Passport - How long does it take?

[moonhunt 1]

why do you have to update your info at SSA? Just curious as to what difference it makes to you being an immigrant or citizen?

Some of benefits are limited to US citizen, and some have different between LPR and US citizen.

Also a lot of systems from different government agency cross-check with SSA for individual's immigration status.

For an example, some of local police, voting system, and/or DMV.

Also when you need to update/renew your driver license, you may have to bring the certificate of naturalization, or US passport.

Don't forget to update I-9 for your employer, too.

For US passport, it took 6 days with regular service in November, 2008.

Since it is approaching to summer vacation, it will be slow for overloading with request for summer vacation.

Edited April 9, 2009 by moonhunt

[vital2006 0]

How many days do they take to cash the check???

I mailed my PP application by regular on 4/4 and no check cashed yet. Is that normal?

Thanks

why do you have to update your info at SSA? Just curious as to what difference it makes to you being an immigrant or citizen?

Some of benefits are limited to US citizen, and some have different between LPR and US citizen.

Also a lot of systems from different government agency cross-check with SSA for individual's immigration status.

For an example, some of local police, voting system, and/or DMV.

Also when you need to update/renew your driver license, you may have to bring the certificate of naturalization, or US passport.

Don't forget to update I-9 for your employer, too.

For US passport, it took 6 days with regular service in November, 2008.

Since it is approaching to summer vacation, it will be slow for overloading with request for summer vacation.

[moonhunt 1]

How many days do they take to cash the check???

I mailed my PP application by regular on 4/4 and no check cashed yet. Is that normal?

Thanks

If I remember correctly, they cashed a couple of days after I received the passport.

I guess that the dept. of State doesn't need the money that much.

Also my application didn't even show up in their passport application tracking system at all.

[vital2006 0]

Thank you. Did you apply regular or expedited?

How many days do they take to cash the check???

I mailed my PP application by regular on 4/4 and no check cashed yet. Is that normal?

Thanks

If I remember correctly, they cashed a couple of days after I received the passport.

I guess that the dept. of State doesn't need the money that much.

Also my application didn't even show up in their passport application tracking system at all.

[jsnearline 2]

Is there a chance the State Dept could deny a passport application if you dont't update your citizenship status with SSA first? The passport application states that they verify SSNs against lists of people ineligible to get a passport.

My wife will be chanigng her name when she naturalizes. Will that pose any possible problems with SSA or State?

[jasminelily 1]

Is there a chance the State Dept could deny a passport application if you dont't update your citizenship status with SSA first? The passport application states that they verify SSNs against lists of people ineligible to get a passport.

My wife will be chanigng her name when she naturalizes. Will that pose any possible problems with SSA or State?

Here is what I think, don't have actual experience but trying to be logical, although one can argue there is no logic dealing with gov't agency:

I suggest you (the wife) don't apply for passport at the oath ceremony, to be on the safe side, at least go home, make a good scan and a good copy first because you have to suffer from the naturalization certificate being away from your sight for a month processing time for the passport. You can update your your new name with SSA and state (for ID/driver license) after you make the scan and/or copy. Also bring the original marriage license with you to show them (SSA and state), may want to bring copy in case they want to keep paper trail.

I don't think the State Dept will deny your passport even if you don't update with SSA first because you have to mail the passport application along with the original naturalization certificate as proof of eligibility. If they have doubt about the citizenship, they can always use the certificate number and your info on the certificate to confirm with USCIS/DHS.

Hope that helps!

[jsnearline 2]

I just hope that the passport agency is more careful with the naturalization certificate than they were with my son's birth certificate. They sent the birth certificate back folded, and it wasn't even folded evenly. Not such a big deal for a birth cert that only costs a few $, but if they damage the naturalization certificate, my wife would not be happy.

[jasminelily 1]

I just hope that the passport agency is more careful with the naturalization certificate than they were with my son's birth certificate. They sent the birth certificate back folded, and it wasn't even folded evenly. Not such a big deal for a birth cert that only costs a few $, but if they damage the naturalization certificate, my wife would not be happy.

Oh! Hmm... that's a good one. Perhaps you guys can put a yellow sticky note on the naturalization certificate saying this "This has already costed us $675. It will cost us another $380 and half a year to replace. So please kindly be very careful with it and we beg you try not to fold/damage it." Not sure if it would work, but it's worth a try, there's no guarantee. I also heard that they sell those hard plastic holder at the oath ceremony, perhaps you can buy those. Remember not to laminate the nat. cert., laminate would make it "unofficial/lose the authenticity". Well... if she is really mad and if you don't mind spending the time/money, you guys can always apply for a replacement.

She will have the passport as proof of citizenship, don't think she will really need to use the nat. cert. anywhere else, but I do understand and also want to keep those important docs as prestine as possible.

Sorry I don't have the experience yet, but I'm trying my best to help! Hope you don't mind! Perhaps NickD or lucyrich who has the experience can shed more light in this subject.

[TayRivers 4]

Is there a chance the State Dept could deny a passport application if you dont't update your citizenship status with SSA first? The passport application states that they verify SSNs against lists of people ineligible to get a passport.

My wife will be chanigng her name when she naturalizes. Will that pose any possible problems with SSA or State?

My wife has not updated her SSN yet and she has her new US passport. So no they will not deny you if you have not updated your status with SSA.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I just hope that the passport agency is more careful with the naturalization certificate than they were with my son's birth certificate. They sent the birth certificate back folded, and it wasn't even folded evenly. Not such a big deal for a birth cert that only costs a few $, but if they damage the naturalization certificate, my wife would not be happy.

The returned envelope was big enough so it didn't have to be folded

[NickD 202]

We were able to drop my wife's maiden name struck in between her given and married name without problems at the SS, she wanted to use it for verification of her Venezuelan passport, but her renewed passport corrected that, plus the confusion in the phone directory and all that.

Seems ironic to me, as paranoid as Chavez is, we were still able to make certified copies in Venezuela that are just as good as the original, I can't find anyplace that does that here in the good ole USA, our register of deeds use to do that, but not anymore. Then my city clerk is certified by the DOS to take and check passport applications, even to administer the oath. But that does not extend her ability to determine if your certificate is valid or not, so she can just make a copy of it. That character at the SS office is certified to do that. And who exactly at the DOS office in New Orleans is certified to determine if that certificate is valid or not, has to be some expert, as they sure don't want a copy of it. And can't the USCIS talk to the DOS or give you a piece of throwaway paper stating you are a USC for passport applications?

I later learned the key reason my wife had problems getting her drivers' license renewed is that she checked the LPR box instead of the USC box, this required proof and at the time, she had an expired green card with the one year extension notice, and what in the hell is a one year extension notice, that took over a week for me to resolve with out crazy state putting an immigration officer in charge that didn't know a damn thing about immigration. She did get her license, but it was a battle.

So I brought in her certificate to show them later on thinking they would change her database, didn't want to see it, just said to check the USC box the next time. This rang a bell, as I have seen others get a DL apparently by checking that box with the only proof of identity to bring in utility bills like the utiltiy bills are checked for true ID of a person.

Just came to the conclusion, we live in a very screwed up country, hell, not even the CIA can talk to the FBI which was the entire cause of 9/11, but that was solved by forming yet another agency, and that agency also took charge of immigration to really screw that up as well. With problems reading the forms, I did find the pre 9/11 forms on the internet, could actually comprehend those without having to contact an immigration attorney.

And I couldn't believe a utility bill with a 2008 date on it was more important than me at my wife's interview. With all this BS with our government, I am not even sure if I am me! Yes, I wrote my frustrations about our ID system to my governor, senator, and congressman, got an agreement about it, but was anything done about it? No, too busy running for re-election.

But I can see where an illegal can very easily get that de facto DL ID in my state, just claim he/she is a USC and bring in a utility bill, what a screwed up country we live in.

Feel the USCIS is more interested in making another 400 bucks for a replacement certificate than actual verification of who you are.

Edited April 10, 2009 by NickD

[Stella08 0]

I'm considering getting a certified copy of my naturalization certificate made (I can get these copies for free at my bank) before I send it off with my passport application. Is that legal? Or am I only allowed to make regular copies. Seems like a silly question but these days nothing seems impossible anymore.

[jasminelily 1]

And I couldn't believe a utility bill with a 2008 date on it was more important than me at my wife's interview. With all this BS with our government, I am not even sure if I am me! Yes, I wrote my frustrations about our ID system to my governor, senator, and congressman, got an agreement about it, but was anything done about it? No, too busy running for re-election.

But I can see where an illegal can very easily get that de facto DL ID in my state, just claim he/she is a USC and bring in a utility bill, what a screwed up country we live in.

Feel the USCIS is more interested in making another 400 bucks for a replacement certificate than actual verification of who you are.

Totally agree! Totally understand the frustrations!

[2bornot2b 0]

Currently if you go to the website it says 4-6 weeks for the passport. I got mine back last week. It took exactly 3 weeks to the day. As for the Certificate being damaged, the picture on my certificate has Writing Imprints on it as though somebody wrote on a piece of paper that was on top of the picture. My hubby's came back fine. Both of us put our certificates in a plastic sheet protector and it came back in that sheet protector.

Now my son's birth certificate was removed by the postal agent from the plastic sheet protector. It has yet to come back as he applied later. We shall see if it is damaged.

[broma25 2]

Don't forget to update I-9 for your employer, too.

There is no need to do an updated I-9, this is not necessary!