American Citizens Services Unit

The completed forms and the following documentation need to be submitted to the American Citizens Services Unit of the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo in order to determine if your application complies with all legal requirements:

1. Applicant's original foreign (in this case Dominican) legalized and in-extensa birth certificate.
   
   Dominican birth certificates come in various formats: a half-sheet used for enrolling in school, an abstract (Extracto de Acta) of just the major points of information, and the complete, full-length format (Acta in Extensa).  Only birth certificates in extensa will be accepted.

2. Copy of Baptismal certificate.

3. Copy of the parents’ legalized Dominican, official U.S. or other marriage certificate for current marriage (if applicable).  Bring originals to interview.

4. Documentary evidence of termination of any previous marriages of either parent (e.g. divorce decree, death certificate, etc.), if applicable.

5. Copy of the applicant’s legalized Dominican or other marriage certificate for current marriage (if applicable).  Bring originals to interview.

6. Documentary evidence of termination of any previous marriages of applicant (e.g. divorce decree, death certificate, etc.), if applicable.

DOMINICAN CIVIL DOCUMENTS:  In the Dominican Republic, birth, marriage, divorce and death records are obtained from the local registry office (Oficialia del Registro Civil) closest to the place where the event took place.  However, such documents must be brought to the central registry office (Oficina Central del Registro Civil) at the electoral commission (Junta Central Electoral) in Santo Domingo to be legalized by verifying them against the duplicate records kept there.  Only legalized Dominican civil documents—signed, stamped and sealed on both sides—will be accepted.

7. Proof of parent's or parents' U.S. citizenship (e.g. certified copy of U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, etc.)

8. Proof of parents’ (in case they are both U.S. citizens) or parent’s identity: Photo ID (drivers license, state ID, etc).  In case U.S. citizen parents or parent are/is deceased, must bring the official death certificate/s.

9. Any other original document from the United States, Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic establishing the identity of the applicant and its relationship with his/her American citizen father/mother.

10. Proof of applicant’s identity: Dominican cedula.  

11. Certificate from the Electoral Central Office (Junta Central Electoral) indicating the date in which applicant obtained his/her Dominican ID (Cedula) for the first time.

12. Certificate from the office of Dominican Immigration Authorities (Migración Dominicana) indicating the date of arrival to the Dominican Republic of the American citizen father/mother.

13.  A completed but unsigned Citizenship Questionnaire
    
    **This form contains 3 pages and is available for printing only and to be typed or completed by hand.

14. A completed but unsigned Supplemental Application Statement.
    
    **This form is available for printing only and to be typed or completed by hand.

15. Application form DSP-11 completely filled out (typed or handwritten using black or blue ink) but unsigned.  You can print the form directly from the Internet and have it ready at the time of going to the Consular Section.

16. Two 2” by 2” (5 cm x 5 cm) color photos (front view, full face and plain white or off-white background).

17. Fees:  Persons over 18 years of age who are documented for the first time as having previously acquired U.S. citizenship pay $100.00 or the equivalent in pesos, in addition to $12.00 to pay for the courier service that delivers the documents within the Santo Domingo area, or $16.00 if documents are to be delivered to any other city of the country (as applicable).

18. Note:  Depending on the circumstances of your case, it is possible that you may be asked to present evidences of physical presence in the United States from your U. S. citizen father/mother.

19. Other. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires that both a blood and a legal relationship exist between the applicant and the U.S. citizen parent. The burden of proof is upon the applicant to establish a claim to U.S. citizenship. For example, if a child is born out-of-wedlock, the U.S. citizen father must provide proof of access to the mother at the probable time of conception. Similarly, in unusual circumstances, such as in vitro fertilization cases, surrogate mother cases, etc., additional evidence may be required.  Information for Parents on DNA and Parentage Blood Testing is also attached.