This article is about laws for acquiring U.S. nationality. For rights and privileges of citizenship, see Citizenship of the United States.
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Legislation
United States nationality law
History
Colonial nationality law
Naturalization Act of 1790
Civil Rights Act of 1866
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
Indian Citizenship Act
Nationality Act of 1940
Relevant legislation
Citizenship Clause
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 / 1965
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Immigration Act of 1990
Child Citizenship Act of 2000
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Physicist Albert Einstein receiving his Certificate of Naturalization from Judge Phillip Forman in 1940[1]
United States nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds United States nationality. In the United States, nationality is typically obtained through provisions in the U.S. Constitution, various laws, and international agreements. Citizenship is established as a right under the Constitution, not as a privilege, for those born in the United States under its jurisdiction and those who have been "naturalized".[2] While domestic documents often use the words citizenship and nationality interchangeably, nationality is a broader term that refers to national identity and formal membership in a nation, while citizen is reserved to nationals who are have the recognized status of citizenship.
Individuals born in any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia or almost any inhabited territory are United States citizens by birthright. The sole exception is American Samoa, where individuals are typically non-citizen U.S. nationals at birth. Foreign nationals living in any state or qualified territory may naturalize after becoming permanent residents and meeting a residence requirement (normally five years).
^Laskow 2017.
^The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside".
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