Internation travel without U.S. Passport

[John951 54]

Hi all,

 

My wife passed her n400 interview and was sworn in the same day. She is traveling on March 12, but when they swore her in the workers kept the green card. My question is, can she return to the USA with her foreign passport that has her maiden name, our marriage cert and use her naturalization cert as proof of citizenship? I cannot find an answer to this scenario on the USCIS website.

[OldUser 6,979]

3 minutes ago, John951 said:

Hi all,

 

My wife passed her n400 interview and was sworn in the same day. She is traveling on March 12, but when they swore her in the workers kept the green card. My question is, can she return to the USA with her foreign passport that has her maiden name, our marriage cert and use her naturalization cert as proof of citizenship? I cannot find an answer to this scenario on the USCIS website.

No, she cannot. She won't be allowed to board a plane to return to the US.

 

By law US citizens must use US passport to leave and enter the US.

 

Did she apply for emergency US passport (if qualified)?

 

 

Edited February 4 by OldUser

[Lil bear 4,258]

10 minutes ago, John951 said:

Hi all,

 

My wife passed her n400 interview and was sworn in the same day. She is traveling on March 12, but when they swore her in the workers kept the green card. My question is, can she return to the USA with her foreign passport that has her maiden name, our marriage cert and use her naturalization cert as proof of citizenship? I cannot find an answer to this scenario on the USCIS website.

No she cannot.
 

Apply for a passport through the urgent travel option .. messy and time consuming depending on how close you live to the nearest passport center that has an appointment available. Appts can only be made within 14 days of the travel … or apply now through the usual method and expedite but be prepared  to not travel if the passport doesn't come in time 

[John951 54]

17 minutes ago, OldUser said:

No, she cannot. She won't be allowed to board a plane to return to the US.

 

By law US citizens must use US passport to leave and enter the US.

 

Did she apply for emergency US passport (if qualified)?

 

 

We cannot do emergency travel since it is 5 weeks out. I have an appointment for her on Wednesday and from reading, the only option is to expedite processing and pay for faster shipping to and from. I did not foresee the keeping of the GC, got me with that curveball.

[John951 54]

10 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

No she cannot.
 

Apply for a passport through the urgent travel option .. messy and time consuming depending on how close you live to the nearest passport center that has an appointment available. Appts can only be made within 14 days of the travel … or apply now through the usual method and expedite but be prepared  to not travel if the passport doesn't come in time 

its 5 weeks out, I live an hour away from the agency office, so it would not have been an issue.

[OldUser 6,979]

2 minutes ago, John951 said:

We cannot do emergency travel since it is 5 weeks out. I have an appointment for her on Wednesday and from reading, the only option is to expedite processing and pay for faster shipping to and from. I did not foresee the keeping of the GC, got me with that curveball.

Everything is logical. She's no longer an LPR, she's a citizen.

 

Let us know how it goes. If she cannot get passport in time, maybe the trip can be moved?

[John951 54]

3 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Everything is logical. She's no longer an LPR, she's a citizen.

 

Let us know how it goes. If she cannot get passport in time, maybe the trip can be moved?

costly changes for moves.

 

I see an additional option on the passport for expediting. It says if you have already applied for a passport, you can pay to have it expedited. What I'm thinking is, if I pay for expedited service and shipping to and from, and it comes to within 5 days of travel, I can try this option to elevate the expediency again.

 

I'll update y'all the 2nd week of March on what happened.

 

 

 

[John951 54]

@OldUser @Lil bear Or, should we wait for 14 days from and expedite at an agency?

[JaredShadkin 65]

Checkout CIBT Visas. They can expedite U.S passports in as little as 24 hours for emergencies, or less than One Week for non-emergencies/general. 

Extremely happy with their services. Have used them many times over the years. 

[SalishSea 17,970]

22 minutes ago, JaredShadkin said:

Checkout CIBT Visas. They can expedite U.S passports in as little as 24 hours for emergencies, or less than One Week for non-emergencies/general. 

Extremely happy with their services. Have used them many times over the years. 

No agency can expedite beyond what an individual can expedite.  All US passports are processed via the US Passport Agency, Dept of State.  

 

Just like RapidVisa et al cannot expedite visas beyond what an individual applicant can do.

[Lil bear 4,258]

10 hours ago, John951 said:

@OldUser @Lil bear Or, should we wait for 14 days from and expedite at an agency?

I would be applying now and paying for the expedite.. if it has not arrived 14 days prior to departure date , then she can get an appt at the passport office. But it might come through.. and of it does, then you will have saved yourself the hassle and round trip 

[Free Man 119]

I will apply the passport then contact your congress/senator office with a proof of your travel plans. 

[OldUser 6,979]

2 hours ago, Free Man said:

I will apply the passport then contact your congress/senator office with a proof of your travel plans. 

By the time congress / senator office responds, OP would be already travelling

[jztelemark 19]

It only took my wife two weeks to get her passport after Naturalizing at the end of last November. Another vote to apply now and pay to expedite the application. She also got her naturalization certificate back three weeks after applying for her passport.  

[Pleasework89 47]

Not sure how close you are to either border (Mexico or Canada) but you can exit and enter through them as a US citizen with your naturalization certificate and state ID or just your (enhanced/real ID) and use the other foreign passport (she is a dual national, right?) at the Mexican/Canadian airport to go to the other country. That is an alternative if you have fixed travel plans and flexibility on flights with no US passport.