Birth Certificate for Passport Application
Getting a U.S. passport can seem like a daunting task. It requires
collecting a bevy of documents, which among other things, verifies your
U.S. citizenship. Being a citizen of the United States is an obvious
requirement for obtaining a U.S. passport. If you already have travel
plans in the works, understand that obtaining an acceptable birth
certificate, the most commonly submitted document as evidence of United
States citizenship, can also add time to the process.
You may have copies of your birth certificate somewhere in your
personal files, but keep in mind that there are very specific
requirements for an acceptable birth certificate. The most important
distinction is that your birth certificate is the
long form version.
The long form version not only shows your name, but the names of your
single parent or both parents. The short form only has your name on it.
The Department of State will only accept long form birth certificates.
Your application will automatically be rejected if you don't adhere to
this requirement.
In addition to submitting the long form version of your birth
certificate, it also
must be a certified copy.
- Issued by the City, County, or State of birth
- Lists bearer's full name, date of birth, and place of birth
- Lists parent(s) full names
- Has date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth)
- Has registrar's signature
- Has embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal of registrar
- Photocopies and notarized copies are unacceptable
You can only
get a certified copy of your birth certificate from the state or U.S. possession where it was originally filed. In most cases,
states centralize vital records,
and they can be obtained from a single source no matter where you were
born in that state. The time it takes to receive a copy of your birth
certificate can vary widely, depending on the agency that is preparing
your document, and your chosen method of delivery. If you are pressed
for time, it may be best to choose to expedite the process. Most
agencies can process an express delivery within three to five days. Not
using an expediting service, and choosing standard mail delivery can
take up to 60 days for delivery, but this is worst case scenario.
It is important to note that
in lieu of a U.S. certified birth certificate, there are only three other documents that are considered
primary evidence of citizenship, each with their own separate process. If a child is born outside of the United States to U.S. citizens, an original
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)
must be requested from the U.S. embassy in the child's birth country.
Submit Form N-600 with a foreign birth certificate and a certified
translation, plus parents' birth certificates. An original document is
prepared in the United States and sent to the U.S. embassy for you to
collect there. This must be done immediately after birth to avoid
future complications in establishing the child's U.S. citizenship. If
you are a naturalized U.S. citizen, submit an official
Naturalization Certificate.
If your parents became U.S. citizens after your birth, but before you
turned 18, submit an official Certificate of Citizenship. All original
documents supporting citizenship are returned to you once your passport
is processed.
If you already have a birth certificate that meets the requirements, you are ready to
apply for a new passport.
If you need to get a certified copy of your birth certificate first,
you may be pressed for time when it comes to getting your passport. In
this case, you can apply at a
regional agency or
authorize a third party
to submit the application on your behalf. There are advantages to using
an expediting courier service to obtain your passport expeditiously,
the most obvious being that it speeds up the process. Another benefit
is that you do not have to personally visit the regional agency thereby
freeing you to do other things in preparation for your international
trip. You can order online 24 hours a day from home simply and
securely.
Get your passport expedited in 24 to 48 hours.
Expedite Your Passport Now!
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