Problem applying for Passport

[Wubzywub 0]

When problems occur like the one you are encountering, just shop around and go to another POST Office or another passport processing center.

[wifey246 0]

I went to our public library for this. When I called to inquire about their closing time on a Saturday, they gave me a list of documents I should bring. When I said I'm getting one for my daughter, the lady said to bring a US birth certificate. I told her that my daughter was born abroad, then she said I should bring her naturalization certificate. I told her that my daughter doesn't need one, that she can use mine. The lady insisted that my daughter needs her own certificate. I recommended that she should research the subject, then call me back with the results.

She called me after an hour, admitted her mistake and all. But when we got there, she said she cannot accept both applications because each one has to have an original certificate. If my daughter uses mine, then my application will be denied because I will not have a certificate with it.

It was getting late and I was tired of arguing my case. I decided to just submit my application. My daughter's can wait until I get my certificate back.

It is convenient that there are plenty of places that accept passport application, but I must agree that if it is not a straightforward case, the employees receiving the applications are not very well-informed of the rules.

[jsnearline 2]

Probably just a new guy

That's the funny thing. They weren't new. THe same person did the acceptance processing of my son's passport application last year.

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

We had the same type of issue. They want Perfect Documentation and it must be Current. Set us back 2 weeks to apply for his Passport.

Best wishes.

[80k 0]

No problems at the County Clerk with the name change.

BUT, she was familiar with the Naturalization certificate plus name change document, and advised that they like to see both documents together, and that they will also be returned together. So we gave it to them.

So same situation (had to give up the court order of the name change), but I guess at least there was no hassle over identification.

[Cloudy9 11]

My husband is a US citizen and when we went to get his passport they asked for his DL too but they wouldn't accept his because the date of issue to him was only 6 months old and they wanted something else older. So luckily hubby had his military ID with hi ma dn they accepted that, so its not just naturalized citizens that are being asked this its US born ones too.

[kvngwynth 0]

I took my wife to the Highlands Ranch Post Office today to apply for her passport.

The post office asked to see my wife's driver's license as well and then told her they couldn't process the application because the name on her driver's license didn't match the name on her naturalization certificate(she changed her name when she naturalized). We told them they already had proof of her identity in the form of the naturalization certificate (the instructions on the passport application clearly state that the Certificate of Natualization is acceptable as proof of identify AND proof of citizenship), but they wouldn't listen. They told us we had to get her driver's license updated first. We then showed them the name change petition granted by the court when my wife naturalized. After having a long conference with a supervisor out of earshot, they reluctantly accepted her application, provided we included the approved name change petition in the application packet.

When we went to the Social Security office earlier today, they accepted her naturalization certificate as proof of identity and citizenship. I wonder if this is a case of subtle discrimination or one of the post office just not knowing or caring about the State Department's rules. Douglas County is one of the most anti-immigration (legal & illegal) areas in the country. Consider the fact that our county elected Tom Tancredo in Congress multiple times.

No discrimination, sorry... just plain logic:

Showing Naturalization Certificate + Court Order of Name Change

1. Go to SS office and update status as US Citizen and change name on SSN Card. Ask for proof that you have updated the data.

2. Wait for that to update in the system max. 72 hours during work days.

3. Go to MVD and update status as US Citizen and change name on DL.

4. Apply for Passport bringing updated DL + Naturalization Certificate + Court Order of Name Change.

5. Voila they will accept your application for sure.

It is that simple and we've been doing this for every step... Haven't you?

I had DL & SSN Card before marriage, then updated both after marriage, after work permit, after temporary green card, after 10 year green card, and now after naturalization... Same old storyline of process to be followed. Did you not do that too in the past?

Got nothing to do with congress either.

[jsnearline 2]

In hindsight, we could have spent an afternoon at the DMV and then waited ten days or so to get the new DL before applying for the passport. However, if the passport application instructsions say that a Naturalization Certificate is proof of BOTH identify and citizenship, then the post office should not be asking for additional evidence beyond that.

[80k 0]

In hindsight, we could have spent an afternoon at the DMV and then waited ten days or so to get the new DL before applying for the passport. However, if the passport application instructsions say that a Naturalization Certificate is proof of BOTH identify and citizenship, then the post office should not be asking for additional evidence beyond that.

I agree. The instructions are VERY clear that the Naturalization certificate is sufficient as proof of ID as well as citizenship. Also, there is nowhere that implies a name change document is needed, let alone the original one.

When I went to the County Clerk, she told us that the Naturalization certificate was ok without the driver's license but that the Passport Agency likes to see the court document along with the Naturalization certificate. In fact, during the oath, the deputy clerk told us that the Naturalization certificate and name change document should always be presented together, which is similar to what the County Clerk said.

However, in your case, the requirement for the name change document was in response to hesitation of accepting the naturalization certificate as a form of ID, which clearly should not be a problem. So I agree that you dealt with some incompetence there.

[jsnearline 2]

Well, as it turned out, we had the last laugh. While the Post Office charged my wife 15 cents to photocopy her DL, een though it wasn't necessary to submit it, they forgot to charge her $14.95 for the passport pictures they took. This despite the fact my wife reminded them twice to do so.

I wrote my original post out of frustration. At this point, I don't think it was discrimination, but rather sheer incompetence. The acceptance agent was most likely flustered because she was almost an hour behind on passport appointments. Thus, she couldn't be bothered with my refreshing her memory regarding the application instructions or my wife reminding her to charge for the passport photos.