Key facts
- Members of the House of Representatives do not need to be natural-born citizens to take office.
- Only the president and vice president must be natural-born citizens.
- To qualify for the House, a person must be at least 25 years old, a US citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they represent.
Twenty-six current members of the US House of Representatives were born outside the United States. Unlike the president and vice president, House members are not required to be natural-born citizens. To qualify for the House, an individual must be at least 25 years old, have been a US citizen for at least seven years, and reside in the state they wish to represent. Many of these representatives are US citizens by birth, having been born to American parents serving abroad. Examples include Becca Balint, born in Germany to a US Army officer, and Donald S. Beyer Jr., born in the Free Territory of Trieste to a US Army officer.