Lost Naturalization Certificate/ No Naturalization Number for I-129F

[Silvia_B 0]

Dear all,

this is my first post on VisaJourney, my fiancée and I are going to file soon for K1!

I would like some reassurance... my fiancée is a Naturalized US citizen, he immigrated to the US when he was 7 (now 39), he has has no memory of having had a Naturalization Certificate, nor he knows his naturalization number. He may have the Certificate once upon a time, but in that case it was misplaced a long time ago.

Has anyone had their petition rejected or had problems because the Naturalization Number was missing from the I-129F form?

We know we can use the full passport copies to prove citizenship but when he called the USCIS call centre to confirm, they didn't clearly state that the passport is ENOUGH, they said "it may be enough" but he could still get asked about for the naturalization number. They told him he can go in person by appointment to a "Local Office" to get his number. He went online to book an appointment and tried 5 different offices reachable from where he is and NONE of them was giving appointments, and there is no indication on when he may be able to get one, of if at all.

We know there is the possibility of getting a new Naturalization Certificate, but on top of costing 350$, it may take a long time to get it, and we want to file the K1 as soon as possible.

I have read some slightly reassuring posts before about being ok without a Naturalization Number, but if anyone has any other specific information, that would be great.

Regards!

Silvia

[baron555 934]

It is possible that there is no Naturalization Certificate for him since he was a child. The US Passport should be all that is needed.

Nowadays, a K-2 can receive a US Passport (after the parent is Naturalized) without receiving the Naturalization Certificate (its an additional $600 I believe and does nothing special). Whereas the US Passport does a lot.

[Mamed 18]

It is possible that there is no Naturalization Certificate for him since he was a child. The US Passport should be all that is needed.

Nowadays, a K-2 can receive a US Passport (after the parent is Naturalized) without receiving the Naturalization Certificate (its an additional $600 I believe and does nothing special). Whereas the US Passport does a lot.

Agree and disagree. Yes it is possible that he did not have certificate since he was a kid (my little siblings dont have it but passport)

Certificate costs up to $800 if I remember correctly, and indeed it's very important document. For naturalized people passport isn't enough document to prove USC, passport without certificate is nothing. Say, one looses his passport (abroad), this is the situation where certificate comes in handy. It's a proof that this person is (naturalized) citizen, with that he/she can go to embassy and get some document to come back to the US then apply for new passport

Born citizens have Birth Certificate = Naturalization Certificate for naturalized citizens

[dreamer19 0]

You can also order a replacement of naturalization, it will cost money though. (http://www.uscis.gov/n-565)

[dilip 187]

Once parents get citizenship, minor children could apply passport. You may apply for certificate, but it will take time and will cost money

[dreamer19 0]

If you have a valid passport of at least 5 years you can use that, if not you can try to get a passport without naturalization, but i think you have to prove citizenship to get a passport anyway so you might end up needing certificate of naturalization. Definitely check your options.

[newacct 688]

Dear all,

this is my first post on VisaJourney, my fiancée and I are going to file soon for K1!

I would like some reassurance... my fiancée is a Naturalized US citizen, he immigrated to the US when he was 7 (now 39), he has has no memory of having had a Naturalization Certificate, nor he knows his naturalization number. He may have the Certificate once upon a time, but in that case it was misplaced a long time ago.

Has anyone had their petition rejected or had problems because the Naturalization Number was missing from the I-129F form?

We know we can use the full passport copies to prove citizenship but when he called the USCIS call centre to confirm, they didn't clearly state that the passport is ENOUGH, they said "it may be enough" but he could still get asked about for the naturalization number. They told him he can go in person by appointment to a "Local Office" to get his number. He went online to book an appointment and tried 5 different offices reachable from where he is and NONE of them was giving appointments, and there is no indication on when he may be able to get one, of if at all.

We know there is the possibility of getting a new Naturalization Certificate, but on top of costing 350$, it may take a long time to get it, and we want to file the K1 as soon as possible.

I have read some slightly reassuring posts before about being ok without a Naturalization Number, but if anyone has any other specific information, that would be great.

Regards!

Silvia

A "Certificiate of Naturalization" is only for people who applied for naturalization as adults, with N-400. You did not say how he got citizenship.

People who get citizenship as children either get it automatically, or through an expeditious naturalization process. Getting it automatically is more common. If they went through an expeditious naturalization process a "Certificate of Citizenship". If they get it automatically, they get no certificate by default, although they can optionally apply for a "Certificate of Citizenship". However, in the case of automatic citizenship it is NOT necessary to get a Certificate of Citizenship for them to get a US passport. If this is his case, then he may have never "lost" anything -- he may have never had (and it is not necessary to have) a Certificate of Citizenship, and if he applies for a replacement it will be rejected because there is no original to "replace" (if he never had a Certificate of Citizenship, he could apply for one, but it is not necessary now).

"Certificate of Citizenship" and "Certificate of Naturalization" are different things.

Furthermore, in any case, a valid US passport is sufficient for the purposes of a petition.

[KayDeeCee 4,900]

You can check the box stating citizenship through parents, then mark 'No' for getting a Naturalization certificate. Use a copy of all pages of your US passport to prove your US citizenship.

[Silvia_B 0]

Furthermore, in any case, a valid US passport is sufficient for the purposes of a petition.

Thank you Newacct! I feel reassured.

Sorry I didn't clearly explain how he was naturalized, as I am not 100% sure of the explanation, but my fiancée is a lawyer himself (not an immigration one :-) and he knows that question #13d on the I-129F visa applies to him, He is aware there was at one point a Naturalization Certificate in his name. Anyway he has had a valid US passport for the longest time and the current one is valid for well over the next 5 years, so hopefully we will be ok!

Thanks to all the people who replied with useful comments.

[KayDeeCee 4,900]

Thank you Newacct! I feel reassured.

Sorry I didn't clearly explain how he was naturalized, as I am not 100% sure of the explanation, but my fiancée is a lawyer himself (not an immigration one :-) and he knows that question #13d on the I-129F visa applies to him, He is aware there was at one point a Naturalization Certificate in his name. Anyway he has had a valid US passport for the longest time and the current one is valid for well over the next 5 years, so hopefully we will be ok!

Thanks to all the people who replied with useful comments.

Ok, then I change my answer. If he knows he had one at one time, then he needs to get a replacement and get the number to put on the form where it asks.

[newacct 688]

Thank you Newacct! I feel reassured.

Sorry I didn't clearly explain how he was naturalized, as I am not 100% sure of the explanation, but my fiancée is a lawyer himself (not an immigration one :-) and he knows that question #13d on the I-129F visa applies to him, He is aware there was at one point a Naturalization Certificate in his name. Anyway he has had a valid US passport for the longest time and the current one is valid for well over the next 5 years, so hopefully we will be ok!

Thanks to all the people who replied with useful comments.

He doesn't need the certificate itself for proof of citizenshp -- a valid US passport is enough. But he needs the number of the certificate to fill out on the form.

[gw68ad78 64]

What about scheduling an appointment with infopass and asking them for the number?

[gw68ad78 64]

What about scheduling an appointment with infopass and asking them for the number?

[Silvia_B 0]

What about scheduling an appointment with infopass and asking them for the number?

Hi, he tried to make an appointment multiple times and at multiple offices in the NYC area where he lives and there are never any appointments available, the website just says try again later. Any suggestions?

[D.Ba 85]

To these people who say kids get naturalized "automatically" and without certificate: my husband got naturalized at around age 6 in the late 1960s and he sure has a certificate, which we used in K-1 and AOS.

And we did send copies of the actual document, front and back.

Edited November 18, 2015 by D.Ba