Volume 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 51.40 provides that the burden of proof is upon the applicant to establish a claim to U.S. citizenship. When primary and secondary documentary evidence are deemed insufficient to establish such a claim, parentage blood testing is an option available to applicants. The Department appreciates that this situation may be troubling to parents, but under the circumstances, it appears that there is no other way to establish the child's claim to U.S. citizenship.
Parents are, of course, free to submit any additional evidence they believe pertinent.
The laboratory conducting the tests should send the test results and an interpretation of the data to the U.S. Embassy directly. Tissue samples collected from deceased individuals may also be used for testing. In order to assure the integrity of the results, all stages of DNA and parentage blood testing must be conducted under appropriate safeguards. Lists of laboratories are available from the Department of State, Overseas Citizens Services or from U.S. embassies and consulates upon request. The laboratory will provide tubes, packing materials and instructions which should be forwarded to the American embassy or consulate abroad.