22 CFR § 50.2 - Determination of U.S. nationality of persons abroad.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t22/s50.2"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "22 CFR § 50.2 - Determination of U.S. nationality of persons abroad."
title_number: 22
title_name: "Foreign Relations"
section_number: "50.2"
section_name: "Determination of U.S. nationality of persons abroad."
chapter_name: "DEPARTMENT OF STATE"
subchapter_number: "F"
subchapter_name: "NATIONALITY AND PASSPORTS"
part_number: "50"
part_name: "NATIONALITY PROCEDURES"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "22 U.S.C. 2651a; 8 U.S.C. 1104 and 1401 through 1504."
regulatory_source: "31 FR 13537, Oct. 20, 1966, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "50"
---


# 50.2 Determination of U.S. nationality of persons abroad.

The Department shall determine claims to United States nationality when made by persons abroad on the basis of an application for registration, for a passport, or for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America. Such determinations of nationality may be made abroad by a consular officer or a designated nationality examiner. A designated nationality examiner may accept and approve/disapprove applications for registration and accept and approve/disapprove applications for passports and issue passports. Under the supervision of a consular officer, designated nationality examiners shall accept, adjudicate, disapprove and provisionally approve applications for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad may only be issued by a consular officer, who will review a designated nationality examiner's provisional approval of an application for such report and issue the report if satisfied that the claim to nationality has been established.

[31 FR 13537, Oct. 20, 1966, as amended at 61 FR 43311, Aug. 22, 1996]