If a person is born to an American parent in a foreign country, can he or she run for president?

Ms.

yep! just like angelina jolie and brad pitts kids can when they grow up.. isn't that a wonderful thing! :o)

Jessica E

it depends if the parents are in a foreign country for military purposes (under U.S. wishes) then yes.
but if you were born in Italy (just an example) just cause, then no you can't

dvd_wnbrg

Not sure....... I believe the constitution says you MUST be an american born citizen....

Look it up cause I don't know

Sidwell

NO because they are NOT natural born.

McCain should never have been allowed to run but the senate passed a phoney law just to let him run.

If arnold ever chooses to run then under the constitution he should be denied as Mccain SHOULD have been denied,

a military base is NOT US soil. Only embassies are US soil.

yakfish

No, the Constitution requires you to be a natural born citizen. Although if born on a US military base abroad you may be allowed as bases are considered US soil.

Sweetharttt

I was of the understanding that they could not run for president. The person has to be born on American soil or a military base.

joe85985

you have to be born in america....so probably not

DOCAR

According to the law you have to be a "natural born citizen". The courts have defined this as a person born in the US to 2 American citizens. Sh!t Stain Obama is the president! So the laws don't seem to mean anything. By his own admission his father was never a citizen thereby disallowing his presidency. But laws are flexible around what the politicians and big business want!

CyberSom

Citizenship is acquired through (1) birth and (2) naturalization. Any one who acquired it through birth is eligible to become US president (provided other criteria are met). So the short answer is yes.

mamour

yes.....
First Congress, on March 26, 1790, approved an act that declared, â€œThe children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond sea, or outside the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural-born citizens of the United States.â€
.....
the law has not changed thus far..

Through birth abroad to one United States citizen
For persons born on or after November 14, 1986, a person is a U.S. citizen if all of the following are true:

One of the person's parents was a U.S. citizen when the person in question was born;
The citizen parent lived at least 5 years in the United States before his or her child's birth;
A minimum of 2 of these 5 years in the United States were after the citizen parent's 14th birthday.
A person's record of birth abroad, if registered with a U.S. consulate or embassy, is proof of his or her citizenship. Such a person may also apply for a passport or a Certificate of Citizenship to have a record of his or her citizenship. Such documentation is often useful to prove citizenship in lieu of the availability of an American birth certificate.

Different rules apply for persons born abroad to one U.S. citizen before November 14, 1986. United States law on this subject changed multiple times throughout the twentieth century, and the law is applicable as it existed at the time of the individual's birth.

fandango

Yes

$andman

children of u.s. citizens are u.s. citizens

Jesus_Is_My_Gardener

yes...it's called right of birth

Srsly

Yes, so long as they are an American citizen for a certain amount of time...I don't remember how long that is off the top of my head, but I believe it is around 20 years.

This is how Arnold Schwartzenager (sp?) ran for office in California...he was an American citizen and a resident of California long enough to run for that position.

Kenny P

as long as he or she has been a legal citizen for at least 35 years.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: