# Question regarding nationality through parent



## hbhlhigqcp (Feb 19, 2019)

My Portuguese mother immigrated to the US as a child. Eventually she met my American father. They were married by a military chaplain a few years before my birth, but never got a marriage certificate in my state, which required blood tests to get married and my mother has an extreme phobia of needles.

They eventually got divorced and my mother never registered my birth in Portugal. From reading the *Nationality Through Parents* page on the embassy website, I need the following documentation to obtain citizenship as an adult:


✅ Certified copy of the long form of his/her birth certificate, legalized by Appostille or by the Consulate of Portugal if born outside of the US, as per attached instructions;
✅ Identification documents with photo/signature such as passport, I.D. cards, etc.);
❌Marriage certificate (if applicable); *not applicable*
Parents´ marriage must be endorsed on the birth certificate. If married abroad and marriage has not yet been registered in Portugal, registration must be done by the Consulate before the child may apply for nationality.​
❓ If parents were not married at the time of applicant’s birth, parents must sign a statement for confirming paternity while the applicant was still a minor.
✅Birth certificate of both parents (parent born outside USA, the birth certificate must be authenticated by Apostille or Consulate of Portugal in the respective country).

Since my parents weren't legally married (as far as Portugal is concerned), I need them to sign a statement confirming paternity... Is there a standard form that they use or are there requirements for what it needs to say? I tried googling, but couldn't find a template.

Thank you for any help you can give!


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## acorey (Jan 16, 2012)

Hi futureptexpat, If your Mother is still with us, your easiest option is for you to get her her birth certificate, passport, and ID- I did this with my Dad. This is the easiest route as Portuguese citizens cannot lose their citizenship- ever, and the child of a Portuguese national is Portuguese- always. Search mu username as I have detailed my process for others extensively. After your Mom has her BC, you just have her add you to it and off you go. Best of liuck!


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