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Citizenship Evidence

When applying in person for a passport, provide primary evidence of U.S. citizenship:

  • The type of evidence you provide depends if you were born in the United States or born outside the United States. 
  • If you cannot provide primary evidence, provide secondary evidence.
  • Find examples of citizenship evidence on this page.

Tips for submitting your citizenship evidence

  • Submit your evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the front (and back, if there is printed information).
  • Photocopies must be: clear and easy to read, on white 8.5”x11” standard paper, black and white, and single sided.
  • If you don’t have the original copy of a document, get a replacement from the office which issued the document. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the office which issued it.  
  • Provide a second copy (sometimes called a "certified copy") of your citizenship evidence if you do not want to submit a photocopy of it. We will keep the second copy.
  • It may take longer to get your passport if you don't submit your document and a photocopy of it. 
  • You cannot submit an electronic or mobile birth certificate.

Examples of Primary Citizenship Evidence

  • Provide a U.S. birth certificate that meets these requirements:
    • Issued by the city, county, or state of birth
    • Lists applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
    • Lists parent(s)’ full names
    • Has the signature of the city, county, or state registrar
    • Has the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth)
    • Has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it
  • Full validity, undamaged U.S. passport. 
    • Full validity means the document is or was valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16.

 

Make sure your birth certificate looks like our sample image:

Sample of a U.S. Birth Certificate
An image of sample features of a U.S. birth certificate

Examples of Secondary Citizenship Evidence

You must submit:

  • A delayed birth certificate or a Letter of No Record, and
  • Early public records or documents

Delayed birth certificate (filed more than 1 year after birth)

  • Must include:
    • List of the records or documents used to create it (example: early public records)
    • Signature of the birth attendant or an affidavit signed by the parent(s)
  • If your delayed U.S. birth certificate does not include these items, submit it with early public records or documents.

Letter of No Record

  • If there is no U.S. birth certificate on file in the state you were born, you will receive a "Letter of No Record" from the registrar. The letter must:
    • Be issued by the state
    • Have the applicant’s name and date of birth
    • List the birth years searched
    • Include a statement that no birth certificate is on file
  • When submitting this letter, provide:
    • An early public record or document, or 
    • One early public record/document and one early private record/document with Form DS-10: Birth Affadavit.

Early public or private records/documents

  • These documents are from the first five years of an applicant's life.
  • Records should include the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth. 
  • Examples include:
    • Baptism certificate
    • Hospital birth certificate (often shows baby’s footprints)
    • U.S. Census record
    • Early school records
    • Family Bible record
    • Doctor's records of post-natal care
    • Form DS-10: Birth Affadavit
 
Documents in a Foreign Language
  • Foreign language documents should include a professional English translation. 
  • The translator must provide a notarized letter about the accuracy of the translation and their ability to translate the document.
  • We will return your document(s) by mail in a separate package from your passport.
ALL / ALL /

If you were born outside the United States and got U.S. citizenship through your U.S. citizen parent(s), submit:

  • Your foreign birth certificate listing your parent(s)
  • Your parent(s)’ evidence of U.S. citizenship
  • Your parents' marriage certificate (if your parents were married)
  • A statement from your parents that details when and where they lived in the United States and abroad before your birth.

Please see U.S. Citizenship Laws & Policy for more information.

ALL / ALL /

If you were born outside the United States and got U.S. citizenship through the naturalization of your parent(s), submit:

  • Your foreign birth certificate listing your parent(s)
  • Evidence of your parent’s U.S. citizenship such as a U.S. birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), or naturalization certificate
  • Evidence of your permanent residence status. Examples include:
    • Permanent Resident Card/Green Card
    • Foreign passport with the original I-551 visa entry stamp
  • Your parents' marriage certificate (if your parents were married when you legally entered the U.S. and before your 18th birthday) 
  • Documentation of legal custody when you entered the United States, if your parents were not married at that time. If your parents divorced after you entered the United States, provide documentation of legal custody at the time of your parent’s naturalization 
  • Evidence that you resided in the United States in the legal and physical custody of your U.S. citizen parent. Your residence is the primary place in which you live. Entering the United States or temporarily visiting the country - even if on an immigrant visa - usually does not meet the requirement to reside in the United States. As such, legal permanent residence cards alone are not evidence of residing in the United States.
  • You need proof of residing in the United States with your U.S. citizen parent. Please provide at least two of these documents:
    • School or day care records
    • Utility bills
    • Employment records
    • Automobile registrations
    • Deeds or property rental leases
    • Medical records
    • Passport stamps             
  • Evidence of your legitimation (if your parents were not married at the time of your birth). Legitimation means a father – whose child was born when he was not married – establishes a full legal relationship to his child. Establishing this relationship gives the father the same rights and obligations as if his child had been born while married to the child’s mother.
  • Examples of legitimation include:
    • Your parents' marriage certificate dated after your birth
    • Certified court order of legitimation 

Please see U.S. Citizenship Laws & Policy for more information.

U.S. Citizenship through Adoption

If you were born outside the United States and got your citizenship after you were adopted, please see our Child Citizenship Act webpage for more information.

Request a File Search

When you apply for a passport, you should submit evidence of U.S. citizenship. If you cannot get evidence, you may request a file search if:

  • You got a U.S. passport or Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) in the past, and
  • You cannot submit it with your application

Please complete the Request for a File Search and include it with your application.

If your record was issued before 1994, you will need to pay a $150 file search fee. We charge this fee to manually search for your paper record.

If your record was issued in 1994 or later, do not pay the $150 file search fee when you apply for your passport. We may ask you later to pay the $150 fee for a manual search if we cannot find your record after searching for it in an electronic database.

You may also get copies of your passport record or your CRBA before you apply for the passport.

Last Updated: September 14, 2024