Which picture will be on the actual citizenship certificate?

[Anna C. 4]

Which picture will be on there - the passport pic I'm sending with the application or the biometrics appointment picture?

[sunshinearizona 21]

the pic of the cat will do -lol

[jkelly07 120]

hi, the picture taken at the biometrics was for your ten year permanent card.the passport picture for the citizenship is the one that is put on your naturalization certificate,so look nice. good luck

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

hi, the picture taken at the biometrics was for your ten year permanent card.the passport picture for the citizenship is the one that is put on your naturalization certificate,so look nice. good luck

Biometrics is done again for the citizenship cert.

I belief the digital pic done at biometrics is the one that goes on your cert.

[nwctzn 55]

Which picture will be on there - the passport pic I'm sending with the application or the biometrics appointment picture?

Digital pic of the biometrics appointment. In my case did not look good but I can't complain since my passport pic was not good either

[NickD 202]

Stepdaughter wasn't given at choice at St. Paul, used her biometrics picture, even though she sent two of ours and brought two more to her interview. But what the heck, her certificate is buried now, DOS did use our photos for her passport. And did accept that terrible photo the USCIS took of her. Not exactly photographers. Ha, can you even imagine that USCIS guy that took her photo applying for a job at Playboy as a photographer? Doubt if would even get a job at Walgreens.

[Anna C. 4]

Thanks! I just had my pics taken yesterday at Walgreens for the application and they are not so pretty, but I thought whatever, those won't be on the certificate! I'm glad it's the one from biometrics, I can actually make my hair look decent (hey I have a little baby in the house!!! I don't ever sleep!).

I will finally send it all in tomorrow, my government finally send me my offical certificate that allows me to apply whilst keeping German citizenship. Oh all the money spent...

[nwctzn 55]

Thanks! I just had my pics taken yesterday at Walgreens for the application and they are not so pretty, but I thought whatever, those won't be on the certificate! I'm glad it's the one from biometrics, I can actually make my hair look decent (hey I have a little baby in the house!!! I don't ever sleep!).

I will finally send it all in tomorrow, my government finally send me my offical certificate that allows me to apply whilst keeping German citizenship. Oh all the money spent...

Looks like getting the Beibehaltungsgenehmigung is just a formality. I see many Germans on this forum choose that way to be dual citizens.

How many Euros is the current fee, and once you get the US citizenship, do you need to inform the Bundesverwaltungsamt about your new citizenship?

[Anna C. 4]

Looks like getting the Beibehaltungsgenehmigung is just a formality. I see many Germans on this forum choose that way to be dual citizens.

How many Euros is the current fee, and once you get the US citizenship, do you need to inform the Bundesverwaltungsamt about your new citizenship?

Unfortunately, it is not just a formality. You need to plausibly prove that you are in dire need of both citizenships. The proof to keep the German one is relatively easy if you have relatives in Germany (ties to the country have to exist); e.g. my parents and sisters live there and I am entitled to an inheritance back home (children are legally entitled to a minimum amount of the parents' inheritence). The tricky part is to prove that you need the American citizenship. This is doable for all of us military spouses - my husband requires top security clearance which is sometimes denied if the spouse is foreign and eligible for citizenship but doesn't apply. It also makes miltiary life easier as most jobs on base are limited to citizens. But military spouses have a hard time finding a normal job since we move so much so it's hard to get hired. Not that I'm working (not planning to return until my youngest is at least 3 years old). That's a good reason to get the American citizenship. But if you are married to a civilian, it's much harder. Basically you have to prove that you have a significant disadvantage by being a permanent resident.

Anyways, the whole thing costs you 255 Euros, plus shipping fees if you don't live close to a consulate ($36 in fees). It takes anywhere from 8 weeks to much much longer if they want more evidence. I had my husband's Colonel type a paper about the whole security clearance situation which looked super official so I was approved very quickly, it was all very organized and I had my ducks in a row, so to speak... But it was a pain in the butt.

Looks like getting the Beibehaltungsgenehmigung is just a formality. I see many Germans on this forum choose that way to be dual citizens.

How many Euros is the current fee, and once you get the US citizenship, do you need to inform the Bundesverwaltungsamt about your new citizenship?

Unfortunately, it is not just a formality. You need to plausibly prove that you are in dire need of both citizenships. The proof to keep the German one is relatively easy if you have relatives in Germany (ties to the country have to exist); e.g. my parents and sisters live there and I am entitled to an inheritance back home (children are legally entitled to a minimum amount of the parents' inheritence). The tricky part is to prove that you need the American citizenship. This is doable for all of us military spouses - my husband requires top security clearance which is sometimes denied if the spouse is foreign and eligible for citizenship but doesn't apply. It also makes miltiary life easier as most jobs on base are limited to citizens. But military spouses have a hard time finding a normal job since we move so much so it's hard to get hired. Not that I'm working (not planning to return until my youngest is at least 3 years old). That's a good reason to get the American citizenship. But if you are married to a civilian, it's much harder. Basically you have to prove that you have a significant disadvantage by being a permanent resident.

Anyways, the whole thing costs you 255 Euros, plus shipping fees if you don't live close to a consulate ($36 in fees). It takes anywhere from 8 weeks to much much longer if they want more evidence. I had my husband's Colonel type a paper about the whole security clearance situation which looked super official so I was approved very quickly, it was all very organized and I had my ducks in a row, so to speak... But it was a pain in the butt.

[nwctzn 55]

Thanks much. This makes a lot of sense. I have a niece and nephew who are German citizens, so just wanted to get some more info about this.

Best of luck!

Edited October 15, 2011 by nwctzn

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Anna,

you will never get a citizenship certificate or Certificate of Citizenship, as it is called correctly.

Getting one would require you to file an N-600, and you would do that if you were a Vietnamese girl that got banged up by a G.I. during the Vietnam war and the guy took off when the Viet-Kong arrived and left your mother without a trace. That's not you, or is it?

What you will get is a Certificate of Naturalization. Naturalization requires you to take the Oath of Allegiance to the American flag at which time you renounce any and all loyalty you may still have to the Fatherland.

Now, let me tell you that the BBG is not a formality. I have created 42 of those for other people out of nothing, so I probably know more about this stuff than anybody else on this planet. Please don't take this for granted, as all the real-life reasons why you would need to become a U.S. citizen are not accepted by the BVA. You need to familiarize yourself with rules of the game and how exactly it is played. Once you have created the right mind set, it isn't so bad, but it is a major hurdle and real work to get this done.

Also understand that you need to have accepted and signed for the BBG before you can become a U.S. citizen. There is no way to play this the other way around and once your German citizenship is gone, it' s gone for good unless you are willing to renounce your U.S. citizenship again one day when you apply for Wiedereinbürgerung.

There's a Yahoo Group that does nothing but help people like you to get the BBG application done. It's called ZweiPaesse and you should become a member if you are planing on walking the walk.

[Anna C. 4]

I have had my BBG approved already and in my hands, signed for. That's why I was able to send off my N-400 today; I had pretty solid reasons for my BBG (see security clearance for my husband, if it is not approved, he would have to change his carreer path within the military).