Have to give up Certificate of Naturalization when apply for Passport ??

[andy78 178]

13 hours ago, Leo7777 said:

The worry is with no Certificate and no passport . . . there can be no international travel !!!

There can be no international travel travel for a US citizen from and to the US without a US passport. The certificate of naturalization is not a travel document.

Edited March 3, 2019 by andy78

[Dashinka 24,491]

9 hours ago, Leo7777 said:

less than 2-3 weeks

I have urgent international travel plans. Example: you're traveling overseas on June 22. Beginning June 1, you should schedule an appointment at a passport agency or center that is on June 8 or later. You can only go to the actual appointment within 2 weeks of international travel (or 4 weeks if you need a visa).

Expedited

Make an appointment at a passport agency or center (bring proof of travel)

 

 

There are no Passport Agency or Center within driving distance of us. 

And, you have to bring proof of travel which means buying your plane ticket before you even know if you will have Passport in time to travel.

 

Less than 4-6 weeks

(No reason needed)

Expedited

Expedite at an acceptance facility or expedite a renewal by mail

 

With this option you pay $60 extra plus up charge for quick mailing and return.

 

But notice:  This only gives you Passport before a 4-6 weeks period concludes . . . hardly anything expedited about that !!!

 

As I have bemoaned before . . . at the end of this process when things should be going very nicely . . . we are actually in worse situation travel wise than when had student visas, and first 2 year green card.

As to the bold part, this is not exactly true at least for the Detroit passport office.  My wife went down to apply for her passport the day after her oath ceremony with no appointment and plans to travel in the next three weeks, but no tickets purchased yet.  She was allowed to apply and since it was within 30 days of her oath, they did not keep her naturalization certificate, instead, then made a copy of it and had a supervisor approve the copy.  We also paid to expedite it and she had her passport in three days. 

[jkstark 97]

Take a look at the topic for passport timelines here - you'll quickly find that the times that are provided (4-6 weeks) are not very accurate, and typically you'll see your passport sooner than that.

 

Also - it is *technically* possible to send a "Certified True Copy" of your naturalization certificate - there is some evidence of it working, and some of it not going as expected.  You can certainly try that but make sure that the "certified true copy" you receive from the USCIS (which has to be done via an Infopass appointment at a later date than your naturalization ceremony) is done correctly - including a raised seal on the copy.  I received a "certified true copy" that was not done right by the USCIS office, and had to go back again a second time for a completely different purpose that I needed a copy of the certificate...

[kris&me 572]

scary even for a natural born USC when 1st applying for a passport as they ask us to send original birth certificate and i hated to send this in the mail

but all this is returned 

when applying for renewal they only need the old passport

my old one was also returned about a month later and i was happy they sent it back as it had all my travel stamps to Ecuador

[Dashinka 24,491]

3 minutes ago, kris&me said:

scary even for a natural born USC when 1st applying for a passport as they ask us to send original birth certificate and i hated to send this in the mail

but all this is returned 

when applying for renewal they only need the old passport

my old one was also returned about a month later and i was happy they sent it back as it had all my travel stamps to Ecuador

Not really, first of all, no one actually has their original birth certificate, and if someone loses the certified copy they sent in, it is not usually difficult or expensive to get another.

 

[Sarah&Facundo 595]

But even USCs like myself can't travel when without our passports. When I renewed mine two years ago, I also couldn't travel for a few weeks. 

[Leo7777 243]

Thanks for all who replied.

Not doubting at all that many have been able to obtain quick passports following procedures that are in direct conflict with what USCIS and State Department websites say.

 

But just for refresher, I will relay what those sites say.

 

You must apply in person using Form DS-11 if at least one of the following is true:

• You are applying for your first U.S. passport

- - - - - - -

 

Make an appointment here to apply at a passport agency (there are only a limited number of these places and for many of us, they are not within a doable distance), if:

• You are traveling internationally within 2 weeks or need a foreign visa within 4 weeks
• You can show proof of your international travel

- - - - - - - -

 

Call us to make an appointment for emergency passport service in case of a life-or-death emergency within 72 hours (3 days).

You must provide:

• A passport application with supporting documents
• Proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary, or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional. Documents should be translated or in English.
• Proof of international travel (itinerary)

- - - - - - - - - 

 

Thinking of using a courier company? Here are a few things you should know:

• These companies do not operate as a part of the U.S. Department of State. 
• You will not receive your passport any faster than you would if you applied in person at a Passport Agency.
• Courier companies charge additional fees for their services.
• You are are still required to appear in person at an acceptance facility if applying on Form DS-11, even when using a courier service.

- - - - - - - - - 

If you can wait possibly up to 4-6 weeks;  sure it 'might' come sooner.

 

Less than 4-6 weeks

(No reason needed)

Expedited

Expedite at an acceptance facility or expedite a renewal by mail

 

 

Note:  I am fully aware that we are in the same boat as every one else and that people who have been USA citizens all their life face the same time tables for getting first USA passport.

[Leo7777 243]

14 hours ago, carmel34 said:

If you need a passport quickly, do some online research.  There are passport agencies that you can send your paperwork to via FedEx overnight, and you can get a passport in 2 days.  I've done this before from an isolated, rural location.

Thanks Carmel.  I have already done much, much online research.

Below is some.

 

Thinking of using a courier company? Here are a few things you should know:

• These companies do not operate as a part of the U.S. Department of State. 
• You will not receive your passport any faster than you would if you applied in person at a Passport Agency.
• Courier companies charge additional fees for their services.
• You are are still required to appear in person at an acceptance facility if applying on Form DS-11, even when using a courier service.
• - - - - - - 

If a person gets passport in 2 days using private courier company, that company deals with the official government Passport Agency and your application must meet same criteria as would be required if you appeared at Passport Agency yourself.

i.e.

 

Call us to make an appointment for emergency passport service in case of a life-or-death emergency within 72 hours (3 days).

You must provide:

• A passport application with supporting documents
• Proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary, or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional. Documents should be translated or in English.
• Proof of international travel (itinerary)

[jellybean123 1]

I never got my naturalization certificate back, so for your own piece of mind I recommend doing everything possible to avoid sending it off whether that be a certified copy or using a passport agency. I am now kicking myself for blindly trusting USPS with over $500.

Edited March 3, 2019 by jellybean123

[Leo7777 243]

44 minutes ago, jellybean123 said:

I never got my naturalization certificate back, so for your own piece of mind I recommend doing everything possible to avoid sending it off whether that be a certified copy or using a passport agency. I am now kicking myself for blindly trusting USPS with over $500.

Jellybean, can you elaborate?

What was the $500 and how was it wasted or lost?

If you were successful in getting USA passport, you don't actually need Certificate ever again . . . right ?  Although you might feel it's nice to have.

Or did that Certificate get lost in mail and you never got passport either?

 

And, as I understand it, there is no alternative to giving your Certificate up to either US post office or private passport expediter because it must be with the application when it is reviewed for passport issuance.

[geowrian 22,337]

10 hours ago, andy78 said:

There can be no international travel travel for a US citizen from and to the US without a US passport.

Generally, yes. But there are some exceptions such as traveling by land to Canada.

What is required is a valid travel document, which is typically satisfied with a passport (especially when traveling by air).

 

[ThomasNC1988 762]

Geez OP. You have a problem for every solution. Just apply for the passport with expedited processing and you will have it very quickly. I applied for mine expedited 1.5 years ago and had it in my hands 8 days after applying. I know processing times fluctuate, but it's just an example. Believe it or not you are not the first person to deal with this.

[Leo7777 243]

7 minutes ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

Geez OP. You have a problem for every solution. Just apply for the passport with expedited processing and you will have it very quickly. I applied for mine expedited 1.5 years ago and had it in my hands 8 days after applying. I know processing times fluctuate, but it's just an example. Believe it or not you are not the first person to deal with this.

Thomas, thanks for your comments.

If you read my posts carefully you will see that I fully admit that others have had the same problems that we have and that even US citizens applying for first passport have same situation.

 

And, I am not creating a problem for every solution.  When people tell me of a suggested solution, I merely point out to them how that will not work for my wife.  I am not creating a new problem for the solution, just showing how the suggested solution is not applicable.

If I were  more clever, I probably could have listed all the problems in first post, then it wouldn't seem like I was presenting a new problem for each offered solution.

But unfortunately, I couldn't foresee all the suggested solutions, thus could not present the actual problems prior to suggested solutions.

 

Thus, your suggested solution does not help in her situation, even as it helped in your situation.  You would have to read her situation carefully as I posted to understand this . . . but I realize most do not have the time to waste reading details about other person's situations.

[SalishSea 17,820]

10 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

And, you have to bring proof of travel which means buying your plane ticket before you even know if you will have Passport in time to travel.

So not true.

[ThomasNC1988 762]

Lol OP come on man. You are making this way harder than it has to be. Copy pasta all the sites you want, but here are your options of which people use everyday.

 

2 months- regular application

 

2 weeks- expedited application

 

2 days- courier service

 

1 day- fly to the processing center

 

Other than that say a prayer to the passport gods. What's the rush anyway, you said you haven't purchased tickets.