Forebear guide
GEDCOM Citizenship Checker
A GEDCOM file is the closest thing genealogy software has to a portable family-tree format. For citizenship research, that structure is useful because the same names, dates, places, and parent-child links that support family history also point to possible citizenship routes.
Forebear uses GEDCOM-style tree data to make the first eligibility screen faster and less speculative.
What GEDCOM contains
GEDCOM files can contain people, families, birth and death dates, places, marriages, notes, and source references. The quality varies by export and by how carefully the tree was built, but even an imperfect GEDCOM can surface the ancestor lines most worth researching.
- People and their relationships.
- Birth, marriage, death, and migration details.
- Locations that can be mapped to countries and historic jurisdictions.
- Source notes that may identify which records still need certified copies.
Why it works for citizenship screening
Citizenship-by-descent screening is a graph problem before it is a paperwork problem. The checker needs to know who connects to whom, when each generation was born, where key events happened, and whether a citizenship-loss event may have interrupted transmission.
| GEDCOM signal | Eligibility use |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Points to possible country pathways |
| Birth date | Tests cutoffs and generation rules |
| Parent link | Builds the transmission chain |
| Naturalisation event | Flags possible chain breakage |
| Missing fact | Creates a document research task |
A checker still needs human review
GEDCOM data is not certified evidence. A tree may contain wrong places, approximate dates, duplicate people, or family stories entered as facts. The checker is a triage tool: it identifies promising routes and document gaps so a human can verify the records that matter.
Questions people ask
Can I export a GEDCOM from Ancestry or FamilySearch?
Many genealogy tools support GEDCOM export directly or through their desktop companion tools. Export steps vary by platform, so use the platform's current help docs.
Does DNA data replace a GEDCOM file?
No. DNA can suggest ancestry, but citizenship-by-descent routes generally require documented legal family relationships and civil records.
What if my GEDCOM has missing dates?
Forebear can still flag possible routes, but missing dates should be treated as research tasks because many rules depend on exact timing.