State Department Has Not Returned My Certificate of Naturalization

[mari04 100]

13 hours ago, SalishSea said:

Per the site's TOS, anyone may comment.

 

It is VERY unusual that an original document of any type would be required.  Even natural born USCs applying for passports send certified copies of birth certificates.  If, however, that was required, then it sounds like they have no standard means of returning them to the thousands of people who do the same thing, so you'd be out of luck.

Anyone can comment. However, OP is right: if you have no idea of what you are talking about, clearly not knowing anything about the process and yet accusing OP of a mistake, yes this is annoying. And harmful to the rest of the community because you are stating false information. If you have no idea about the process, don’t post false information as a fact. 

[Crazy Cat 39,649]

15 hours ago, Gaps0214 said:

Hello everyone, 

 

I would like to get your suggestion on what I can do to follow up the return of my original Certificate of Naturalization from the State Department.

 

I received my passport last March 2023 and now it has been 2 months since and there is no sign of the CON in the mail whatsoever.

 

I think we deserve to have our original CON document back not only for all the financial resources we had to invest to obtain it but also its value and importance as the culmination of our long and significant journey and proof of our commitment to the United States .

 

I wrote to NPIC@state.gov and the reply I got is:

 

Thank you for contacting the National Passport Information Center. All  the information you need about current passport operations and services is conveniently located on our website at travel.state.gov. 

 

Note: If you are sending this e-mail to cancel your appointment at a passport agency, we will cancel it immediately. Thank you for making it available to another customer.

 

This is the only reply you will receive to your email.

 

It's almost unbelievable to note the absurdity of their auto-reply. Not very helpful at all.

 

Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated.

 

Cheers,

G&A

 

 

 

 

My wife's Naturalization Certificate was returned 7 weeks after her passport arrived (PP arrived on March 21, 2023).  I think you'll get it eventually. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Crazy Cat

[nastra30 2,044]

Don't know why this is a debate. When applying for a US passport, the original naturalization cert is required. If one wants to go through hoops to get a certified copy directly from USCIS to use, sure that too might work. However, just a photocopy or notary copy won't work. Easiest way is to present the original certificate or apply at a Passport agency/center.

[Crazy Cat 39,649]

Just now, nastra30 said:

Easiest way is to present the original certificate or apply at a Passport agency/center.

I made sure I created a scanned copy for my records first.  

[beloved_dingo 1,939]

17 hours ago, SalishSea said:

Per the site's TOS, anyone may comment.

 

It is VERY unusual that an original document of any type would be required.  Even natural born USCs applying for passports send certified copies of birth certificates.  If, however, that was required, then it sounds like they have no standard means of returning them to the thousands of people who do the same thing, so you'd be out of luck.

My husband just applied for his passport last week. You have to give them the original (and a copy). 

 

They return the original in a separate envelope after the passport is processed but unfortunately it is sent regular mail, with no tracking. 

 

Edit: We also made several copies of the original to keep so we at least have something on hand in the meantime. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by beloved_dingo

[SalishSea 16,900]

5 hours ago, mari04 said:

Anyone can comment. However, OP is right: if you have no idea of what you are talking about, clearly not knowing anything about the process and yet accusing OP of a mistake, yes this is annoying. And harmful to the rest of the community because you are stating false information. If you have no idea about the process, don’t post false information as a fact. 

I didn’t “accuse” OP of anything.   Passport application for naturalized citizens is one rare  instance  when an  original is required to be sent (because like I said,, no originals are required for a U.S. -born citizen’s fist passport application).   
 

I still think it’s very likely originals could be lost in this process, and no senator can help with that.  

[Mike E 11,727]

1 hour ago, SalishSea said:

I didn’t “accuse” OP of anything.   Passport application for naturalized citizens is one rare  instance  when an  original is required to be sent (because like I said,, no originals are required for a U.S. -born citizen’s fist passport application).   

This is definitely not the experience of my ex-wife nor my two children, all born in the U.S.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html supports this.

 

It also says, 

 

"Your evidence must be an original or certified, physical copy. A certified copy is any document that has the seal or stamp of the official issuing authority. "

 

On the previous page of this thread, I did in fact cite an example where a member of visa journey did in fact get a certified copy of the naturalization certification, which seems to have been ignored by everyone. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. Regardless, technically, your original statement was correct, an original naturalization certificate is not needed. However getting past a passport  application acceptance agent with a non-original is difficult.

 

There are people who are not born in the U.S. who have successfully used attorneys to bypass the both the original and certified physical copy requirements as well as passport application acceptance agents. 

 

So apparently, deep in the bowels of law and/or FAM, originals are not required, but one has to have the patience. At a certain point it is not worth the risk of $1000 unlikely hit to lose a naturalization certificate.

 

 

 

[manyfudge 273]

18 minutes ago, Mike E said:

 

There are people who are not born in the U.S. who have successfully used attorneys to bypass the both the original and certified physical copy requirements as well as passport application acceptance agents. 

Oh, please elaborate. Curious.

Edited May 31, 2023 by manyfudge

[beloved_dingo 1,939]

28 minutes ago, Mike E said:

This is definitely not the experience of my ex-wife nor my two children, all born in the U.S.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html supports this.

 

It also says, 

 

"Your evidence must be an original or certified, physical copy. A certified copy is any document that has the seal or stamp of the official issuing authority. "

 

On the previous page of this thread, I did in fact cite an example where a member of visa journey did in fact get a certified copy of the naturalization certification, which seems to have been ignored by everyone. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. Regardless, technically, your original statement was correct, an original naturalization certificate is not needed. However getting past a passport  application acceptance agent with a non-original is difficult.

 

There are people who are not born in the U.S. who have successfully used attorneys to bypass the both the original and certified physical copy requirements as well as passport application acceptance agents. 

 

So apparently, deep in the bowels of law and/or FAM, originals are not required, but one has to have the patience. At a certain point it is not worth the risk of $1000 unlikely hit to lose a naturalization certificate.

While I agree that a certified copy of the naturalization certificate can be accepted, the process to obtain one involves making an appointment in person at your local USCIS office. My "local" office is a 2 hour drive away. For some it may be closer, for others even further away. I looked into it anyway before we went to the passport appointment, but we decided against it because the State Department website also says "In some cases, you may be able to submit a certified copy of your citizenship evidence". I'm not personally a fan of this ambiguous language.

 

In the thread you linked, the person detailing their experience noted that it took over 3 weeks to even get an appointment with USCIS scheduled, he was at the USCIS office for over 2.5 hours, the agent at the passport office initially didn't want to accept the certified copy, and a supervisor had to get involved to successfully process the application and get the passport. 

[SalishSea 16,900]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

This is definitely not the experience of my ex-wife nor my two children, all born in the U.S.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html supports this.

 

It also says, 

 

"Your evidence must be an original or certified, physical copy. A certified copy is any document that has the seal or stamp of the official issuing authority. "

 

On the previous page of this thread, I did in fact cite an example where a member of visa journey did in fact get a certified copy of the naturalization certification, which seems to have been ignored by everyone. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. Regardless, technically, your original statement was correct, an original naturalization certificate is not needed. However getting past a passport  application acceptance agent with a non-original is difficult.

 

There are people who are not born in the U.S. who have successfully used attorneys to bypass the both the original and certified physical copy requirements as well as passport application acceptance agents. 

 

So apparently, deep in the bowels of law and/or FAM, originals are not required, but one has to have the patience. At a certain point it is not worth the risk of $1000 unlikely hit to lose a naturalization certificate.

 

 

 

Right.   I was referring to certified copies of birth certificates as the standard ID used for US-born citizens applying for passports.   Not everyone on VJ realizes that a certified copy “counts” as an original.  In fact, most born here couldn’t get the original if they wanted to, since it is the property of whatever vital records office has jurisdiction.

[ineedadisplayname 444]

On 5/30/2023 at 5:16 PM, Gaps0214 said:

Hello everyone, 

 

I would like to get your suggestion on what I can do to follow up the return of my original Certificate of Naturalization from the State Department.

 

I received my passport last March 2023 and now it has been 2 months since and there is no sign of the CON in the mail whatsoever.

 

I think we deserve to have our original CON document back not only for all the financial resources we had to invest to obtain it but also its value and importance as the culmination of our long and significant journey and proof of our commitment to the United States .

 

I wrote to NPIC@state.gov and the reply I got is:

 

Thank you for contacting the National Passport Information Center. All  the information you need about current passport operations and services is conveniently located on our website at travel.state.gov. 

 

Note: If you are sending this e-mail to cancel your appointment at a passport agency, we will cancel it immediately. Thank you for making it available to another customer.

 

This is the only reply you will receive to your email.

 

It's almost unbelievable to note the absurdity of their auto-reply. Not very helpful at all.

 

Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated.

 

Cheers,

G&A

 

 

 

 

Hope you also submitted a photocopy of the certificate with your application. Otherwise they are going to keep the original certificate....

[Crazy Cat 39,649]

8 minutes ago, ineedadisplayname said:

Hope you also submitted a photocopy of the certificate with your application. Otherwise they are going to keep the original certificate....

You have to send either the original or a certified copy.  Yes, they are supposed to, and they routinely return the documents.  They returned wife's Naturalization Certificate 7 weeks after she received her passport.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Crazy Cat

[ineedadisplayname 444]

3 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

You have to send either the original or a certified copy.  Yes, they are supposed to, and they routinely return the documents.  They returned wife's Naturalization Certificate 7 weeks after she received her passport.

I am not debating the fact that you need the original or a certified copy BUT also you need a simple copy of the certificate sent too, otherwise they are going to keep the original or the certified copy.

 

Good to know that it will take another 2 months to get the original back.

[Crazy Cat 39,649]

6 minutes ago, ineedadisplayname said:

otherwise they are going to keep the original or the certified copy.

My point was that they send the original back.

[Gaps0214 67]

Update: My original Naturalization Certificate has now been returned. That is 16 weeks from delivery of US Passport. For those with CBP Trusted Traveler memberships (GE, TSAPC, Nexus) if you want to change your citizenship information, I recommend you do that immediately and do not travel overseas without the new card in your possession, I just went through hoops with CBP returning into the US after I lined up in Trusted Traveler counter and they found my card inactive due to the change in information I filed before leaving the US. 

 

Thanks again everyone for your insights and thoughts about our prior situation.

 

Cheers,

GAPS