Missing information on Citizenship Certificate

[Jeanbeans]

I went to apply for a passport, only to be told I couldn't apply for one because my citizenship certificate was missing my birthdate and my country of birth. How could they just have forgotten to type this information in? I was only 16 when I got the certificate, so I partly blame my careless teenage self for not double checking. I have proof of my birth date & country of birth. I called immigration and they are telling me to file a replacement which can take 6 months. Also have to pay the ridiculous filing fee if I cannot prove that it was their error.

I need to get a passport within the next 2 months. Has this happened to anyone here, or anyone you know? Is there any way around this? Can I just type it in myself? Please help

 

[Vorpal]

I went to apply for a passport, only to be told I couldn't apply for one because my citizenship certificate was missing my birthdate and my country of birth. How could they just have forgotten to type this information in? I was only 16 when I got the certificate, so I partly blame my careless teenage self for not double checking. I have proof of my birth date & country of birth. I called immigration and they are telling me to file a replacement which can take 6 months. Also have to pay the ridiculous filing fee if I cannot prove that it was their error.

I need to get a passport within the next 2 months. Has this happened to anyone here, or anyone you know? Is there any way around this? Can I just type it in myself? Please help

Since you were 16 when you received your certificate, would I be correct to assume that you became a citizen when your parent(s) took their oaths? If yes, you can use their naturalization certificates to obtain a passport.

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT type the information in yourself. Not only will it invalidate the certificate (truthfully, it doesn't seem valid to begin with, as it's missing crucial information), but there's a good chance that it may be considered a forgery.

 

[Jeanbeans]

Since you were 16 when you received your certificate, would I be correct to assume that you became a citizen when your parent(s) took their oaths? If yes, you can use their naturalization certificates to obtain a passport.

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT type the information in yourself. Not only will it invalidate the certificate (truthfully, it doesn't seem valid to begin with, as it's missing crucial information), but there's a good chance that it may be considered a forgery.

Hi Vorpal,

Thank you so much for your response. I don't think I got my citizenship at the same time my mom took her oath (not sure if that matters) but yes, I did get it because my mom became a citizen. I am reading up on this online and I do see that parents are allowed to apply for a passport for their child. This is okay even though I am now over 18?

 

[Jeanbeans]

Never mind, I am looking at the application now, and it says I can claim citizenship with my parents naturalization certificate as long as I have my green card and birth certificate (which I think I have!). There is a light at the end of the tunnel, after all.

 

[Vorpal]

Never mind, I am looking at the application now, and it says I can claim citizenship with my parents naturalization certificate as long as I have my green card and birth certificate (which I think I have!). There is a light at the end of the tunnel, after all.

Go ahead and apply for the passport with your mom's certificate. However, I strongly suggest obtaining a corrected copy of your citizenship certificate some time down the line. It's the only non-expiring proof of citizenship you can obtain, so it's always a good idea to have it. Since it appears that the omissions on your original certificate resulted from a USCIS error, they may even waive the fee.

On a side note, despite the fact that you may not have received your citizenship certificate on the same day your mom took her oath, you became a citizen on the same day.

 

[Jeanbeans]

Go ahead and apply for the passport with your mom's certificate. However, I strongly suggest obtaining a corrected copy of your citizenship certificate some time down the line. It's the only non-expiring proof of citizenship you can obtain, so it's always a good idea to have it. Since it appears that the omissions on your original certificate resulted from a USCIS error, they may even waive the fee.

On a side note, despite the fact that you may not have received your citizenship certificate on the same day your mom took her oath, you became a citizen on the same day.

Yes, definitely going to send it in to get fixed. I am still so upset that they forgot (more upset at myself for not catching it) and cannot afford to put out a few hundred right now for the filing fee if for some reason they don't accept fault. Thank you again though. You have been such a great help!!