The Constitution sets only a few formal requirements to become President of the United States. A candidate must meet three eligibility rules in Article II, must not have already served two elected terms, and must win the electoral vote. Everything else, including party affiliation, experience, and fundraising, is a political or statutory matter rather than a constitutional one.
The Three Constitutional Requirements
Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 states that no person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time the Constitution was adopted, shall be eligible to the office of President. The same clause requires the person to have attained the age of thirty-five years and to have been fourteen years a resident within the United States. The full text is available at congress.gov and the National Archives at archives.gov.
| Requirement | Constitutional source | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship | Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 | Natural born citizen, or a citizen at the time the Constitution was adopted |
| Age | Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 | At least 35 years old |
| Residency | Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 | Fourteen years a resident within the United States |
| Term limit | Twenty-Second Amendment | No person elected twice may be elected again |
What Natural Born Citizen Means
The phrase natural born citizen is not defined in the Constitution, and the Supreme Court has never issued a definitive ruling on its exact scope. The prevailing understanding is that a person born a United States citizen, whether by birth in the country or by birth abroad to citizen parents under the conditions set by statute, qualifies. The debate usually centers on edge cases, such as a person born abroad to one citizen parent, rather than on the common case of birth within a state. Because the question is contested at the margins, anyone researching it should read the primary text and the relevant federal statutes rather than rely on summaries.
Term Limits Under the Twenty-Second Amendment
The Twenty-Second Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits a person to two elected terms as President. It also addresses a person who becomes President mid-term. If someone serves more than two years of a term to which another person was elected, that person may be elected only once. A person who serves two years or less of another's term is eligible to run for two full terms. The practical maximum is therefore up to ten years in office.
The Oath of Office
Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 sets the presidential oath. The President swears or affirms to faithfully execute the office and, to the best of the President's ability, to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. The oath is a constitutional requirement, and the Chief Justice of the United States has traditionally administered it at inaugurations.
Election, Not Just Eligibility
Meeting the eligibility rules does not put a person in office. The President is chosen through the Electoral College. Each state appoints electors equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives, and the District of Columbia receives electors under the Twenty-Third Amendment. A candidate needs a majority of the electoral votes, currently 270, to win. If no candidate reaches that majority, the House of Representatives chooses the President under the Twelfth Amendment, with each state delegation casting one vote.
Succession and Disability
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment addresses what happens when a President cannot discharge the duties of the office. The Vice President becomes President if the President dies, resigns, or is removed. The amendment also provides a process for a President to declare an inability to serve and for the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet to do so. The Presidential Succession Act sets the order that follows the Vice President, which currently runs to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Congress has authority over the line of succession under Article II and the Twentieth Amendment.
Impeachment and Disqualification
The House of Representatives may impeach a President for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors, and the Senate tries the case with the Chief Justice presiding. Conviction requires a two-thirds vote of the Senators present. The Constitution allows the Senate to disqualify a person from holding future office as part of a conviction. A separate provision, Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, bars certain people who engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding office unless Congress removes the disability by a two-thirds vote. Its application to a presidential candidate is a contested legal question, and courts, not voters, resolve challenges to ballot eligibility.
Not a Constitutional Requirement
Several things often assumed to be requirements are not. The Constitution does not require prior government or military service, a college degree, a law degree, a particular religion, or membership in a political party. It does not impose a maximum age. It does not require the candidate to have held elected office before. Those factors can affect a campaign, but they do not affect eligibility.
Ballot Access and Practical Hurdles
Even an eligible candidate must get on the ballot. Each state sets petition, filing fee, and deadline rules for presidential candidates, and those rules are statutes and regulations, not constitutional requirements. A candidate who fails to qualify in enough states cannot assemble an electoral majority, regardless of eligibility. The Federal Election Commission at fec.gov regulates campaign finance, and state election offices administer ballot access.
Where to Verify the Rules
The primary sources are the Constitution itself, available at archives.gov and congress.gov, and the statutes that implement it. The Congressional Research Service publishes reports on presidential eligibility and succession. Because the natural born citizen clause and the Fourteenth Amendment disqualification provision are not fully settled, consult a constitutional law attorney for advice about a specific person or election.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Eligibility questions can turn on contested constitutional interpretation, and an attorney can advise on a specific situation.