Lost Passport...Interview Coming Up

M

ma0101

Registered Users (C)
Hello Everyone,

I am expecting my citizenship interview soon and I've been reading on the forum that among the things you need to take to the interview is your passport. I started preparing the documents that I will need for the interview and this is when I found that my passport is missing or misplaced. What if I can't find it till my interview date? Any suggestions and advice would be very highly appreciated. Thank you,
 
Your passport is primarily needed to prove that you meet the residency requirements and don't have any extended trips overseas. If you have other ways to prove it, you are OK. If not, look harder for your passport!
 
ma0101 said:
Hello Everyone,

I am expecting my citizenship interview soon and I've been reading on the forum that among the things you need to take to the interview is your passport. I started preparing the documents that I will need for the interview and this is when I found that my passport is missing or misplaced. What if I can't find it till my interview date? Any suggestions and advice would be very highly appreciated. Thank you,
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If you lost your passport explain it to the IO at interview. It won't affect your eligibility for naturalization if you have lost your passport. Residency and travel dates are primarily determined from CBP records, address and employment history, not from stamps that may or not not be in your passport.
 
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Thank you so much for your quick reply. If I don't find my passport, do I need to file a police report?
 
ma0101 said:
Thank you so much for your quick reply. If I don't find my passport, do I need to file a police report?
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Only if you got it stolen. The police doesn't care if you misplaced your passport, although you should contact your embassy to let them know.
 
Is it just me?

Is it just me or do any of you think beeing asylum and losing passport does turn the red light in IO mind on the citizenship interview?
I am not sure if you lost your travel document(s) or NP but you better do more research about it.
Good luck
 
Well to begin with,, I dont think all the IOs are looking for your passport unless there was a reason to ask for it. By default, as a non-immigrant or permanent resident, you are suppose to have a valid passport. If you lost it, you have to notify your consulate and police to get a new one. You lost it,, get a police report and get a replacement but I dont think its a red flag for IOs per se.
 
SunnyJ said:
If you lost it, you have to notify your consulate and police to get a new one. You lost it,, get a police report and get a replacement but I dont think its a red flag for IOs per se.
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Again, you can't fill out a police report for a lost item, only for a stolen item. Just think about it, would you notify the police if you lost your DL as well?No.
 
Well, I guess its different based on where you are from. For the country where I am from, we have to file a police report for lost/stolen passports. In fact, Bellevue Police gladly gave us the report ( and charged $15 for certified copies) based on an officer's statement. Without the police report, the consulate will not issue any new passport, no exceptions. However, my wife didnt have to file a report for her lost British passport. So, its different for different nationalities...
 
If a passport is missing (lost, stolen or misplaced), and you think you won't find it before you get a new one, you'll have to report it lost. Even if you THINK it's in your house, but aren't sure, you should do it.
 
SunnyJ said:
Well to begin with,, I dont think all the IOs are looking for your passport unless there was a reason to ask for it. By default, as a non-immigrant or permanent resident, you are suppose to have a valid passport. If you lost it, you have to notify your consulate and police to get a new one. You lost it,, get a police report and get a replacement but I dont think its a red flag for IOs per se.
Click to expand...

for GC holders, you don't have to have a valid passport. You can have an expired passport for life as long as you don't travel abroad. Please understand that GC and passport is two different things. GC prove you have the rights to live in the US permanently. Passport is for you to travel in and out of this country.

If you really lost or misplaced your passport, you can just inform the IO that you lost it. You just need to tell them the dates and duration of your trips abroad but you are not required to prove them. It's their responsibility to find it out from airline records, employment records, entry records etc.

If you passport is alredy expired when you appy for citizenship, there's no need to renew them unless you need to to travel abroad.

When I apply for my USC 20 yrs ago, I have an expired GC, expired passport. It's all fine. My dad just got his USC 6 month ago and also with an expired GC and expired passport. They don't even look at his passport. Your GC and the date on the back of your GC proves that you met the requirements to apply for citizenship. As long as you swear that your dates and duration of your trips are true and as close as it gets, you shouldn't have any issues.
 
Help help help!

Hello Every one,
I have been a U.S. resident (Green Card Holder) since (November 1998) 11yrs now and in my first 4 yrs lived in the United states and worked here but in the last 8 i have travelled a lot and in order to apply for my citizenship i need to fill the dates i have travelled in my form but honestly i have lost my pasport that shows my travel itenery before 2007.

Now i want to apply for my citizenship and do not know what to do on that part of the form that says my travel dates and i do not want to guess or lie so am confused. I know i need to fill my itenery for the last 5 yrs but honesytly i can only account for 3 out of 5yrs. Can i contact the cbp to furnish me the details before i fill or do i leave it blank?

Secondly, since i have been a resident for 11yrs can i be evaluated on the babsis of 11yrs instead of 5yrs?

Please someone help me, I need to submit this form that is like a weight on my neck cause i have bought the money orders and am ready to post it.
 
They only care about your travel in the last 5 years, even if you have been a permanent resident for 10 or 20 years. If you have been married to a US citizen for the past 3 years and are applying with the 3 year rule, they only care about your travel for the last 3 years.

For the trips before 2007, you should dig up old emails, hotel reservations, phone bills, boarding passes, etc. to reconstruct the travel dates to the best of your ability. Then write the approximate dates, explaining in the interview that the pre-2007 dates are approximate. You can also contact CBP, but I'm not sure how long it will take them to give you the info.
 
Jackolantern said:
They only care about your travel in the last 5 years, even if you have been a permanent resident for 10 or 20 years. If you have been married to a US citizen for the past 3 years and are applying with the 3 year rule, they only care about your travel for the last 3 years.

For the trips before 2007, you should dig up old emails, hotel reservations, phone bills, boarding passes, etc. to reconstruct the travel dates to the best of your ability. Then write the approximate dates, explaining in the interview that the pre-2007 dates are approximate. You can also contact CBP, but I'm not sure how long it will take them to give you the info.
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You can also check your frequent flyer mileage statements or check with the travel agent if you went through a consolidator.
 
bestpal said:
for GC holders, you don't have to have a valid passport. You can have an expired passport for life as long as you don't travel abroad. Please understand that GC and passport is two different things. GC prove you have the rights to live in the US permanently. Passport is for you to travel in and out of this country.

If you really lost or misplaced your passport, you can just inform the IO that you lost it. You just need to tell them the dates and duration of your trips abroad but you are not required to prove them. It's their responsibility to find it out from airline records, employment records, entry records etc.

If you passport is alredy expired when you appy for citizenship, there's no need to renew them unless you need to to travel abroad.

When I apply for my USC 20 yrs ago, I have an expired GC, expired passport. It's all fine. My dad just got his USC 6 month ago and also with an expired GC and expired passport. They don't even look at his passport. Your GC and the date on the back of your GC proves that you met the requirements to apply for citizenship. As long as you swear that your dates and duration of your trips are true and as close as it gets, you shouldn't have any issues.
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National Passport is a required document which will be listed in your interview letter. Besides the travel dates, IO may use the passport for confirm name spelling (was my case) and other needs. It is up to USCIS to determine how to use national passport info. If lost, to be on a safe side, make sure you have a police report or other form of formal report from embassy/etc.
 
bestpal said:
for GC holders, you don't have to have a valid passport. You can have an expired passport for life as long as you don't travel abroad. Please understand that GC and passport is two different things. GC prove you have the rights to live in the US permanently. Passport is for you to travel in and out of this country.

If you really lost or misplaced your passport, you can just inform the IO that you lost it. You just need to tell them the dates and duration of your trips abroad but you are not required to prove them. It's their responsibility to find it out from airline records, employment records, entry records etc.

If you passport is alredy expired when you appy for citizenship, there's no need to renew them unless you need to to travel abroad.

When I apply for my USC 20 yrs ago, I have an expired GC, expired passport. It's all fine. My dad just got his USC 6 month ago and also with an expired GC and expired passport. They don't even look at his passport. Your GC and the date on the back of your GC proves that you met the requirements to apply for citizenship. As long as you swear that your dates and duration of your trips are true and as close as it gets, you shouldn't have any issues.
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What if I did not travel abroad?
 
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