Expedited Passports

When obtaining a passport, you must provide proof of US citizenship.  Assuming you were born in the US and don’t have an expired passport to submit with your application, you would do that by submitting a copy of your birth certificate.

However, before you submit your application, you should examine your birth certificate closely to make sure it will pass muster with the US Department of State. Here’s what to look for:

Certification

The State Department only accepts certified US birth certificates. To make sure yours is certified before obtaining a passport, look for the following:

• A raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal.
• Registrar’s signature
• If you live in California or Texas, make sure you have the long form of your birth certificate, which measures 8 1/2″ by 11.”

If you don’t have a certified copy of your birth certificate, you can order one from the Department of Vital Records for the state where you were born.

Date Filed

Next, check the date that your birth certificate was filed with the registrar’s office. This date must be within 1 year of your birth. If there was a delay of more than a year between when you were born and when the birth certificate was filed,  the State Department will not accept it on its own. Instead, you will need to submit secondary documentation, which can include:

• Early public records that include your name,  date of birth and place of birth, such as baptismal records, hospital birth certificates, census records, early school records, a family bible, or a doctor’s record of post-natal care for you.
• A signed, notarized birth affidavit, completed by an older blood relative, or, if an older relative is not available, the attending physician or another individual who had “personal knowledge” of your birth.

By submitting the right documents, you greatly increase the chances of obtaining a passport in a timely fashion.  Using a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com can also help, as you’ll work with a professional passport specialist and be provided with clear, easy-to-follow instructions to help you get all of your paperwork in order.

Interested in obtaining a passport? Apply with us today!

When you apply for a passport, you need to be able to convince the government of two things: you are who you say you are, and you are a US citizen.  Usually, this is easily accomplished by submitting proof of identity and proof of citizenship.

The following documents can be used to prove your identity:

• An old US passport in good condition.
• Naturalization certificate.
• Valid driver’s license issued at least 6 months ago.
• Government-issued ID
• Military ID

These documents can be used to prove that you are a US citizen:

• An old US passport in good condition.
• A certified birth certificate with a raised or embossed seal
• A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth (if you were born overseas to US citizen parents)
• A naturalization certificate or a certificate of citizenship.

What if you don’t have any of the above documents? The best thing to do is to obtain them before applying, but what if you can’t? In that case, you may have to use secondary documents to prove your identity and/or citizenship. Even if you have the right primary documents, if the Department of State has doubts about your application, they may request that you submit secondary documents to provide more proof. For example, people delivered by midwives along the border with Mexico have been  asked to submit secondary documentation along with their birth certificates due to concerns about midwives falsifying  birth certificates.

Secondary documents that prove US citizenship can include:

• Baptismal certificate
• Hospital birth certificate
• Census record
• Early school record
• Family bible record
• Doctor’s record of post-natal care

You may also need a Birth Affidavit form signed by someone who witnessed your birth (preferably an older blood relative).  Secondary documents that prove identity can include a combination of signature documents (such as a credit card, social security card and library card) and a signed, notarized affidavit from someone who is willing to vouch for your identity. (more…)