# Native born vice president?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 21, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423 "2004-02-21T22:17:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sam\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Sam\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_H)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423/1 "2004-02-21T22:17:40Z")

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Does the American constitution require the Vice President to be a native born American?

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423/2 "2004-02-21T22:36:43Z")

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IIRC, to qualify for VP, you’d have to qualify for president, too, in case you had to take over.

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**Author:** ![Jplacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jplacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jplacer)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423/3 "2004-02-22T00:00:24Z")

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From Admendment XII of the U.S. Constitution …

…But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

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**Author:** ![Jplacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jplacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jplacer)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423/4 "2004-02-22T00:02:53Z")

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Sorry, that would be Amendment XII

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-born-vice-president/230423/5 "2004-02-22T01:56:06Z")

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And from Article II, section 1 of the Constitution

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> No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President

This is sometimes misinterpreted to mean that only someone born inside the United States is eligible. In fact, anyone who is a U.S. citizen by birth, either by being born here or by having American parents, fits the bill.