Navy Enlistment Citizenship Requirements

Only United States citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals, Canadian-born North American Indians, and aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, are citizenship eligible for enlistment in the U.S. Navy or Navy Reserve. Exceptions exist for citizens from the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.

Employers can sponsor immigrants that allow them to obtain a visa to lawfully enter and work in the United States, but the U.S. Navy cannot provide such sponsorship. To be clear, recruiters may not offer to sponsor any alien seeking admission as a lawful permanent resident alien by citing the Navy as the prospective employer.

The United States Navy Recruiting Station that was once located in the Philippines was closed on December 31, 1992 — it was at the same time that the military base agreement with the Philippines ended. Since that time, Filipinos who were not United States citizens has had to meet the same citizenship requirements as any other foreign national.

As described on this page, some legally documented non-U.S. citizens and immigrant aliens can join the military, but they may not be enlisted into any Navy job or program that will require a security clearance. They will, however, be afforded all the same military pay, allowances and benefits of U.S. citizen serving in the same billet (rank, location, assignment, etc.).

If you claim dual citizenship (U.S. citizenship and citizenship in any other country), you are eligible for enlistment, and you DO NOT have to renounce your citizenship of the other country (read more under the Dual Citizenship heading below).

Verification of Citizenship

You must demonstrate citizenship eligibility for enlistment by providing recruiters official citizenship documents. Your Recruiter must sight the original citizenship verification documents which will be photocopied, and certified as copies of the original document. The certified copies will be placed in your service record and MEPS residual file. Your original documents should be immediately returned to you.

United States Citizen

Citizens of the United States include citizens of Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas Islands. For persons born in the geographical United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Marianas Islands a valid birth certificate issued by a civil authority establishes U.S. citizenship.

Birth Certificates must meet all of the following criteria to be considered valid:

Note 1: Hospital birth certificates signed by a hospital administrator or physician and short form birth verification cards issued by vital statistics offices, with or without raised, impressed, embossed, or multicolored seals or stamps are acceptable for enlistment.

Note 2: A birth certificate where the middle name is omitted, represented by the abbreviation "NMN" or other notation to signify that no middle name exists, or is represented by initials, is acceptable for enlistment.

Note 3: Birth certificate issued with "Baby Boy" or "Baby Girl" instead of a given name is not valid for enlistment purposes.

U.S. Passport: A current (unexpired) United States Passport issued by the Secretary of State would establish your U.S. citizenship; however, if you were born abroad of U.S. parents you will be required to provide additional birth verification documents to verify status as a U.S. citizen at your birth.

Report of Birth Abroad of a US Citizen (FS 240) or Certification of Report of Birth Abroad (DS 1350): If you were born of U.S. parent(s) outside the geographical United States, a valid FS 240 or DS 1350 issued by the Department of State establishes your U.S. citizenship.

Certification of Birth Abroad (FS 545): If you were born of U.S. parent(s) outside the geographical United States, a valid FS 545 issued by a U.S. foreign service post establishes your U.S. citizenship.

Naturalized United States Citizen

Naturalization Certificate (USCIS N-550/N-551/N-570) or Certificate of Citizenship (USCIS N-560/N-561): A valid Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) establishes your enlistment eligibility as a naturalized citizen of the United States.

U.S. Passport: A current (unexpired) U.S. Passport issued by the Secretary of State can be used to establish your eligibility as a naturalized citizen.

U.S. Non-Citizen National

Non-citizen nationals of the United States are the inhabitants of Northern Mariana Islands, America Samoa, and Swains Island, which are outlying possessions of the United States. If you are a person who, though not a citizen of the United States, owe permanent allegiance to the United States. Although lacking certain privileges of U.S. citizenship such as voting and holding office in the U. S., you are in other respects entitled to enjoy U.S. diplomatic protection abroad and free entry into the United States under the same conditions as U.S. citizens. One of the following documents would be required:

Valid Birth Certificate Issued by a Civil Authority: If you were born in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or Swains Island, a valid birth certificate (with raised seal) issued by the government of Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or Swains Island would establish your eligibility as a United States Non-Citizen National.

U.S. Passport: A current (unexpired) passport issued by the U.S. Department of State. The U.S. Department of State issues U.S. passports to natives of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and Swains Island. The passport would establish your identity as a U.S. non-citizen national.

Canadian Born Native American Indian

A Canadian-born North American Indian with a minimum of 50% quantum of Indian blood is eligible for enlistment. One of the following documents would be required as proof:

Long Form Canadian Birth Certificate with Tribal Letter Card: Tribal letter or card must be issued by a valid band, tribe or nation and must indicate a minimum of 50% quantum North American Indian blood.

Unexpired USCIS Form I-551: A properly documented USCIS Form I-551 could be used to document your status as a Canadian Born Native American Indian.

Note: Canadian born North American Indians are not required to have a current address or home of record in the United States.

Non U.S. Citizen (Permanent Resident Alien)

Permanent resident aliens, “green card” holders, are non-citizens who are legally authorized to live full time within the United States. The following document would be required for enlistment:

A Permanent Residence Card (USCIS I-551): Possession of an unexpired, properly documented USCIS I-551 card, issued on or after your 14th birthday would deem you citizenship eligible for enlistment. You must be accessed onto active duty (go to boot camp), or be reported as a Reserve Component gain, prior to the expiration date of your USCIS I-551. Shipping or gaining a permanent resident alien without a valid unexpired USCIS I-551 card is prohibited unless they possess an expired ten year USCIS I-551 card with a USCIS I-797 (Notice of Action-Issued) extending their expiration date of their 10 year USCIS I-551 card in their possession.

Note: A person with valid USCIS I-551 issued prior to their 14th birthday may process for DEP enlistment provided a valid Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) printout is obtained from Navy Recruiting Command. A new USCIS I-551 must be obtained prior to shipping.

Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement (SAVE) Program: The SAVE program is used by Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) to verify an alien’s immigration status based upon USCIS documents and information provided by applicants/recruiters. The SAVE program is used only for applicants who have lost their Permanent Resident Card (USCIS I-551) and require a replacement card. A SAVE program printout obtained from NRC can be used to process the applicant for DEP enlistment only. A new USCIS I-551 must be obtained prior to shipping any Future Sailor DEPped with a SAVE printout.

Note: Because it may take several months, a year, or longer for USCIS to issue you a replacement Permanent Residence Card (USCIS I-551), you may be told to wait until the new card is received or, if proof the replacement card was ordered some time ago, you may be placed into the DEP with a minimum wait time of 6 months. You can not stay in the DEP more than a total of one year to wait for the new card, and it must be received before you can leave for active duty.

Conditional Resident Aliens

Conditional resident aliens are identified by possessing USCIS I-551 cards that expire two years from the date of issuance.

If you are in a "conditional" permanent resident alien status based upon your marriage to a United States citizen, you are eligible to join the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) and leave for boot camp provided your two year I-551 card is valid for a period of 90 or more days of the date of accessing and your marital status does not change prior to accession. If before leaving for boot camp, you become legally separated, divorced, or you are unable to locate your spouse, you would no longer be enlistment eligible because you would be subject to the potential loss of legal residency status that could lead to deportation. In such cases, you may become enlistment eligible upon USCIS issuance of a standard USCIS I-551 card with an expiration date ten years from the date of issuance.

Conditional resident aliens with an expired 2 year card are not eligible for enlistment until they can obtain a 10 year permanent resident card or proof of citizenship.

Non-Immigrant Alien.

The United States government established a Compact of Free Association with the government of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of Palau, which in part, gives their citizens the right to freely enter into the United States for work and to establish residency.

Citizens of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau are eligible to enlist. All other aliens admitted temporarily into the United States for specific purposes or periods of time as non-immigrant aliens are ineligible for enlistment. One of the following documents would be required for enlistment:

Valid Birth Certificate: If you have a valid birth certificate, with a raised seal, issued by a civil authority of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or Republic of Palau, you would be citizenship eligible to enlist.

Passport: A current (unexpired) passport issued by the government of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or Republic of Palau establishes non-immigrant alien eligibility.

Dual Citizenship

Firstly, a dual citizen is not considered a foreign national. A dual citizen is in fact a United States citizen!

Yes, in the past, official renounciation of the "other" country was a requirement, but no more.**

If you hold a dual citizenship status (i.e., a citizen of the United States and a citizen of another country) it may not be used as a basis for, or a disqualifying factor in, determining an individual’s personal reliability program (PRP) eligibility provided you have a completed and favorably adjudicated investigation, and you meet all other eligibility requirements.

Other reasons as to why renounciation is no longer a blanket requirement: According to the Navy's recruiting manual, "Activity security managers (ASMs) should not require individuals to renounce their citizenship with a foreign country. Doing so requires the individual to have contact with a foreign government, its embassy, or its representatives, which may increase the likelihood of potential targeting by a foreign intelligence entity." and "Many countries do not allow individuals to renounce their citizenship; requiring the individual to renounce a citizenship when the country does not allow for such creates a requirement for the individual that is impossible to meet."

**The Navy's Nuclear Power Program can be an exception.

If you have any questions after reading the article, either contact your local recruiter, or you can ask me directly.

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