Passport process and required docs for new US Citizens

[RunTheRoad 75]

25 minutes ago, Henry357 said:

None of the makes sense. 
 

You can get a passport in 1-2 days right now at a passport agency office in an emergency.  But you can’t if you mailed off your certificate.  You are screwed in an emergency and will be waiting months. 
 

Also how does parting with your one evidence of citizenship for months make sense if your worried about proving your status to law enforcement. 

The only logical use case is that you plan to go to Mexico or some island in 3 months but think the virus will be so bad that DOS will not hit phase 3. 

 

I read somewhere else in this forum that they have now started processing applications from March/April on a First In, First Out basis. With more staff returning to work, this is likely to be stepped up. Also, not every one needs an expedited. In some cases, like mine, for example, if you have family in a country that does not have visa-free entry for US Citizens, you would also need a visa for which you need an US passport. And the visa typically takes up to a week to get issued. These things add up to significant delays. The way I see it: if you are not expecting to run into sudden travel plans, it makes sense to send in your passport application, wait the few weeks/months needed to get it back, then apply for any other visa and have that box checked off, so that when the world opens up again, you are ready to go. Unless, of course, the virus has other plans. In which case, you are already ahead in the First In, First Out thing. 

[Henry357 70]

2 minutes ago, jan22 said:

Might not make sense to you....but it doesn't have to.   It is perfectly normal for a newly naturalized citizen to want to apply for/get a passport as soon as possible.

 

Not everyone lives close to a passport agency and/or can't afford to travel there while also needing to pay for a last-minute international flight in an emergency, so want to to have the passport in hand.   

 

And, for passport renewals, your expiring passport is not your only proof of citizenship; you have the original certificate and, in many cases along the border, a passport card.  For first time applicants, they should have a copy of the naturalization certificate to show while they explain the original is with the passport agency.

 

Probably have let this stray too far from the original question -- I really just wanted to clarify the mis-information on the Washington Passport Agency.

You will not be travelling on any last minute flight if your docs are in some lock box somewhere.  

 

Go to flyertalk and look at what people that actually are travelling are doing, people are completely SOL, DOS can’t even give them a tracking number because the application is sitting in some lockbox somewhere.   Congress is getting involved being people need passports for business and DOS can’t find passport applications.  It’s a mess.

I don’t see a case to apply. 

 

 

[jan22 3,053]

2 minutes ago, Henry357 said:

. . .

I don’t see a case to apply. 

 

 

And that's fine for you.  Some people, obviously, view it differently and have their own reasons that we will never know --  and may never agree with -- but it's their decision to make without anyone questioning why they are doing it.

[Henry357 70]

1 minute ago, jan22 said:

And that's fine for you.  Some people, obviously, view it differently and have their own reasons that we will never know --  and may never agree with -- but it's their decision to make without anyone questioning why they are doing it.

Lol - okay.  Just trying to understand the rush to apply.   It’s definitely not for travel...

[RunTheRoad 75]

11 minutes ago, Henry357 said:

You will not be travelling on any last minute flight if your docs are in some lock box somewhere.  

 

Go to flyertalk and look at what people that actually are travelling are doing, people are completely SOL, DOS can’t even give them a tracking number because the application is sitting in some lockbox somewhere.   Congress is getting involved being people need passports for business and DOS can’t find passport applications.  It’s a mess.

I don’t see a case to apply. 

 

 

We are up against a virus that no one has any clue about. It is not too far out to think Phase 3 may be indefinitely delayed. If you apply through the normal process, at least you are somewhere in a queue and there is some movement happening. Now that  Phase 2 is slowly opening up, I would think it wiser to at least get your foot in the door. Plus, I think people just hate the uncertainty of the waiting game and getting your passport application in gives you a sense of 'I am doing something'.

Edited July 18, 2020 by RunTheRoad

[Henry357 70]

9 minutes ago, RunTheRoad said:

We are up against a virus that no one has any clue about. It is not too far out to think Phase 3 may be indefinitely delayed. If you apply through the normal process, at least you are somewhere in a queue and there is some movement happening. Now that  Phase 2 is slowly opening up, I would think it wiser to at least get your foot in the door. Plus, I think people just hate the uncertainty of the waiting game and getting your passport application in gives you a sense of 'I am doing something'.

If the virus is so bad that phase 3 is indefinitely delayed than no one is opening boarders for Americans.  Congress is pushing them very hard to sort this mess out.   On the other hand if there is a VAX, phase 3 will start and I will be the first inline to bypass everyone by mail. (I’ll need to travel for work ASAP) 
 

A rush to get passports during a global pandemic just seems odd to me.  But I get it, people without the need to travel in the next few months just apply because they want to. My theory is that they miss USCIS abuse and heard about the mess at DOS.

[RunTheRoad 75]

10 minutes ago, Henry357 said:

If the virus is so bad that phase 3 is indefinitely delayed than no one is opening boarders for Americans.  

May not be really the case. A US citizen just has to do mandatory  14-day quarantine in the arriving country (in some cases) and quarantined only if showing symptoms in other countries. 

10 minutes ago, Henry357 said:

 

Congress is pushing them very hard to sort this mess out.   On the other hand if there is a VAX, phase 3 will start and I will be the first inline to bypass everyone by mail. (I’ll need to travel for work ASAP) 

 The operative word is IF. The way things are going, the VAX looks like a very distant possibility right now. At least not till 2020 goes away. Full marks to your optimism, though! You would still need to figure out the IF NOT  
 

A rush to get passports during a global pandemic just seems odd to me.  But I get it, people without the need to travel in the next few months just apply because they want to. My theory is that they miss USCIS abuse and heard about the mess at DOS.

I don't think anyone is rushing, they couldn't even if they wanted to. It is just a case of getting behind everyone in line and waiting. Because the other options do not exist at this point of time and never may.

10 minutes ago, Henry357 said:

 

 

[Georgia16 2,858]

2 hours ago, Suze1 said:

@Georgia16 In fact, the copies are so high res, we though about taking them to SSA to update their records....

Thought about it...but they are closed....so....we will wait...all back of the bus...for now.... lol

I would take copies too with this wait times they have plus it’s nice to have! 
Hopefully you get it back very soon without it being folded and all kinds of things! Keep us updated! 

[Mollie09 1,543]

1 hour ago, Henry357 said:

Lol - okay.  Just trying to understand the rush to apply.   It’s definitely not for travel...

All countries are still accepting their citizens (with or without quarantine on arrival) so dual citizens can travel. So it can 100% be for travel.

[Suze1 366]

1 hour ago, Georgia16 said:

Keep us updated!

Yes. Hopefully.

Will do...

[Scandi 4,166]

1 hour ago, Mollie09 said:

All countries are still accepting their citizens (with or without quarantine on arrival) so dual citizens can travel. So it can 100% be for travel.

Agreed. If I was a US citizen I would need a US passport to vitis my family in Sweden right now. I would easily get into Sweden with my Swedish passport, of course, but the airline wouldn't let me go back to the US without a US passport (as we all know there are also restrictions for Schengen countries to travel to the US right now, with a few exceptions). 

[Mollie09 1,543]

49 minutes ago, Scandi said:

Agreed. If I was a US citizen I would need a US passport to vitis my family in Sweden right now. I would easily get into Sweden with my Swedish passport, of course, but the airline wouldn't let me go back to the US without a US passport (as we all know there are also restrictions for Schengen countries to travel to the US right now, with a few exceptions). 

I'm a dual citizen and could travel back and forth. Though considering it would be between the two countries with the worst Covid handling in the world, I'm not going to do that.

[HRQX 4,145]

2 hours ago, Scandi said:

but the airline wouldn't let me go back to the US without a US passport

Note that the US Embassy in Stockholm can issue first time passports if the Naturalization Certificate is presented: https://se.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/apply-for-a-passport-in-person/ "STEP 2: Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship" tab

If you are applying for a passport for the first time, you may submit one of the following:

• Certified U.S. birth certificate issued by the city, county or state;
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad; 
• Naturalization Certificate;
• Certificate of Citizenship.

[HRQX 4,145]

10 hours ago, Scandi said:

I don't see anything about mailing anything or going to DC, only submitting in person to a passport station?

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html

Look at "How will my completed passport book and/or card be sent to me?" tab on that page. It references getting your original "citizenship documents" back in a separate mailing.

 

Passport Book Only: You may receive your newly-issued passport and your citizenship documents in two separate mailings. Please contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) if you do not receive a second mailing within 10 business days of receiving the first. We can send your passport book via a 1-2 day delivery service.

Passport Card Only: You may receive your newly-issued passport card and your citizenship documents in two separate mailings. Please contact NPIC if you do not receive a second mailing within 10 business days of receiving the first. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards via 1-2 day delivery services.

Passport Book and Card: You may receive three separate mailings; one with your citizenship documents, one with your newly-issued passport book, and one with your newly-issued passport card. Please contact NPIC if you do not receive the second or third mailing within 10 business days of the previous mailing.

[Scandi 4,166]

32 minutes ago, HRQX said:

Note that the US Embassy in Stockholm can issue first time passports if the Naturalization Certificate is presented: https://se.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/apply-for-a-passport-in-person/ "STEP 2: Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship" tab

If you are applying for a passport for the first time, you may submit one of the following:

• Certified U.S. birth certificate issued by the city, county or state;
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad; 
• Naturalization Certificate;
• Certificate of Citizenship.

I'm not even a citizen yet so this is not an issue at all, this is just what the thread evolved I to. I just wanted to know about the process here in the US once I'm at that point. And I have no plans on ever going anywhere near Stockholm ever in my life again, the visa interview was the first and only time, and that was enough. 😂

27 minutes ago, HRQX said:

Look at "How will my completed passport book and/or card be sent to me?" tab on that page. It references getting your original "citizenship documents" back in a separate mailing.

 

Passport Book Only: You may receive your newly-issued passport and your citizenship documents in two separate mailings. Please contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) if you do not receive a second mailing within 10 business days of receiving the first. We can send your passport book via a 1-2 day delivery service.

Passport Card Only: You may receive your newly-issued passport card and your citizenship documents in two separate mailings. Please contact NPIC if you do not receive a second mailing within 10 business days of receiving the first. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards via 1-2 day delivery services.

Passport Book and Card: You may receive three separate mailings; one with your citizenship documents, one with your newly-issued passport book, and one with your newly-issued passport card. Please contact NPIC if you do not receive the second or third mailing within 10 business days of the previous mailing.

It has already been established that I don't need to mail anything, the local passport center will fix all that for me. Thanks anyway.

Edited July 19, 2020 by Scandi