raevsky, I think we are confusing each other more and more. I think for Giovanni the choices are still about the same. Perhaps more inclined to N-400 now, or talk to a good lawyer. Anyway, I think this is one other reason I didn't wait any time to apply for a certificate of citizenship for my child (who derived citizenship through the child citizenship act of 2000) after we (the parents) naturalized. Laws change over time, people forget how the old law was applied, everything gets murkier. If someone reads this and has a child in this situation it might make sense to save the child some problems and get passports as soon as possible and consider obtaining a certificate of citizenship sooner rather than later. Not because it is better than a passport, just that documenting the case and getting an IO that understands the issue might be more difficult if a certificate needs to be obtained two decades down the road.