I received my passport but not my supporting documents

by Fabiola
(Los Angeles, CA)

Question: The following documents are those that I submitted to support my citizenship:

1. My Permanent Residence Card
2. My Original Mexican Passport
3. My Dad's Naturalization Certificate
4. My Original Birth Certificate with the Translation attached in English.

Along with several other supporting documents that proved my dad's custody of me during my entire life here in the U.S. And some of these documents include my dad's tax returns. Along with a medical record with my dad's signature and my baptism certificate from the year 2000.

None of these have been returned to me yet and I have just received my new U.S. passport. Where are my documents and when should I expect to receive them? Could it be that they are misplaced? Is it normal for the new passport to arrive before the supporting documentation?

Answer: Supporting documents are sent separately from the new passport. They should arrive soon. If not, contact the National Passport Information Center.

Comments for I received my passport but where are my supporting documents?

Parents passport

Question: Good morning: On June 7th, we applied for our under 16-year-old son's passport book and card. We received them both about three weeks ago, but we are still waiting for our PASSPORT ( we are not from the U.S., that’s why we needed to send the original passport).

We are going to be here for 6 months and our tourist visa will last 6 months so we’ll be illegal !!!! I need my original passport as urgently as possible. That's my only valid document in a foreign country!!!!
What should I do? I already call like thousand times, send letters, emails everything!

Answer: Hello. The actual requirement for identification is just a photocopy. The original only needed to be presented to the passport agent.

Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 to find out if your documents have been mailed out. If they have been send, the issue may be with USPS.

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Naturalization came back damaged

Question: My certificate of naturalization was returned to me damaged, what should I do?

Answer: The Department of State does not cover costs for damaged/lost documents. Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 for more information.

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keep asking about your documents

I recieved my NC after 4 months of recieving my passport, you have to keep asking them about your supporting documents

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Naturalization Certificate (Supporting Document not received)

Question: Hi,

I received my passport on Aug 4th, 2021 and it's been 3 weeks and I have not received my supporting documents.

I have been trying to call the help desk but cannot get any customer representative.

Please guide the best way to get in touch with them?

Thank You

Answer: Hello. There is only one number to reach the National Passport Information Center and that is 1-877-487-2778. You may also end an email to NPIC@state.gov.

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I received my new passport but they lost my certificate of citizenship

Question: I applied for a new passport in October 2020, I received my new passport in November/December 2020 but now it's August 2021 and I still don't have my certificate of citizenship back. I have called and sent many letters. The answer that I have received is that they have mailed it out but regardless of that matter I still haven't received my legal document back. I need to renew and obtain a new certificate of citizenship. Therefore, now I need assistance in terms of who will I call in order to receive support toward reimbursement for the renewal fee since my legal document was lost under the National Passport Center possession. The fee is $725! This is really upsetting.

Answer: The Department of State does not reimburse costs for reacquiring citizenship documents. You may file a formal complaint against the NPIC if you wish to.

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US Passport Agency never sent back my naturalization certificate.
by: Khalda

Question: There are so many people on this page who have not received their supporting documents back which means that it is impossible for so many documents to get lost via USPS so it US Passport Agency's fault for misplacing so many official original records.

I had applied for renewal of my passport in Feb 2020 by sending in my valid passport which was due for expiration in June 2020. I did not received the passport until May 2020. When I didn't receive the passport,I contacted the agency and USPS. USPS give me a tracking number which indicated that the passport for picked up by the passport agency. The agency lied by saying they did not get the passport, they actually had lost my passport.

I was told to provide my naturalization certificate. When I went to the USPS, the customer service made a copy of my naturalization certificate and mailed the document. The passport agency declined it requesting the original one.

I mailed the original one and got my new passport but now it has been more than a month and I have not received my naturalization certificate. I have called the customer number which they have provided as well as countless emails. There is no response on the phone and the email says to call.

What are my options if I lose my passport? I do not have a naturalization certificate. Can you issue me a new certificate?

Answer: If you lose your passport, you may request a file search. The copy of your naturalization certificate on file can be used as proof of citizenship for the passport replacement. A file search currently costs $150.

Only the USCIS can issue a new naturalization certificate. The U.S. Department will not cover the fees for the new certificate.

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Missing my Son's Birth certificate
by: Grishma Patel

Question: We applied for a passport for my son on May 18th, 2021. Since he is under 16, we have submitted his birth certification along with his application. We have received his passport but not his birth certificate. It's been 3 months and we still haven't received his birth certificate. My son's name is Jai Patel. Please let me know when are we going to get his certificate back?

Answer: Hello, Grishma. We cannot tell you when you will receive your supporting documents. Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 regarding your concerns.

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I have not received my supporting documents
by: Johnson

Question: I have received my passport on July 23rd and have not received my birth certificate back yet. I paid for it to be expedited. Please let me know what I need to do to obtain it.

Answer: Hello, Johnson. Expedited service only covers processing and does not include the quick return of your supporting documents. Under normal circumstances, supporting documents should arrive with 10 days of your passport's arrival. Unfortunately, regular mail delivery is considerably delayed due to high mail volume at the USPS. It is very likely that your documents have already been sent your way but delivery is just delayed.

You may contact the NPIC by calling 1-877-487-2778 or by sending an email to NPIC@state.gov to confirm that your documents have been mailed.

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Never received my birth certificate
by: Azzaria J

Question: I paid an additional fee to have it expedited on July 9th. Today is August 17th. I received my passport 2 weeks ago but still don’t have my birth certificate.

Answer: Supporting documents typically arrive about 10 days after you receive your passport. Your birth certificate should already be on its way but there may be a slight delay in delivery.

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Where is my naturalization certificate
by: Natalia

Question: Good morning, I sent out my naturalization certificate to USPS, received my passport a week ago and no naturalization certificate yet. I paid extra to have that as a priority mail.

Answer: Supporting documents are sent back through regular non-traceable mail. Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 if the document does not arrive 10 days after you received your passport.

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Original Birth Certificate
by: CC

Question: Back in February, me and 2 other members of the household sent in our information for our passports and both of them received their OG birth certificates days after we all got our passports. But I have yet to receive mine and it's almost August. Any clue as to what could cause it to take this long? I understand maybe a month but not 5 months!

Answer: Please contact the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 to confirm whether or not the document was mailed to you. If they say it was, the issue may be with the courier.

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Missing My Supporting Documents

Question: I applied for my passport in January and received my passport in March. However, I have not received my birth certificate or my social security card back in the mail.

As of today, it’s been 4 months. I have tried to email in regards to my missing documents but no one has emailed me back. I called the NPIC number and they said to contact my local post office. After contacting my local post office they said that NPIC would issue a new tracking number for those documents and I need to call NPIC again.

I have tried to call almost every single day for the last week and after I go through all of the automated messages it goes to a busy tone. NPIC says they will reach back out to you but they never do.

Answer: The NPIC will not be able to issue a tracking number since supporting documents are not sent through traceable mail. You may contact them to confirm that the documents have been mailed and when.