Legal Definitions - national of the United States

Definition: A national of the United States is a person who is either a citizen of the United States or a noncitizen who owes permanent allegiance to the United States.

Examples:

• John is a citizen of the United States, so he is a national of the United States.
• Marie is not a citizen of the United States, but she owes permanent allegiance to the United States because she was born in American Samoa. Therefore, she is also a national of the United States.

The examples illustrate that a national of the United States can be either a citizen or a noncitizen who owes permanent allegiance to the United States. John is a citizen, while Marie is a noncitizen who owes permanent allegiance because of her birthplace.