This is something that I think a lot of people don’t know about, but it is important for Americans who are in the m*ssion field to understand.    If you and your spouse are US citizens (and at least one of you spent time in the US), your children will be US citizens.   If you are a US citizen, and you are married to a non-citizen, your children will be US citizens if you grew up in the US.    But if you are a US citizen married to a non-citizen, and you grew up in a foreign country (perhaps the child of a US m*ssionary), your children possibly will not be US citizens from birth.   There are certain exemptions (for example if you are the child of a member of the US military serving overseas), but, in general, if you are a US citizen married to a non-US citizen, your children will only be citizens when they are born if you have spent five years in the United States and two of those years were after you turned fourteen years old.

The reason I am bringing this up is not for this generation of m*ssionaries, but for your children.   Most of my clients are people who grew up in the United States and now have gone to foreign countries as m*ssionaries.   Your children will be U.S. citizens.   But, if they grow up in a foreign country their children may not be U.S. citizens when they are born.    I don’t think that is the end of the world.   Following God is more important the U.S. citizenship rules.   On the other hand, it is something that you need to keep in mind as you make your long-term plans.   It is quite easy to get citizenship for your children, but there are steps that you will need to take.

Gunnar