since Meghan has lived in the US for at least five continuous years, two of which after the age of 14, any children she has outside the US while she is a US citizen will automatically be US citizens upon birth. To register the birth of the new royal baby as a US citizen, the couple would have to appear before a US Consular Officer to provide evidence that Meghan is a US citizen and that she has lived in the US for the requisite period of time. The purpose of the registration is to notify the US government of the birth of the US citizen and apply for a US passport. Even if the child is not registered as a US citizen, the child will still be considered a US citizen for US tax purposes.
Harry and Meghan’s son will remain a US citizen until he reaches an age where he can renounce his US citizenship. Under the rules to renounce US citizenship, a person must appear at a US embassy or consulate for an interview to demonstrate that he or she is renouncing of their own free will, are not being coerced and that they have another citizenship to fall back on so they would not be rendered stateless upon renouncing US citizenship.
US Visa Solutions assists many clients with US citizenship issues including the transmission of US citizenship to children born outside the US and those who wish to renounce their US citizenship.