Christy02

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.

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.

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!

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?