parents naturalized when i was 10

GOT MY PASSPORT IN THE MAIL TODAY. No marriage certificate needed.

so am i technically a us citizen now?
You've been a citizen since your parents naturalized. The passport is just official recognition of the citizenship you already had since you were 10 years old.

do i go to the swearing in ceremony for citizens? do i even need to get the certificate of citizenship?

If you apply for the citizenship certificate, there will be a mini-oath when you go to pick up the certificate.

It's not necessary to get the citizenship certificate, but it's still valuable to have it so you have a non-expiring citizenship document that is completely independent of your parents, which will also show that your citizenship began in 1988 and not 2012. Without your own certificate, you may have to rely on your parent's documents again if your passport is lost or stolen. And the fact that the citizenship certificate doesn't expire could be useful if you're in a situation where you need to prove your citizenship (for example, driver's license or voter registration) and there is a delay in renewing/replacing your passport (or you simply don't want to spend the money to renew your passport).
 
GOT MY PASSPORT IN THE MAIL TODAY. No marriage certificate needed.

so am i technically a us citizen now? do i go to the swearing in ceremony for citizens? do i even need to get the certificate of citizenship?

Thanks to this forum for all the help!



Congrats sctrojan!!! That's awesome.

Do you mind sharing exactly what documents that you sent in for your passport (i know you listed out what you thought you needed to send in earlier but curious to know what the final documents you actually sent in consisted of)? And did you go through your local post office for this (sent documents through local post office and spoke to post office rep regarding requirements)? You mentioned that you spoke with a US Passport official earlier, so I assumed you didn't speak to a post office official (doubt they would know much in this area). Apparently NYC has a passport office but apparently I'm not "supposed" to schedule an appointment unless i'm looking to get a passport to travel with within the next 2 weeks, so curious as to what number/office you called. Thanks.
 
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Congrats sctrojan!!! That's awesome.

Do you mind sharing exactly what documents that you sent in for your passport (i know you listed out what you thought you needed to send in earlier but curious to know what the final documents you actually sent in consisted of)? And did you go through your local post office for this (sent documents through local post office and spoke to post office rep regarding requirements)? You mentioned that you spoke with a US Passport official earlier, so I assumed you didn't speak to a post office official (doubt they would know much in this area). Apparently NYC has a passport office but apparently I'm not "supposed" to schedule an appointment unless i'm looking to get a passport to travel with within the next 2 weeks, so curious as to what number/office you called. Thanks.

The number I called was just a customer service number.

make appointment with post office

walked in and gave the lady the following papers. she didnt know much about it.. she even told me that i didnt need both parents citizenship papers. this was not true and caused a 3 week delay for me.

give the post office the items below.

mother and fathers citizenship papers (originals)
my green card - original
my original birth certificate
my birth certificate translated and signed by notary public

proof that i was living in USAat same time my parents were naturalized as citizens ( i used public school records for this..just went to my elementary school district and they dug it up and made copies. they match the address i have on record to the address on the citizenship papers) - so my parents got naturalized in 1989.. i was living with them and my school recoirrds show i was i school at the same address . also i was under 18 at the time too. must be under 18 at time or wont work.

Thats all I sent them.
 
The number I called was just a customer service number.

make appointment with post office

walked in and gave the lady the following papers. she didnt know much about it.. she even told me that i didnt need both parents citizenship papers. this was not true and caused a 3 week delay for me.

give the post office the items below.

mother and fathers citizenship papers (originals)
my green card - original
my original birth certificate
my birth certificate translated and signed by notary public

proof that i was living in USAat same time my parents were naturalized as citizens ( i used public school records for this..just went to my elementary school district and they dug it up and made copies. they match the address i have on record to the address on the citizenship papers) - so my parents got naturalized in 1989.. i was living with them and my school recoirrds show i was i school at the same address . also i was under 18 at the time too. must be under 18 at time or wont work.

Thats all I sent them.



Thanks SC, I should be able to get everything you listed with the exception of my birth certificate........my mom says she might not have it anymore so not sure what to do about that except turn her house upside down to try to find it assuming it still exists. By the way, how long did the processing take once you sent in all the required documents? Also, have you yet traveled outside the country and come back in with the US Passport? I'm wondering if Immigration sees an issue if at one time you came back from a trip with a green card and now you have a US Passport with no record within USCIS that you have been "naturalized" or "certified" even though by law you are a US Citizen.

BTW, when you received the passport did you receive all of the other documentation you provided back from them? Including the green card?
 
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Thanks SC, I should be able to get everything you listed with the exception of my birth certificate........my mom says she might not have it anymore so not sure what to do about that except turn her house upside down to try to find it assuming it still exists.
If you apply for N-600, the birth certificate should already be on file at USCIS so they wouldn't ask for it again.

But if you apply for the passport before N-600 approval, you'll need the birth certificate. A relative in your birth country (especially a parent) may be able to obtain one from the relevant authorities there. My mother who still lives there got mine for me. Or if your birth country has an embassy in the US, they may have a service which enables you to obtain the birth certificate through them.
 
If you apply for N-600, the birth certificate should already be on file at USCIS so they wouldn't ask for it again.

But if you apply for the passport before N-600 approval, you'll need the birth certificate. A relative in your birth country (especially a parent) may be able to obtain one from the relevant authorities there. My mother who still lives there got mine for me. Or if your birth country has an embassy in the US, they may have a service which enables you to obtain the birth certificate through them.


Once again, thanks Jack. I do plan on getting my COC via N600 but i'll be going to Korea in the spring for a wedding and really want to fly on a US Passport instead of a Korean passport for a change so i'll go the US passport route first and then when I come back focus on the COC (since the COC seems to take from 6 months to a year to get based on people's experiences on this forum). I will speak to my mom again and see if one of my many relatives in korea (all of my aunts and uncles still live in Korea) can get a hold of the birth certificate for me. I'm hoping my mom has it somewhere in the house but since I have no idea what a korean birth certificate looks like, even if I saw it buried in some desk drawer somewhere, I wouldn't even know!!!
 
Thanks SC, I should be able to get everything you listed with the exception of my birth certificate........my mom says she might not have it anymore so not sure what to do about that except turn her house upside down to try to find it assuming it still exists. By the way, how long did the processing take once you sent in all the required documents? Also, have you yet traveled outside the country and come back in with the US Passport? I'm wondering if Immigration sees an issue if at one time you came back from a trip with a green card and now you have a US Passport with no record within USCIS that you have been "naturalized" or "certified" even though by law you are a US Citizen.

BTW, when you received the passport did you receive all of the other documentation you provided back from them? Including the green card?

It took about 8 weeks. 3 week delay because i had to send my mothers citizen papers. the post office told me i only needed to send one. this is not true. you need both father and mother. this caused a 3 week delay and it ultimately took about 8 weeks.

i have not traveled yet.

they do give you everything back including your green card.
 
Out of curiosity........maybe a question for Jack..........or probably a lawyer, a person who derives US Citizenship like SC, and has a US passport (or even doesn't have a US passport but has the force of law under the derived citizenship statues) to show for it but not necessarily a Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization to show for it, can they claim to be a US Citizen for employment purposes or voting purposes? Or best to get "ultimate" confirmation from USCIS via the COC?
 
Out of curiosity........maybe a question for Jack..........or probably a lawyer, a person who derives US Citizenship like SC, and has a US passport (or even doesn't have a US passport but has the force of law under the derived citizenship statues) to show for it but not necessarily a Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization to show for it, can they claim to be a US Citizen for employment purposes or voting purposes?

Yes, but they run the risk of ultimately being wrong about having US citizenship, which could cause problems. There are many nuances and conditions with the laws, and different versions of the law applicable at different times, that many people misinterpret them and think they're citizens only to find out years later that they're not.

And for employment, if the employer uses e-Verify the system won't confirm their citizenship, which would force them to get a CoC or passport to resolve the discrepancy.
 
Hi Sctrojan,

If you're still around, just wanted to thank you for posting your experience with proving derived citizenship in obtaining a US Passport. I just did the same successfully and have just received a US passport. Once again, thanks!!!
 
Can I get USC through my Dad?

My dad came to the USA in 1982 and became a USC in 1988, I came to the US in 1992. I was 13 when my dad became a USC, my mom became a USC in 1999. Can I claim USC?



Thank you
 
My dad came to the USA in 1982 and became a USC in 1988, I came to the US in 1992. I was 13 when my dad became a USC, my mom became a USC in 1999. Can I claim USC?



Thank you

I dont know because I think one of the things I had to prove was I was living with my parents when they got citizenship. The way I proved this was my school papers had the same address he had on his citizen documents with the same dates.

if you were in a different country at the time your dad got citizenship you may have a problem. also i dont think your mom can help because when she got her citizenship you were over 18 already.

again this is just what I think.
 
Hi all. I got a situation similar to OP and am trying obtain a US PassPort or COC by derivative of Naturalization through my Mother. My Mother naturalized in California in 1996 when I was 16 years old, my father a LPR haven't lived with us since 1990 and never again since. He's been living in another state since 1990, and was paying child support all that time. Does that proves that my Father and my Mother were legally separated and she has full custody of me? Since the law prior 2001 required two naturalized parents instead of one.

Here's the evidence I have so far;

Mother's Naturalize US Citizen Certificate
School Records
Mormon Baptism and Church Record
Permanent Resident Alien Card, the unexpired version

Here's what I do not have;

Although my Mother's Naturalization said she's been married, she was never officially married in the US so she doesn't have any kind of certification to prove marriage.
I also do not a birth certificate since I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1979, and arrived in the US just two months later.

So how do I go about finding secondary evidence that can help my case?

Any info would be appreciated, thanks.

SouriP
 
Hi all. I got a situation similar to OP and am trying obtain a US PassPort or COC by derivative of Naturalization through my Mother. My Mother naturalized in California in 1996 when I was 16 years old, my father a LPR haven't lived with us since 1990 and never again since. He's been living in another state since 1990, and was paying child support all that time. Does that proves that my Father and my Mother were legally separated and she has full custody of me? Since the law prior 2001 required two naturalized parents instead of one.

Here's the evidence I have so far;

Mother's Naturalize US Citizen Certificate
School Records
Mormon Baptism and Church Record
Permanent Resident Alien Card, the unexpired version

Here's what I do not have;

Although my Mother's Naturalization said she's been married, she was never officially married in the US so she doesn't have any kind of certification to prove marriage.
I also do not a birth certificate since I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1979, and arrived in the US just two months later.

So how do I go about finding secondary evidence that can help my case?

Any info would be appreciated, thanks.

SouriP
You have to prove that either 1) if your parents were married, they were legally separated or divorced and your mother was given sole custody, or 2) they were never married.
 
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