Certificate of Citizenship: Age when it was issued

[honbako 1]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of putting together my K-1 package and I'm considering using my Certificate of Citizenship (I became a U.S. Citizen through my parents). I was in my teens at the time that the certificate was issued and it has my photo from that time. For better for worse, I've aged quite a bit since that time () so the photo of myself on the certificate and my photos with my fiancee don't look the same.

Will this be an issue or when they look at the documents?

As always, thank you for the kind responses.

[M.O 6]

if has your name and all the information they need it , i dont think is going to be a problem...good luck though...

[iahmjpinoy 6]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of putting together my K-1 package and I'm considering using my Certificate of Citizenship (I became a U.S. Citizen through my parents). I was in my teens at the time that the certificate was issued and it has my photo from that time. For better for worse, I've aged quite a bit since that time () so the photo of myself on the certificate and my photos with my fiancee don't look the same.

Will this be an issue or when they look at the documents?

As always, thank you for the kind responses.

Nope, my picture on mine was back when I was 13/yrs old.. I'm in my 30's now.. no worries... like mentioned, if it has all the info that they need you should be good to go..

Good luck with the rest of your K-1 process..

[HeatDeath 430]

It won't be an issue. Remember, for an I-129F they want a current passport photo(or two) of you (the USC) as well. That's the picture they'll be using for reference purpose. As long as you still look like an older version of the person on the certificate, and all of the names match, you'll be fine.

Michael Jackson might have had a hard time if he had tried to use a photo of himself in his early teens to identify himself later in life. You should have no problem

[honbako 1]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I had completely forgotten about the passport photos!

Did anyone ever get their Certificate of Citizenship back after the process was complete? Or one has to apply for a new one?

I've never used my certificate before so it's a bit unnerving that I'll be sending the original.

[Seb928s 2]

I sent a copy of mine and no questions were asked about it.

[lucyrich 19]

Note that it says in the USCIS general guidelines that you should always send photocopies, never originals of anything. You won't get anything back if you send it to the USCIS. Yes, the certificate of citizenship probably says something like DO NOT COPY WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, but you can copy it for official use.

[honbako 1]

Note that it says in the USCIS general guidelines that you should always send photocopies, never originals of anything. You won't get anything back if you send it to the USCIS. Yes, the certificate of citizenship probably says something like DO NOT COPY WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, but you can copy it for official use.

Thank you very much for your response! I'm a little confused though since it says in the I-129F instructions asked for the original Certificate of Citizenship:

What Documents Do You Need to Show That You Are a U.S. Citizen?

A. If you were born in the United States, give USCIS a copy, front and back, of your birth certificate.

B. If you were naturalized, give USCIS a copy, front and back, of your original Certificate of Naturalization.

C. If you were born outside the United States and you are a U.S. citizen through your parents, give USCIS:

1. Your original Certificate of Citizenship, or

2. Your Form FS-240 (Report of Birth Abroad of a United States Citizen).

...

I'd prefer to send a photocopy, but the last thing I'd want to do is not give them the information they requested and cause a potential delay in the application process.

[payxibka 10,044]

Thank you very much for your response! I'm a little confused though since it says in the I-129F instructions asked for the original Certificate of Citizenship:

I'd prefer to send a photocopy, but the last thing I'd want to do is not give them the information they requested and cause a potential delay in the application process.

Then do THIS:

In place of any of the above, you may give USCIS a copy of your valid, unexpired U.S. passport issued with a validity period of at least five years. You must submit copies of all pages in the passport.

Edited February 23, 2010 by payxibka