Title 8 — Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-73
§1402 Persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899
Title 8 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - NATIONALITY AND NATURALIZATION › Part Part I— - Nationality at Birth and Collective Naturalization › § 1402
Summary
People born in Puerto Rico between April 11, 1899 and January 13, 1941 became U.S. citizens on January 13, 1941 if they were under U.S. authority, living in Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory that day, and were not already U.S. citizens under another law. Anyone born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941 who is under U.S. authority is a U.S. citizen at birth.
Full Legal Text
Title 8, §1402
Aliens and Nationality — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899, and prior to January 13, 1941, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, residing on January 13, 1941, in Puerto Rico or other territory over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty and not citizens of the United States under any other Act, are declared to be citizens of the United States as of January 13, 1941. All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, are citizens of the United States at birth.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
8 U.S.C. § 1402
Title 8 — Aliens and Nationality
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73