Passport worries

[scooby06 0]

Hello to all the VisaJourney members.

I decided to go Monday to the circuit court to apply for my passport. Before arriving, I called making sure that I would bring all the right forms and documentation with me. I also went online to the passport application website to downloaded the form DS-11 and to read there Instructions as well. I understood that in my case I would have to bring my Naturalization paper (which the original will be sent in to the passport office) a valid Driver's license a filled out DS-11 form with 2 passport pictures. I was told the same thing by the lady at the circuit court on the telephone. Gathering all these things I went to the circuit court.

There I was told by an other lady that I also needed my original birth certificate, which needed to be sent in. I asked her why that would be? In fact it would not make any sense to send in my Birth certificate as it is from another country and I was not borne as a USA citizen. She insisted that I had to do so anyway. I explained to her nicely that when I called to this office, I was not told to bring a birth certificate. After a few minutes of arguing for and back she told me she could not accept my application without my original Birth certificate. I was very mad I live about 40 minutes from the circuit court and the next place that would accept an application is a post office another 20 minutes away.

Making a long story short, she suddenly announces to me that if I insist she could send it in without the birth certificate. I was confused of the sudden change around, and told her to go ahead. After paying all the fees I handed her my papers and left the office.

Since then I have this heavy feeling in my gut. I am worried about the whole thing. Was she right, will this be now a problem. I just hope I get my passport soon and my Naturalization papers back as well.

I went home that day and went one more time to the passport website to read the info again. My understanding is that if you are a borne USA citizen you need to bring the birth certificate with you, otherwise only your naturalization papers. If anyone else had this kind of experience please let me know. Did you all have to sent in your birth certificate in with your passport application? I am verry worried now.

[v333k 59]

Hi,

I have not applied for naturalization yet, so I am far away from the step you are referring to. However, my understanding is exactly as yours, where natural born USC need to provide a birth cert while naturalized USCs need to provide the naturalization cert.

[Dave&Roza 748]

As I read the official website for the passport it states the following to be used for ID purposes:

"4. Present Identification

STEP 4: Present Identification

When applying for a U.S. passport in person, acceptable identification must be presented at the time of application.

Primary Identification (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. passport

Naturalization Certificate

Valid Driver's License

Current Government ID (city, state or federal)

Current Military ID (military and dependents) "

Sounds like you had two of the above--the Naturalization Certificate and the DL--so you we correct and the lady needs to go back and get trained on what the requirements are for a naturalized citizen.

So relax and wait for your new passport to arrive.

Dave

[ELW 5]

I hope others who applied for passports will add their experience! Hubby plans to get his passport shortly after the Oath Ceremony.

However, I want to add that I agree with the others, the birth certificate should not be necessary. I'm sure all will be OK and you will get the passport and Naturalization certificate back soon. Let us know when you do, please!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You are right. She was wrong.

I applied for my passport with exactly the same type of documents you used. I applied at the Post Office in our area. The application was accepted without a problem. In due course I received back my Naturalization document and my passport card. (My passport didn't show up - but that is a whole other story not related to submitting my application - it went missing in the mail for over a month. I contacted the Passport Office who were great - they cancelled that passport, reissued me another and sent it to me by courier. My 'missing' passport actually showed up the day before the replacement one arrived. The original had been sent Priority Post nearly 6 weeks earlier - the issue was with USPS and not the application).

So, I am not sure what the processing time is currently, but you can follow the status of your passport processing here (this is how I knew it had been mailed back and gone missing): http://travel.state....tatus_2567.html

So, don't worry - you did not need to submit your birth certificate. it was irrelevant to the application

Edited October 27, 2010 by Kathryn41

[NickD 203]

As a natural born US citizen, besides the application, filled out form, photos, they wanted a certified copy of my birth certificate. They also wanted to see my drivers' license as a means of photo identification, to make sure that was me. But thought that was stupid because I got my drivers' license also by showing my birth certificate without any photo identification.

Couldn't help but point that out tot he passport agent that the DMV trusted that birth certificate was mine, but must be a safety factor in that yet another government agency accepted that as proof of who I am. There are no photos on a birth certificate, and even if there was, did change quite a bit since I was a baby in appearance.

With my naturalized wife, all they wanted was her citizenship certificate because that has her photo on it. Again, can't keep my big mouth shut, couldn't help but comment as to why they trust the agent to judge whether that photo is indeed of my wife, but they don't trust her to know whether her certificate is valid or not. Shouldn't we also enclose my wife in that envelop so the agent that determines whether her certificate is valid or not is actually a photo of my wife? So the DOS does trust the agent that the photo on your certificate is correct, but not if that certificate is correct, so you have to risk sending that way overpriced certificate in the mails.

There is also an age requirement when applying for a passport or a drivers's license, the DOS agent was satisfied with the date of birth on my wife's certificate, never asked to see her birth certificate. For both my wife's and step daughters' drivers' license, they were satisfied with the date of birth on their green cards. Ironically, wife's certificate show the printed month, day, and four digit year for her DOB, but the green card uses the mm/dd/yy format that reminded me of all the problems we had back in Y2K changing the year from the two to the four digit year format. But the DMV never wanted to see a birth certificate of my step daughter, but did for all of my US born kids.

Recall the first time I went to the SS office for wifes' and stepdaughters' first SS cards, asked me to bring their foreign passports along for additional photo identification, not quite trusting the USCIS with their photo ID EAD cards, so do they trust foreign governments? But that was only once.

When I first read my stepdaughters' birth certificate, my brain was twisted, her father went into a notary some nine months later with two witnesses, that is child was born on a certain day and that was his daughter. Quite different than ours, where the attending physician signs the birth certificate. See also a foot print of my granddaughters' birth certificate, they weren't doing that when my kids were born not that long ago. Asked my wife about this, wasn't her daughter born in a hospital? Of course she was! Who are these two witnesses? I don't know, were friends of my ex. But that is your daughter, right? Of course she is, saw her when she first came out and kept her. Just a different way to doing something. Maybe this is why background checks took so long.

But to be brief, after the AOS stages, no other government agency ever wanted to see neither my wifes' nor stepdaughters' birth certificates so apparently they trust the USCIS.

I was a bit surprised for my wifes' N-400, they wanted to see my birth certificate, again.