Adult citizenship claim (INA 309) – born out of wedlock in Philippines, USC father deceased, first passport at Embassy Manila. Anyone with a similar case?
Hi everyone,
I’m preparing a first-time adult U.S. passport / citizenship claim at the U.S. Embassy in Manila and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar.
Quick facts about my case:
• Born in the Philippines in 1993, out of wedlock
• Father was a U.S. citizen (U.S. Navy, stationed at Subic Bay)
• Father died in 2006 when I was 14
• Parents never married; no court order of paternity; father did not sign PSA birth certificate because he got deported and incarcerated before I was born but I am using his surname since then.
• I have contemporaneous evidence from before I was born / around that time: a signed (but unfiled) I-129F fiancé petition, personal letters from him that refer to the pregnancy/“our baby,” a photo of my parents together, and military records, and marriage counselling papers and bride certificate of mom
• U.S. relatives (grandmother and aunt) are providing notarized affidavits and are willing to do DNA if the Embassy asks
• I already have a high AncestryDNA match with a paternal relative
I understand the hardest part is the lack of formal legitimation or a sworn acknowledgment of paternity before age 18. I’m putting together a totality-of-the-evidence packet and am prepared for a possible DNA request.
Questions for those who’ve been through this:
Did anyone here get approved at Embassy Manila (or another post) with a deceased U.S. citizen father and no formal legitimation/acknowledgment before 18?
If the Embassy asked for DNA, what relatives did they accept (grandmother, aunt, half-siblings)?
How long did the process take from appointment request to final decision (especially if there was a 90-day letter)?
Any advice on how the officers treated the “clear and convincing” blood relationship standard when the formal 309(a) documents were missing?
I’m not looking for guarantees just real experiences and practical advice from people who had a similar fact pattern. Thank you in advance