Have citizenship, now I need passport for a vacation in 2 months. What to do to get it in time?

[kebandre 0]

A couple years ago I received my citizenship, and never had a real need to travel outside of the country but an opportunity came up and me and my wife will be going to Mexico on vacation in September. I just wanted to know a couple of things: 1) Can i fly in and out of the US with my Canadian passport or do I need to get a US passport? 2) If I need a US passport, I see that there are extreme delays getting passports now due to COVID. Is it possible to get a passport before I fly out in September?

 

thanks for your help!

[Lil bear 4,252]

5 minutes ago, kebandre said:

A couple years ago I received my citizenship, and never had a real need to travel outside of the country but an opportunity came up and me and my wife will be going to Mexico on vacation in September. I just wanted to know a couple of things: 1) Can i fly in and out of the US with my Canadian passport or do I need to get a US passport? 2) If I need a US passport, I see that there are extreme delays getting passports now due to COVID. Is it possible to get a passport before I fly out in September?

 

thanks for your help!

No you must leave and enter the US on a US passport if you are a USC

I believe that expedited passport processing is available fir a fee. Check on the passport information website 

[HRQX 4,145]

35 minutes ago, kebandre said:

Can i fly in and out of the US with my Canadian passport or do I need to get a US passport?

For flying out no issue since there is no outbound CBP passport counter. Also INA § 215(b) no longer has an associated penalty: http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2013/05/01/the-history-of-the-requirement-that-u-s-citizens-only-use-u-s-passports-to-enter-the-u-s/ "The punishment for violating the law?"

 

You could contact an ACS in Mexico and ask for their US passport processing times. When flying back, having the US passport is the most straightforward option: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2019-Mar/2019 Carrier Information Guide - ENGLISH.pdf

 

An alternative is crossing back via land POE: http://web.archive.org/web/20200929115350/https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizens-traveling-internationally "You can also use your original certificate of citizenship or certificate of naturalization."

Edited July 6, 2021 by HRQX

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

You can try to expedite it..here are the requirements.. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html

At my husbands oath ceremony they specifically said that you need to travel with your US passport and that the foreign one will no longer be recognized. I realize for those that birth country's allow for dual citizenship you can enter your birth/original country with that passport so I assume the woman who proceeded over the ceremony was talking about entering the USA.