A child of U.S. citizen parents, born outside the United States, automatically receives U.S. citizenship only after certain proofs are submitted to the United States consulate. One of the parents must be a United States citizen and must prove that he or she lived in the United States for five continuous years after he or she was, I think 18 years old but it could be 21.
In the DR, because of past abuses, meeting all requirements for the childs citizenship is difficult. The U.S. consulate is very, very careful. We personally know a couple, both U.S. citizens, both born in the U.S., who had a child born in the D.R. in December, 2000. The mother told us that the consulate required DNA testing of both parents and the child and it took about 1 1/2 years for the child to receive his birth certificate and passport.
My wife is Dominican, I am a natural born U.S. citizen. Our son was born in Guatemala. There, I only had to prove that I had met the requirement of having livied in the United States for 5 years after I was an adult. We had out son's birth certificate and U.S. passport within a week after I submitted the application and documentation, when the baby was five weeks old.