Damaged Certificate of Naturalization

[Anggva 22]

I finally got my passport this week, and they sent my Certificate of Naturalization back in a separate envelope, which was just a regular manila envelope that got all bent in the mail. But the worst part is that whoever was closing that envelope, caught an edge of my certificate in the glue, and as I was opening it, a small piece got torn off from the bottom of the certificate. The damage is not bad, I can probably tape it back on since the tear goes through the words "department of homeland security" on the bottom of the certificate and the rest of it is fine. The question is, should I try to repair it , leave it as is, or should I request a new naturalization certificate? All the important parts of the certificate, by which I mean the parts that contain my name, photo, date of birth, and all the signatures, still look good.

[JeanneAdil 6,191]

You can if this bothers you

but when you send in the new 8x11 manila return envelope for the return ,   write not only your name and  address on the outside but write "hand stamp" and "do not fold"

[Anggva 22]

31 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

You can if this bothers you

but when you send in the new 8x11 manila return envelope for the return ,   write not only your name and  address on the outside but write "hand stamp" and "do not fold"

Do you know if my certificate is valid as is? The only definition for replacement being required that I could find so far was "damaged beyond repair". IMO this damage is not beyond repair, since only the edge of the certificate got torn, but I don't want to get into a situation where it turns out I can't use the certificate.

[JeanneAdil 6,191]

9 minutes ago, Anggva said:

Do you know if my certificate is valid as is? The only definition for replacement being required that I could find so far was "damaged beyond repair". IMO this damage is not beyond repair, since only the edge of the certificate got torn, but I don't want to get into a situation where it turns out I can't use the certificate.

It is valid if can be read and BTW ,   now you have your US passport

[gregcrs2 1,777]

You have your US passport now.  That's all you need to prove US citizenship.  You can frame the Naturalization Certificate and hang it on the wall if you want or file it with your other legal documents.  Highly unlikely you will ever need to use it again.

[Anggva 22]

21 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

It is valid if can be read and BTW ,   now you have your US passport

 

20 hours ago, gregcrs2 said:

You have your US passport now.  That's all you need to prove US citizenship.  You can frame the Naturalization Certificate and hang it on the wall if you want or file it with your other legal documents.  Highly unlikely you will ever need to use it again.

Thanks for the clarification. I was thinking of using my certificate to update my name with the SSA because it doesn't look like they are going to reopen soon, so I might have to mail them my documents instead. I know it's not urgent, I just want to get everything done already and stop thinking about all this.

[NEW CITIZEN 151]

3 minutes ago, Anggva said:

 

Thanks for the clarification. I was thinking of using my certificate to update my name with the SSA because it doesn't look like they are going to reopen soon, so I might have to mail them my documents instead. I know it's not urgent, I just want to get everything done already and stop thinking about all this.

Send it to SSA with a post-it note, saying "damaged by State department passport services, please be careful".

 

They will know!!

[LightDisplay 6]

Honestly - To each his own but I would not be OK with a tore up Naturalization Certificate. In an event you ever have to sponsor a family member, USCIS may demand you produce a Naturalization Cert as well along with your Passport. I know USCIS does not recommend you to Laminate the certificate, so not sure how they will entertain a tear. No one knows how the policies will change in the future. Id say lodge a case with Passport Services to see if they will cover the cost of new Cert? Maybe they agree? Even if it takes a year for the new cert to come, who cares - You have time now. Just my 2 cents.

[lucardo3 220]

On 10/12/2020 at 10:42 AM, Anggva said:

 

Thanks for the clarification. I was thinking of using my certificate to update my name with the SSA because it doesn't look like they are going to reopen soon, so I might have to mail them my documents instead. I know it's not urgent, I just want to get everything done already and stop thinking about all this.

Social Security offices are a disconnected network of garbage.  it`s just riskier to send original certificate to SSN than passport centers IMO.