The United States government has proposed new rules that would require parents or legal guardians applying for passports for their children to provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status.
The proposed changes are contained in draft guidance reviewed by Reuters and are part of President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States.
Under the proposed directive, parents or legal guardians applying for passports on behalf of minors would be required to submit documents confirming their citizenship or immigration status.
Acceptable documents would include a valid US passport, birth certificate, Form I-94, which records the arrival and departure of certain foreign nationals, or a permanent resident card, commonly known as a green card.
The US State Department said the information would be used to determine whether a child qualifies for US citizenship under Trump’s August 6 executive order.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott defended the proposed requirement, saying the administration was committed to ensuring that the passport application process reflected its position on American citizenship.
“President Trump has been unequivocal that this administration will protect the meaning and value of American citizenship, full stop, and that includes making sure our passport adjudication process fully reflects that standard,” Pigott said.
The proposed guidance represents the first detailed implementation plan linked to Trump’s executive order targeting what his administration has described as “birth tourism.”
Birth tourism refers to the practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States, often while pregnant, with the intention of giving birth there and obtaining US citizenship for their children.
Trump’s earlier executive order sought to restrict automatic citizenship for children born in the United States unless at least one parent was a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.
However, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, declared that attempt unconstitutional, finding that the order conflicted with the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment.
The August 6 executive order is narrower in scope. It specifically excludes certain categories of children, including those born to parents working for foreign governments in the United States, individuals involved in fraud to obtain citizenship, and persons classified as alien enemies.
Under the current passport application process, parents generally only need to establish their relationship to the child and provide photo identification when applying for a minor’s passport.
Although applicants are required to indicate their citizenship status on the passport application form, they are not currently required to submit supporting documents proving that status.
If implemented, the proposed guidance would therefore introduce additional documentation requirements for parents seeking US passports for their children.
