Certified Copy of Certificate of Naturalization

[Christy02 0]

I became a citizen in early May 2022. Now I would like to apply for my US passport. My impression from reading this forum is that everyone here submits the original certificate rather than a certified copy. 

This leads me to assume that the certified copy for naturalization cannot be done at a notary or something similar, and that if I do want to submit a certified copy, the only option is to pay $500+ to USCIS, a process that takes a long time. 

 

So I wanted to confirm how you go about the certificate of naturalization? Do you submit the original? and what do you use in the mean time as proof of citizenship? I have been here for more than 20 years, and this will be the first time I will not have a document in hand to show that I am documented in the US. 

 

I was thinking that one solution might be do apply for an Enhanced ID which will require that I show my original copy of the certificate of naturalization. 

 

I would really appreciate your help with both questions: do you submit the original for the passport? what documents do you use for proof of citizenship until the passport arrives? 

[Vickys_Mom 230]

When my wife received her Certificate of Naturalization, we took it to the Post Office which acts as representatives of the Passport Agency in my city.  I used a Priority Mail package with tracking number so I could confirm it all got to the Passport Office.

 

I think we got the Certificate back before the Passport, but there was not a significant delay in either case.

 

Do a photocopy of the Certificate before you send it.  If the original is lost, you can use the photocopy to apply for a replacement.

 

Regards,

Vicky's Mom

[Mike E 11,740]

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

  I do want to submit a certified copy, the only option is to pay $500+ to USCIS, a process that takes a long time.

That’s been tried before and it doesn’t work.  

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

 

So I wanted to confirm how you go about the certificate of naturalization? Do you submit the original?

Original plus a photo copy. If you don’t send a photo copy you you won’t get the original back.  

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

 

and what do you use in the mean time as proof of citizenship?

nothing 

 

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

 

I have been here for more than 20 years, and this will be the first time I will not have a document in hand to show that I am documented in the US.

Yes it sucks.  

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

 

I was thinking that one solution might be do apply for an Enhanced ID which will require that I show my original copy of the certificate of naturalization.

if you can get Enhanced ID in your state, you should. 

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

 

I would really appreciate your help with both questions: do you submit the original for the passport?

yes.  No choice.  You can mitigate by getting an emergency passport identity have immediate travel plans.  

11 hours ago, Christy02 said:

what documents do you use for proof of citizenship until the passport arrives? 

Nothing. It is a window of vulnerability 

[Christy02 0]

Vickys_Mom and Mike E, 

Thank you for your responses. I hope I will be able to at least apply for the Enhanced ID before I need to give them the original of the certificate of naturalization. 

 

Super unpleasant to be so vulnerable!

 

 

[arken 4,197]

15 hours ago, Christy02 said:

I have been here for more than 20 years, and this will be the first time I will not have a document in hand to show that I am documented in the US.

At least good thing you, as a USC, are not required to possess evidence of legal immigrant documentation of being in the US all times unlike LPRs requirements to carry GC all the time. Except when you need them to apply for something that requires proof of citizenship. If you need passport soon, go for passport application, if you need other documents like enhanced ID, real ID and such first, go apply for those and then only apply for passport.

[Nkrish83 65]

@Christy02 - USPS does accept certified copies of naturalization, though it seems to vary across locations. I'd attribute it more to employee training. So its truly a ymmv case. 

 

Our friend was able to successfully submit a certified copy instead of the original. He asked for the supervisor and showed the DoS page where it's mentioned as accepted. To his surprise even that was returned though technically it shouldn't be per DoS policies. 

 

The harder part for you would be to get an Infopass appointment to get a certified copy!  The folks who i know who got a certified copy were just plain lucky ones who had same-day oaths and had a genuinely nice officer who wanted to help them. Else you are stuck in USCIS hell for infopass appointment. 

 

If you have real/genuine urgent travel, you may try the agency route where you would be given the certificate along with your passport during pickup. 

[Christy02 0]

2 hours ago, Nkrish83 said:

@Christy02 - USPS does accept certified copies of naturalization, though it seems to vary across locations. I'd attribute it more to employee training. So its truly a ymmv case. 

 

Our friend was able to successfully submit a certified copy instead of the original. He asked for the supervisor and showed the DoS page where it's mentioned as accepted. To his surprise even that was returned though technically it shouldn't be per DoS policies. 

 

The harder part for you would be to get an Infopass appointment to get a certified copy!  The folks who i know who got a certified copy were just plain lucky ones who had same-day oaths and had a genuinely nice officer who wanted to help them. Else you are stuck in USCIS hell for infopass appointment. 

 

If you have real/genuine urgent travel, you may try the agency route where you would be given the certificate along with your passport during pickup. 

That's interesting. There is conflicting information about the certified copy. The State Department website says that "in some cases" a certified copy may be submitted, but it is not clear what these cases are. And also if a certified copy costs $500+, that is way too much. I am curious if your friend paid that much money. To be honest, I probably would pay that amount too for peace of mind. 

 

I am not sure what is the average processing of a passport and will need to read more in this forum. I might travel next year in early March to Puerto Rico, but am not sure if the trip will happen any way. Hopefully by then the Enhanced ID will be ready, and I can make it. 

[Nkrish83 65]

3 minutes ago, Christy02 said:

That's interesting. There is conflicting information about the certified copy. The State Department website says that "in some cases" a certified copy may be submitted, but it is not clear what these cases are. And also if a certified copy costs $500+, that is way too much. I am curious if your friend paid that much money. To be honest, I probably would pay that amount too for peace of mind. 

 

I am not sure what is the average processing of a passport and will need to read more in this forum. I might travel next year in early March to Puerto Rico, but am not sure if the trip will happen any way. Hopefully by then the Enhanced ID will be ready, and I can make it. 

There is no cost to a certified copy. Its the infopass appointment that takes time. In his case his immigration officer was kind enough to take 2 copies and sign it off with an official seal to certify that as a true copy of the original. So unless you are really lucky, getting a separate infopass appointment for this will be a real pain in the rear while really offering little upside. The process of sending the original is way too common for all new naturalized citizens and while there are some cases reported of missed original docs, those are far and few and most people get their nat cert back in 4-8 weeks. 

 

Given you have more than enough time (until march), you are better off just doing routine which should take no more than 10 -11 weeks (refer the DoS site for latest processing times). 

 

[Christy02 0]

On 7/24/2022 at 9:13 PM, Nkrish83 said:

There is no cost to a certified copy. Its the infopass appointment that takes time. In his case his immigration officer was kind enough to take 2 copies and sign it off with an official seal to certify that as a true copy of the original. So unless you are really lucky, getting a separate infopass appointment for this will be a real pain in the rear while really offering little upside. The process of sending the original is way too common for all new naturalized citizens and while there are some cases reported of missed original docs, those are far and few and most people get their nat cert back in 4-8 weeks. 

 

Given you have more than enough time (until march), you are better off just doing routine which should take no more than 10 -11 weeks (refer the DoS site for latest processing times). 

 

Thanks, Nkrish83. I am surprised that the certified copy did not cost anything. It should not, but from my research for far, I could only find options requiring payments. I think by now I am a bit more used to the idea to send the Certificate of Naturalization. Also what gives me comfort is that I might be able to get the REAL ID for which I will need to show my certificate. 

[CG&LGG 27]

I am on USCIS’ website and it says this. So I am so confused. Can we literally send in a non-certified copy of a naturalization certificate??

 

”You do not need to obtain a Certified True Copy if the U.S. government asks for a copy of your certificate for official U.S. government business. For example, if the U.S. Department of State requests your Certificate of Naturalization when you apply for a U.S. passport, you may use a normal photocopy that has not been authenticated. You may use a normal photocopy of your certificate for legitimate U.S. government business.”

 

https://www.uscis.gov/tools/how-do-i-guides/us-citizens/how-do-i-obtain-an-authenticated-copy-of-a-certificate-of-naturalization

[arken 4,197]

10 hours ago, CG&LGG said:

I am on USCIS’ website and it says this. So I am so confused. Can we literally send in a non-certified copy of a naturalization certificate??

 

”You do not need to obtain a Certified True Copy if the U.S. government asks for a copy of your certificate for official U.S. government business. For example, if the U.S. Department of State requests your Certificate of Naturalization when you apply for a U.S. passport, you may use a normal photocopy that has not been authenticated. You may use a normal photocopy of your certificate for legitimate U.S. government business.”

 

https://www.uscis.gov/tools/how-do-i-guides/us-citizens/how-do-i-obtain-an-authenticated-copy-of-a-certificate-of-naturalization

Unfortunately the State Department, not the uscis, issues passports so their policy supersedes the uscis statements. The state department requirement is to provide original evidence of citizenship when applying for a passport.

[VinnyH 61]

On 7/25/2022 at 10:04 PM, Christy02 said:

Thanks, Nkrish83. I am surprised that the certified copy did not cost anything. It should not, but from my research for far, I could only find options requiring payments. I think by now I am a bit more used to the idea to send the Certificate of Naturalization. Also what gives me comfort is that I might be able to get the REAL ID for which I will need to show my certificate. 

As explained by other posters, you can request a certified copy of your Certificate of Naturalization by calling the USCIS in order to get an InfoPass appointment. Things you should know:

 

- the USCIS customer service who takes your call will not be the one scheduling the InfoPass appointment. He/she will act as a first level agent to whom you explain your situation. He/she will then take your contact information and will let you know that another agent will call you later. At least that was my experience when I called.

 

- It took me 3 weeks until another agent called me back, to whom I re-explained over the phone my situation and the need for a certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization. She gladly booked me an appointment to the regional USCIS Office (actually the same that processed my N-400 and where I took the Oath).

 

- the day of the InfoPass appointment, I just showed to the InfoPass floor/section. I had with me 5x nice color photocopies of my Certificate of Naturalization that I wanted certified and explained to the InfoPass counter agent.

 

- first, she said she/they will only issue ONE certified copy, and she would make the photocopy HERSELF (it was a black & white on their poor quality paper) and totally refused the 5 color photocopies I had made on nice quality paper.

 

- then she wanted me to write down on a sheet of paper the official reason why I needed a certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization, as a sworn affidavit. I wrote that I needed for some official and legal proceedings in my home country to prove to the Court that I acquired a foreign citizenship, and that I would subsequently have that certified copy apostilled by the U.S. Dept. of State and translated.

 

- she was then satisfied by the reason and asked me to take a seat and wait because the certification of the copy needed to be signed by the local/regional USCIS Director.

 

- after around 2.5 hours of waiting, she finally called me back to the counter, and gave me the (black & white) photocopy of the Certificate of Naturalization with an embossed seal of the USCIS, along with the USCIS Form G-24, which is the form whereby the Regional USCIS Director certifies that it is a true certified copy, with the Form G-24 signed and carrying also the embossed USCIS seal (see an example in the image attached I got from Google). She insisted on telling me that the two need always to be presented together, and that I should never alter them (staple or anything). She even insisted that the U.S. Dept. of State cannot alter them when they issue the apostille.

 

The whole process is FREE, except for the time you will spend/waste at the USCIS Office (before and on the day of the appointment).

 

As for the passport application:

 

- apostille issued by the U.S. Dept. of State would take a (very) long time, so I figured I would test by using that certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization to apply for a passport.

 

- I had an appointment booked at the USPS Acceptance Facility and was ready to argue with the agent in case he/she would refuse the certified copy, by showing the Instructions of the DS-11 form.

 

- fortunately, I was able to grab an appointment at a U.S. Passport Agency (it was a miracle I got one) due to an urgent travel need popping up last minute. At that point, I cancelled the USPS appointment.

 

- I knew that I could just produce my original Certificate of Naturalization, because when you apply at a Passport Agency, you pick up your passport the very same day (show up/apply in tje morning, coming back mid-afternoon to pick up your passport) along with your original proof. Therefore, there was no risk I would have to wait for it to be mailed back with the stress of the USPS losing/damaging it.

 

- yet, I still experimented by producing the certified copy of the Certificate of Naturalization (the photocopy with the embossed seal + Form G-24) along with the photocopy of it, as if it was an original. In terms of ID, I needed to present a second one because I was not applying in the state where I resided. So I decided to present my Global Entry card, which is a federally-recognized ID (it's even a Real ID).

 

- suffice to say the agent at the U.S. Passport Agency did frown a bit his eyebrows as I stretched the rules (yet still technically compliant), and he asked me why I didn't have the original Certificate of Naturalization. I just said that I had to use it for other purposes at the time and that the true certified copy was acceptable per the rules published by the Dept. of State on both the DS-11 Form and on travel.state.gov/citizenship website page.
 

- after asking his supervisor, came back all smiley and nice and saying that everything was fine and that the certified copy would be considered as an original and returned to me. I paid by credit card, and he told me to come back at 3pm (I applied at around 10:30am).

 

- when I came back that afternoon, I picked up my newly printed U.S. passport, and I got back my certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization.

 

I might be lucky in that instance but I successfully used the certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization. That was more than a year ago, and in the meantime, after the passport application, I also got my certified copy apostilled and used in my home country. It was later returned to me and I have now the original Certificate of Naturalization, along with a true certified copy (apostilled), both of which will probably sit in my safe and be forgotten since they are no longer of use...

 

VinnyH

 

 

[Nkrish83 65]

On 9/19/2022 at 10:10 PM, VinnyH said:

As explained by other posters, you can request a certified copy of your Certificate of Naturalization by calling the USCIS in order to get an InfoPass appointment. Things you should know:

 

- the USCIS customer service who takes your call will not be the one scheduling the InfoPass appointment. He/she will act as a first level agent to whom you explain your situation. He/she will then take your contact information and will let you know that another agent will call you later. At least that was my experience when I called.

 

- It took me 3 weeks until another agent called me back, to whom I re-explained over the phone my situation and the need for a certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization. She gladly booked me an appointment to the regional USCIS Office (actually the same that processed my N-400 and where I took the Oath).

 

- the day of the InfoPass appointment, I just showed to the InfoPass floor/section. I had with me 5x nice color photocopies of my Certificate of Naturalization that I wanted certified and explained to the InfoPass counter agent.

 

- first, she said she/they will only issue ONE certified copy, and she would make the photocopy HERSELF (it was a black & white on their poor quality paper) and totally refused the 5 color photocopies I had made on nice quality paper.

 

- then she wanted me to write down on a sheet of paper the official reason why I needed a certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization, as a sworn affidavit. I wrote that I needed for some official and legal proceedings in my home country to prove to the Court that I acquired a foreign citizenship, and that I would subsequently have that certified copy apostilled by the U.S. Dept. of State and translated.

 

- she was then satisfied by the reason and asked me to take a seat and wait because the certification of the copy needed to be signed by the local/regional USCIS Director.

 

- after around 2.5 hours of waiting, she finally called me back to the counter, and gave me the (black & white) photocopy of the Certificate of Naturalization with an embossed seal of the USCIS, along with the USCIS Form G-24, which is the form whereby the Regional USCIS Director certifies that it is a true certified copy, with the Form G-24 signed and carrying also the embossed USCIS seal (see an example in the image attached I got from Google). She insisted on telling me that the two need always to be presented together, and that I should never alter them (staple or anything). She even insisted that the U.S. Dept. of State cannot alter them when they issue the apostille.

 

The whole process is FREE, except for the time you will spend/waste at the USCIS Office (before and on the day of the appointment).

 

As for the passport application:

 

- apostille issued by the U.S. Dept. of State would take a (very) long time, so I figured I would test by using that certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization to apply for a passport.

 

- I had an appointment booked at the USPS Acceptance Facility and was ready to argue with the agent in case he/she would refuse the certified copy, by showing the Instructions of the DS-11 form.

 

- fortunately, I was able to grab an appointment at a U.S. Passport Agency (it was a miracle I got one) due to an urgent travel need popping up last minute. At that point, I cancelled the USPS appointment.

 

- I knew that I could just produce my original Certificate of Naturalization, because when you apply at a Passport Agency, you pick up your passport the very same day (show up/apply in tje morning, coming back mid-afternoon to pick up your passport) along with your original proof. Therefore, there was no risk I would have to wait for it to be mailed back with the stress of the USPS losing/damaging it.

 

- yet, I still experimented by producing the certified copy of the Certificate of Naturalization (the photocopy with the embossed seal + Form G-24) along with the photocopy of it, as if it was an original. In terms of ID, I needed to present a second one because I was not applying in the state where I resided. So I decided to present my Global Entry card, which is a federally-recognized ID (it's even a Real ID).

 

- suffice to say the agent at the U.S. Passport Agency did frown a bit his eyebrows as I stretched the rules (yet still technically compliant), and he asked me why I didn't have the original Certificate of Naturalization. I just said that I had to use it for other purposes at the time and that the true certified copy was acceptable per the rules published by the Dept. of State on both the DS-11 Form and on travel.state.gov/citizenship website page.
 

- after asking his supervisor, came back all smiley and nice and saying that everything was fine and that the certified copy would be considered as an original and returned to me. I paid by credit card, and he told me to come back at 3pm (I applied at around 10:30am).

 

- when I came back that afternoon, I picked up my newly printed U.S. passport, and I got back my certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization.

 

I might be lucky in that instance but I successfully used the certified copy of my Certificate of Naturalization. That was more than a year ago, and in the meantime, after the passport application, I also got my certified copy apostilled and used in my home country. It was later returned to me and I have now the original Certificate of Naturalization, along with a true certified copy (apostilled), both of which will probably sit in my safe and be forgotten since they are no longer of use...

 

VinnyH

 

 

The fact that you had to go through so much of headache to get a copy is the biggest flaw in the process. Classic example of 2 federal agencies who have not yet sorted out their integration points and instead pass the burden to the service requestor (Customer) to bear the risk of losing their nat cert. I'm just hoping they return to pre-covid procedures where, atleast at large ceremonies, there were DoS reps who did the acceptance and returned the nat cert on the spot after accepting the application. Reduces the anxiety significantly for new citizens even it it means waiting in a line for some time. 

 

What baffles me is why DoS can't just take a copy and use it to validate with USCIS themselves? Just request originals only in instances where you cannot validate the copy. It's not like someone can print a random Nat cert and throw it as evidence. 

[Mike E 11,740]

9 minutes ago, Nkrish83 said:

 

What baffles me is why DoS can't just take a copy and use it to validate with USCIS themselves? Just request originals only in instances where you cannot validate the copy. It's not like someone can print a random Nat cert and throw it as evidence

Most baffling is that state DMVs are rapidly moving to digital drivers licenses and digital auto insurance cards, CBP has pretty much converted to facial recognition for U.S. Citizens and LPRs (eliminating the need for paper docs at the port of entry) and yet DoS and USCIS are stuck with a 19th century paper document model. 
 

I just bought a house and my deed is digital.  I paid less than $1 to get one.  
 

Even vaccine passports switched to digital in a matter of months
 

Green cards, passports, and naturalization certificates should be digital apps on your phone. You should be able to send QR codes that the passport agency uses to verify the documents. 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Mike E

[VinnyH 61]

On 7/24/2022 at 5:51 PM, Nkrish83 said:

Our friend was able to successfully submit a certified copy instead of the original. He asked for the supervisor and showed the DoS page where it's mentioned as accepted. To his surprise even that was returned though technically it shouldn't be per DoS policies.

As I was explained by the agent at the U.S. Passport Agency (follow my story above), a true certified copy of the Certificate of Naturalization is as good as an original and is considered as such. This is why it was returned to your friend (and in my case, to me at the Passport Agency).

 

Per the DoS policies, it is the photocopies of the original that are kept by the DoS, or the second certified copy of citizenship evidence if you don't want to submit a photocopy of the primary evidence (this is rather dumb because it is so easy to just go to Staples or Office Depot to lake a black & white photocopy).

www.travel.state.gov/citizenship

 

Tips for submitting your citizenship evidence

• Submit your original evidence of U.S. citizenship.
• Submit a photocopy of the front (and back, if there is printed information) of your original evidence of U.S. citizenship.

• Photocopies must be: legible, on white 8.5”x11” standard paper, black and white, and single sided.

• In some cases, you may be able to submit a certified copy of your citizenship evidence. A certified copy is any document that has the seal or stamp of the official issuing authority.

• If you don't want to submit a photocopy of your citizenship evidence, you may submit a second certified copy of your citizenship evidence, which we will keep. If you don’t submit a photocopy or a second certified copy of your citizenship evidence, your passport processing could be delayed.
• You cannot submit digital evidence of U.S. citizenship (e.g. electronic or mobile birth certificate) when applying for a U.S. passport. You must continue to submit your physical evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of it.