(updated Aug. 2, 2022) In general, you can claim qualifying individuals as your dependents. To be your dependent, the qualifying individual must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. resident alien, or a resident of Canada or Mexico for some part of the calendar year in which your tax year begins.
An individual who files a joint return is not a dependent if the individual files a joint return, unless the joint return is filed only to claim a refund of estimated or withheld taxes. An individual claimed as a dependent must be a citizen, national, or resident of the United States, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.
This is the case even when living abroad, provided that they meet the income reporting threshold that year. Although filing an annual US tax return can be cumbersome, expat parents will be excited to learn that they often qualify for the same child tax breaks abroad as they would in the US.