Parents in the United States may soon need to show clear proof of their own citizenship or immigration status when applying for passports for their children. This change comes from draft guidance prepared by the State Department. It forms part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to limit what officials call birth tourism and to tighten rules around birthright citizenship.
The draft document, reviewed by Reuters, offers the first detailed look at how the State Department plans to apply Trump’s August 6 executive order. That order targets cases where people travel to the United States mainly to give birth so their children can claim automatic citizenship. A White House spokesperson directed questions to the State Department. Spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that the administration remains firm about protecting the true meaning and value of American citizenship, including through the passport process.
Trump has made limiting birthright citizenship a central goal of his broader immigration efforts. An earlier executive order tried to restrict automatic citizenship at birth only to children who had at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen or a green card holder. The Supreme Court struck that order down in a 6-3 decision, ruling it violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment.
The newer August 6 order is narrower. It focuses especially on birth tourism. Under the draft guidance, the government would also withhold citizenship in certain other situations, such as when a parent works for a foreign government in the United States, is involved in fraud to obtain citizenship, or is labeled an alien enemy.
The proposal states that the Department will require parental information and evidence of parental citizenship or immigration status when deciding if a child falls under the executive order. In practice, this means every parent or legal guardian would need to submit proof such as a valid U.S. passport, birth certificate, I-94 form, or permanent residency card along with the child’s passport application.
Right now, parents of U.S.-born children only need to prove parentage and show photo identification. They check a box about their own citizenship but do not have to attach supporting documents. Lawyers handling class-action cases against the earlier order have asked federal judges to block the latest directive as well. One case is before Judge Deborah Boardman, who expressed skepticism about the order’s scope during a recent hearing. Justice Department lawyers have argued that any court order would be premature because agencies have not yet issued final public guidance.
If the draft becomes official policy, families seeking US child passports will face extra paperwork and closer review of parental status.
