Hi guys, I will be filing soon my N400 and just wondering: How does one prove US citizenship once he is Naturalized? Assuming that people who are not on their way out of the US would not normally carry their US passport or the Naturalization certificate. If they get stopped by a law enforcement, in some states you may be asked to prove your citizenship. How do you do that? As far as I know DL or SS card is not enough to prove your citizenship.
Prove of US citizenship after naturalization?
- Thread starter Czech guy
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At the oath, you will receive naturalization certificate which is proof of your US citizenship. If you are asked to prove citizenship by law enforcement you will given the chance to the present evidence if they question your status. You're not expected to carry naturalization certificate or passport on you to prove your status.
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A verbal affirmation that you are a US citizen is usually sufficient for law enforcement. There's no expectation that you carry your certificate. Only if they suspect otherwise would they ask you for proof, like if you are a Latino with a heavy accent and are driving at 2:00am on a highway near the US border.
There is no state that requires U.S. citizens to carry a proof of U.S. citizenship with them. Incidentally, for most natural-born U.S. citizens the only such proof that they have is a birth certificate, and nobody carries one with them.
If you are really worried, after naturalization you can apply for a U.S. passport card in addition to a U.S. passport book. A passport card is a wallet-size document and you can carry it with you all the time if you want; a passport card does serve as proof of U.S. citizenship, same as the standard U.S. passport does.
First, like I said, after naturalization you can get a passport card and carry it with you in your wallet. A passport card is issued by the U.S. Department of State and, just as a standard passport, it serves as legal proof of U.S. citizenship.
Regarding Arizona - well, although they are clearly out of their minds there, but even in Arizona they do not actually require U.S. citizens to carry a proof of citizenship with them.
TheRealCanadian
Volunteer Moderator
People "hear" all sorts of things.
Well, the infamous Arizona law has been widely covered in the press (here is a sample NYT article from last year http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html), so the law itself is more than a rumor. Technically, the law allows police officers in Arizona to detain a person whom they "reasonably suspect" of being an illegal immigrant. There are all sorts of protestations from the state officials that racial profiling (e.g. if someone "looks" or "sounds" Hispanic) will not be allowed in enforcing that law. On the other hand, it is rather hard to understand what exactly would constitute "reasonable grounds" for suspecting that someone is an illegal immigrant. IMO, the law is unconstitutional and hopefully will be thrown out by the courts.
Still, even in a nutcase state like Arizona, I am sure that they would not detain someone who has a valid out-of-state driver's license and a bunch of credit/bank cards in their wallet, since illegal immigrants usually do not have such documents.
Plus, as I said, one can get a passport card.
I am from Arizona. The most controversial sections of the law ( yes the sections that contain clauses about officers stopping people randomly ) were not passed. In any case even those clauses state that you can show your state gov't issued ID as a reasonable proof of citizenship.
And oh yeah don't insult our state !!!
I am from Arizona. The most controversial sections of the law ( yes the sections that contain clauses about officers stopping people randomly ) were not passed. In any case even those clauses state that you can show your state gov't issued ID as a reasonable proof of citizenship.
And oh yeah don't insult our state !!!
You are mistaken regarding the content of the law. The law, as passed, allows (and even requires) police to detain anyone they reasonably suspect is in the country without authorization, e.g. a person the police encounters during a traffic stop. As far as I know, the text of the law does not define what constitutes a basis for a reasonable suspicion that someone is an and does not explicitly address how exactly people are supposed to prove their legal status. A driver's license from another state does not really conclusively prove legal status or citizenship since different states have different standards for issuing licenses and for determining their periods of validity. As a practical matter, hopefully the police officers in Arizona will exercise a bit of common sense and will not detain someone with a valid out-of-state license. But this is really up to their discretion.
Another provision of the Arizona law requires all legal aliens, both LPRs and those on nonimmigrant visas, to carry their immigration documents with them at all times. (Although I think that provision is currently stayed by the courts).
Like I said, I think the law in blatantly unconstitutional on several grounds and it is a great shame for Arizona that they enacted such an absurd piece of legislation.
You don't show true patriotism for your state by blindly defending anything they do. Instead you should by out there, fighting to convince the Arizona legislators to rescind that law and to respect the Constitution.
I have lived in Illinois for over 10 years, but I am far from being beholden to defending everything that Illinois does. On the contrary, Illinois also has plenty of things to be ashamed of, e.g. an especially corrupt political culture.
You are right about the content of the law as it passed. I think I was incorrectly referring to the parts (about LEOs asking for proof of legality ) blocked by a federal judge.
Also I am not blindly defending anything , just asking you politely to refrain from calling names. You can continue to if you want to
If the law is blatantly unconstitutional then I am sure AZ will lose their appeal
but maybe this whole drama will at least make the feds do something ( I don't know maybe enforce existing federal laws ?) about the illegal immigration problem which is very much real over here.There is no requirement for you to carry your Naturalization Certificate on your at all times. BUT if a person is a permanent resident, then according to the law, they MUST carry their Green Card on them at all the time. Are you sure you read it stating for US Citizens only and not for the Green Card holders.
It's not just Arizona that's asking legal residents to carry their Green Cards on them at all the time. It's throughout the United States. Have you read the Welcome package the govt sends you informing about your green card. IT clearly states, "A legal permanent resident must carry their green card on them at all times." Violation of the law could result in deportation.
Some more info. go to uscis.gov and you will see under green card info that the law requires you to carry the card at any time.. it's not just a law in AZ, it's been in the United States for a long time. People just never read it...and when they get arrested or detained, they blame the system and tell the popos that they're being racist for arresting the poor immigrants. Where's the logic in that... answer lies within the boundaries of Common Sense.. it depends on an individual how they interpret the word common sense.
SENTHIL MURUGESAN
Registered Users (C)
we can carry pasport card to prove our nationality and I also took a color xerox of all the certificates and passport pages and kept in each of my car , office , and home .
I agree that the Arizona law should be repealed or invalidated by the courts. Although I happen to have a passport card and I have it in my wallet currently because I forgot to take it out after the last time I used it. I am not planning to take it with me all the time as proof of citizenship, as it is not really needed. Anyway, if someone is going to drive through Arizona and wants some extra peace of mind, it seems that the passport card is the best bet. Useful if one wants to cross the border into Mexico to drink a few cold beers in a cantina
Jackolantern
Registered Users (C)
While it is true that there is a law requiring permanent residents to carry their green card, that doesn't mean any and every government agency can enforce it how they want when they want. It is a Federal law, and the who and how of enforcing it is controlled by Federal law and the Constitution.
For example, all residents and citizens of the US are required to file a Federal tax return if their income is above a given threshold (or if they have certain transactions the IRS needs to know about). But state police don't have the authority to go around knocking on people's doors demanding that they provide proof of filing a Federal tax return, or requiring you to provide that proof when stopped for speeding. That would be an overly invasive method of enforcing the tax laws, and the Federal government hasn't granted state police the authority to enforce the Federal tax laws like that. Similarly, Federal officers normally don't have the authority to enforce state tax laws.
The court that struck down that section of the law said that it would be overly burdensome to citizens*, legal residents, and the Federal government (who would have to deal with a barrage of requests to verify people's status), if the enforcement of the requirement to carry documents were done by state and local police in addition to Federal ICE/CBP officers.
*even though the AZ law doesn't require citizens to carry proof of citizenship, many would still get arrested for lacking those documents when the officer who stopped them doesn't believe their claim to citizenship.
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Well, you can get a passport card and always have it in your wallet. Its the same thing as a passport but in a card format and can be used to travel to some countries yet. It clearly states that you are a US national; http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html
This is actually getting to be quite important everyday, which is why they are considering asking everyone pulled over or arrested for their citizenship status regardless if you look or speak like an American or not so as to avoid racial profiling. They may just take you in to find that out or you can make it easy by having a passport card on you. Some states also have "Enhanced Driver License" (aka "Border Pass") can be applied for by for US citizens only and is a joint effort between the state and USCIS. New York is one of four states yet to have it; http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/edl-main.htm
...here is what it looks like; http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...C2E9BF0E1B630042F5942C933&first=1&FORM=IDFRIR
This is actually getting to be quite important everyday, which is why they are considering asking everyone pulled over or arrested for their citizenship status regardless if you look or speak like an American or not so as to avoid racial profiling. They may just take you in to find that out or you can make it easy by having a passport card on you. Some states also have "Enhanced Driver License" (aka "Border Pass") can be applied for by for US citizens only and is a joint effort between the state and USCIS. New York is one of four states yet to have it; http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/edl-main.htm
...here is what it looks like; http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...C2E9BF0E1B630042F5942C933&first=1&FORM=IDFRIR
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