Certified Copy for the Nat. Certificate

[Going through 5,671]

@inqztve hope you can come back and report on what happens when applying for the passport...are you going through a passport agency or just a "regular" post office?

[inqztve 42]

2 hours ago, Going through said:

@inqztve hope you can come back and report on what happens when applying for the passport...are you going through a passport agency or just a "regular" post office?

I will. Just regular post office. My appointment is on the 30th. That's the earliest I could get. And thank you for the support.

[inqztve 42]

So, I submitted my passport application today. The lady at the USPS, while courteous, didn't want to budge on the requirement for the original certificate. I insisted that  it was not a requirement by the State Dept. She decided to call (presumably the State Dept.) to verify my claim. They (whoever was on the phone and I could hear her since she was on speaker phone) confirmed that a certified copy by USCIS is sufficient.  We will see. 

[Going through 5,671]

I don't know if you want to disclose this...I assume your reason for not turning in the original was just the fear of it not being returned (I know it happens on very rare occasions).  Was it some other reason?  

 

This thread did inspire me to get my own true certified copy though (and store it outside of my home) on the off-chance my original ever gets lost/damaged....so thanks for that!  

[inqztve 42]

1 hour ago, Going through said:

I don't know if you want to disclose this...I assume your reason for not turning in the original was just the fear of it not being returned (I know it happens on very rare occasions).  Was it some other reason?  

 

This thread did inspire me to get my own true certified copy though (and store it outside of my home) on the off-chance my original ever gets lost/damaged....so thanks for that!  

Yes, that's pretty accurate description and I feel like I am done with USCIS. . While I didn't have any major issues (except both my initial  green card and naturalization interviews were cancelled because of super storm Sandy back in 2012 and the blizzard this January, what's the odds of that?), I am just done with paperwork, I guess. 

 

Also, I am a stickler for rules. LOL So, if the State Dept. is saying something on their website/instruction they should either abide by it or update the information on their website. I followed all the rules they have set up for me for last 20 years. Shouldn't they follow their own rules?

 

I agree, it's good idea to get a certified true copy, just in case the original get lost or damaged. It's a lot easier to get certified a copy (and it's free) than trying to get a replacement. 

Edited April 30, 2018 by inqztve

[Going through 5,671]

2 hours ago, inqztve said:

Yes, that's pretty accurate description and I feel like I am done with USCIS. . While I didn't have any major issues (except both my initial  green card and naturalization interviews were cancelled because of super storm Sandy back in 2012 and the blizzard this January, what's the odds of that?), I am just done with paperwork, I guess. 

 

Also, I am a stickler for rules. LOL So, if the State Dept. is saying something on their website/instruction they should either abide by it or update the information on their website. I followed all the rules they have set up for me for last 20 years. Shouldn't they follow their own rules?

 

I agree, it's good idea to get a certified true copy, just in case the original get lost or damaged. It's a lot easier to get certified a copy (and it's free) than trying to get a replacement. 

For me, it's a matter of getting a move on and not procrastinating it....like you, I'm done with dealing with bureaucracy for a while---was going through my own N400 last year, in addition to my daughter's proof of citizenship filing in Canada at the same time, so need a break from paperwork and document gathering and appointments for a while lol.

 

 I still have to get my SS status updated too----my card still has the "valid with DHS authorization" stamp on it, as I never updated it long ago, either...NOT looking forward to lining up at the SS office all day, but oh well...has to be done eventually.

[floridadave 195]

On 4/30/2018 at 2:09 PM, inqztve said:

So, I submitted my passport application today. The lady at the USPS, while courteous, didn't want to budge on the requirement for the original certificate. I insisted that  it was not a requirement by the State Dept. She decided to call (presumably the State Dept.) to verify my claim. They (whoever was on the phone and I could hear her since she was on speaker phone) confirmed that a certified copy by USCIS is sufficient.  We will see. 

Well, wish I had seen this thread earlier and my wife and I went through this not long ago.  In any case, I posted my experience on January 30, 2018 in this thread: 

I will copy and paste my response from that thread here:

     "First, on the certified true copy.  I made an appointment with infopass.  Two weeks later at the appointment my wife took the original certificate and a photocopy.  After some confusion, she did get a certified true copy.  The true copy was our photocopy with a big stamp on the back with annotations, certificate number, initials, etc.  They also attached a form letter to the new certified true copy.  Gosh, it looked so good and authoritative.

 

     The wife sent the passport application along with the “certified true copy.”  This was my suggestion because the DOS website’s instructions were written where it could be understood that the true copy was good enough.

Not so, at least for my wife. 

 

     4 weeks after mailing the passport application, w/certified true copy, she received an email, and copy of same in postal mail, requesting the ORIGINAL certificate.  At this point we just caved and sent in the original as the DOS email requested.  4 more weeks later the passport, original certificate and certified true copy were received in the mail within 2 days of each other.  Oh yes, and passport card was received too because she applied for that also.

 

     Total lost time was 6 weeks:  2 weeks for infopass appointment and 4 weeks for DOS to send letter requesting original certificate.

 

Hope this helps.  Good luck!"

 

Hope your experience is more favorable than ours. 

 

How does that song go?  I fought the law and the law won. 

•  

[inqztve 42]

18 minutes ago, floridadave said:

Well, wish I had seen this thread earlier and my wife and I went through this not long ago.  In any case, I posted my experience on January 30, 2018 in this thread: 

I will copy and paste my response from that thread here:

     "First, on the certified true copy.  I made an appointment with infopass.  Two weeks later at the appointment my wife took the original certificate and a photocopy.  After some confusion, she did get a certified true copy.  The true copy was our photocopy with a big stamp on the back with annotations, certificate number, initials, etc.  They also attached a form letter to the new certified true copy.  Gosh, it looked so good and authoritative.

 

     The wife sent the passport application along with the “certified true copy.”  This was my suggestion because the DOS website’s instructions were written where it could be understood that the true copy was good enough.

Not so, at least for my wife. 

 

     4 weeks after mailing the passport application, w/certified true copy, she received an email, and copy of same in postal mail, requesting the ORIGINAL certificate.  At this point we just caved and sent in the original as the DOS email requested.  4 more weeks later the passport, original certificate and certified true copy were received in the mail within 2 days of each other.  Oh yes, and passport card was received too because she applied for that also.

 

     Total lost time was 6 weeks:  2 weeks for infopass appointment and 4 weeks for DOS to send letter requesting original certificate.

 

Hope this helps.  Good luck!"

 

Hope your experience is more favorable than ours. 

 

How does that song go?  I fought the law and the law won. 

•  

I haven't gotten my passport yet but I received notification that it's ready to be mailed with the USPS tracking number. So, I would say I was successful using the certified true copy only.

[floridadave 195]

1 hour ago, inqztve said:

I haven't gotten my passport yet but I received notification that it's ready to be mailed with the USPS tracking number. So, I would say I was successful using the certified true copy only.

Congrats and happy travels!

[IMGRights 0]

@inqztve I am wondering if you were able to obtain passport successfully with true copy of certificate?

[Haideraaz 19]

On 7/16/2018 at 10:26 AM, IMGRights said:

@inqztve I am wondering if you were able to obtain passport successfully with true copy of certificate?

He already answered Yes

[IMGRights 0]

Fantastic! Thanks

[Calikitkat 16]

Please let us know how it went. If you were able to apply for passport with the certified copy rather than the original.