roadrunnericu

it comes down to which documents do you want to store in a safety desposit box for eternity. you can replace a passport with saved documents too. faster than you can the certification, as a matter of fact.

there is no need to keep it current. even an expired passport is proof of citizenship. you dont need any of that mumbo jumbo to get a us passport, you can prove citizenship with documents alone. for the certification it requires adjudication if you loose that, and will take 6-12 months to replace it. you can replace a lost, expired, or stolen passports in 2-3 weeks for 160 USD and for another 60 they will expedite that. expedition is not even available when replacing a lost certificate. it now becomes a matter of which documents you want to keep in a safe deposit box forever and ever.

I appreciate all of the inputs and debate. thank you for all the points shared.

Ok, so you need to save 2 things. no need for the mama and daddy stuff anymore either if you keep a photocopy of the green card or even the origional card in the safe too.

what matters is whether they had a green card at the time the following conditions were met: One parent was a U.S. citizen, The child was under age 18, The child was a lawful permanent resident (even if the green card is now expired), The child was living in the legal and physical custody of the citizen parent. ✅ Once those conditions are all true at the same time, citizenship is automatically conferred. It cannot be revoked just because the green card expired later.

a prior U.S. passport, even if expired, is generally accepted as full proof of citizenship by the U.S. Department of State unless there’s reason to doubt its validity. 📘 Legal Authority: Per the Code of Federal Regulations (22 CFR § 51.43): "A passport issued by the Department to the bearer as a citizen of the United States shall be evidence of the bearer’s United States citizenship, unless the Department determines that the passport was obtained illegally, fraudulently, or erroneously." So unless: The original passport was fraudulent Or issued in error Or obtained by false representation ...then the expired passport = sufficient proof of U.S. citizenship.

a prior U.S. passport, even if expired, is generally accepted as full proof of citizenship by the U.S. Department of State unless there’s reason to doubt its validity. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF IT IS AN EXPIRED PHOTOCOPY AND 165USD 📘 Legal Authority: Per the Code of Federal Regulations (22 CFR § 51.43): "A passport issued by the Department to the bearer as a citizen of the United States shall be evidence of the bearer’s United States citizenship, unless the Department determines that the passport was obtained illegally, fraudulently, or erroneously." So unless: The original passport was fraudulent Or issued in error Or obtained by false representation ...then the expired passport = sufficient proof of U.S. citizenship.

all you need is a photocopy of the old one and 165 usd

there wont be any problem obtaining a passport or dual citizenship

a photo copy of the old one and a normal id meets all of the requirements to replace a lost passport.

I think he must be including his legal fees in the 1200 usd too. i dont see any fees like that but perhaps someone here can explain that. all real evidence is appreciated, so feel free to lay it out. thanks note; he told me he was also adviced to this expensive route here as well.

Big news—my wife and stepson officially became U.S. citizens today! Hooray and Halelu-Yah! But here’s where things get interesting… A friend of mine claims my stepson is technically without proof of status unless I spend $1,200 to get a specific document that shows he met all the legal custody requirements before turning 18—just in case he ever loses his passport after 18. Now maybe the rules have changed with the rollout of biometric IDs (even though they've been issuing those for years), but I’ve read the law myself. It says clearly that a photocopy of a valid U.S. passport, as long as it includes all the required information listed in the statute, along with a $165 fee, is sufficient. No $1,200 needed. Still, my friend insists—based on paid legal advice—that spending the $1,200 fusd for this document now, is critical "just in case" for future protection.