How becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen can affect travel plans.

For those foreign nationals who have applied to be a U.S. citizen there is nothing more satisfying than receiving a phone call from the U.S. State Department.  That special phone call advising you that the process is complete and you are going to be a U.S. citizen.  We have often heard about how gratifying it is for many to finally receive this call.  For some however, it is not only gratifying but it poses an entirely new potential problem if they should have travel shortly afterwards.

The phone call comes with a scheduled date and time for your naturalization ceremony.  At this ceremony a certificate of naturalization is given which officially gives you documented proof of citizenship.  While getting this certificate signifies the completion of a long and sometimes arduous process it can bring about new concerns regarding future travels.  Since one never knows when this phone call will come, most people just go about their regular lives and routines.  This could mean planned travel to visit family overseas or it could mean a scheduled business trip overseas.

Most do not know that upon receiving your citizenship the U.S. State Department takes your alien resident card.  That means you cannot use it with your foreign national passport. It means that future travel coming back to the United States would require a U.S. Passport by going through the process of getting a First Time passport.  In some cases the process has to be expedited.  The other option is to delay the ceremony which would delay the receipt of the naturalization certificate.  For some this is a worthy option but for others it is not.  Fortunately we can assist in expediting a First Time Passport and can do so even for recently naturalized citizens.  In order for us to do so we’d need to see your original naturalized certificate, a valid driver’s license that was issued over 6 months ago and travel itinerary.

If you aren’t traveling right away you can always go to your local passport acceptance facility:  https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/ where your documents will be mailed out and returned to you in about 6 to 8 weeks.  However, if you do need the First Time Passport process expedited, we can help.  Call us today at 407-459-8807 in Orlando or at 305-330-4430 to find out how we can assist you.