United States (U.S.) citizenship or qualified alien status is required for children needing Child Care Subsidy. Child Care Subsidy is only available to a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien.

• Verify the U.S. citizenship of children for whom Child Care Subsidy benefits are requested at the time of application only if it is questionable.
  • Any individual born in the United States is considered a U.S. citizen, including children whose parents are not U.S. citizens, such as undocumented alien parents, parents with student visas, or parents with lawful temporary resident status.
• Verify qualified alien status for all applicable children for whom Child Care Subsidy benefits are requested at the time of application.

U.S. citizenship or qualified alien status is not a requirement for household members for whom Child Care Subsidy benefits are not requested. If the information is available, record non-citizenship information for all members in the family.

Acceptable forms of documentation to verify U.S. citizenship or qualified alien status are:

• U.S. Passport;
• Certificate of U.S. Naturalization (N-550 or N-570);
• Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (N-560 or N-561);
• Birth Certificate or IBTH documentation (if born in Missouri);
• Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350);
• Consular Report of Birth (FS-240);
• Certificate of Birth Abroad (FS-545);
• U.S. Citizen ID card (I-197) or Identification Card for Use of Resident Citizen in the United States (I-179);
• American Indian card (I-872);
• Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) card (I-873);
• Final adoption decree;
• Hospital record on hospital letterhead (for children under 5 years of age only);
• Life or health insurance record showing a U.S. place of birth created at least five years prior to application for benefits;
• U.S. state vital statistics official notification of birth registration;
• Statement signed by a physician or midwife present at the time of birth;
• Institutional admission papers showing a U.S. place of birth created at least five years prior to application for benefits; or
• Medical (clinic, doctor, or hospital) records created at least five years prior to application for benefits.