US Citizen
Articles tagged US Citizen from The VRO Blog.
You Had a Passport Once and Can't Find It, and You Have No Birth Certificate Either
The State Department has a remedy for an applicant who can produce neither a passport nor a birth certificate: a search of its own passport files. It costs $150 for records issued before 1994, and for anything issued since, you may pay nothing at all.
Born in the Panama Canal Zone: The Birth Record No State Has, and the Citizenship It Doesn't Prove
Everyone born in the Canal Zone between 1904 and 1979 has a birth record held by exactly one office, the U.S. Department of State, and a record that, in the Department's words, did not automatically confer U.S. citizenship. How to order it, how long it takes, and what else a passport needs.
Your U.S.-Born Child's Passport Now Asks About Both Parents: What Executive Order 14418 Changed
On August 6, 2026, Executive Order 14418 superseded EO 14160. The State Department's implementation plan adds one new item for a narrow group of families, an attestation about the parents. The child's birth certificate requirement has not changed.
Born in Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or American Samoa: Which Birth Record You Get and What It Proves
A territorial birth certificate is a U.S. vital record, not a foreign one. For four territories it proves citizenship at birth. For one, it proves something different, and the difference matters.
Your Passport Was Lost or Stolen Overseas: What the Embassy Actually Needs From You
Report it, then go in person. The consulate wants a photo, an ID, proof of citizenship, your itinerary and Form DS-11, and it has a free file search for travelers who arrive with nothing.
Certificate of Foreign Birth: The U.S. Birth Certificate for an Internationally Adopted Child
Your child is a U.S. citizen but was born abroad, so no state recorded the birth. A Certificate of Foreign Birth fills that gap, and it explicitly is not proof of citizenship.
The 250th Anniversary Passport: How to Get One, and Why You Have to Show Up in Person
The commemorative passport costs no extra and is a fully valid passport, but it is issued only in person. That single constraint is what most applicants are unprepared for.
How to Get a Copy of a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA)
A Consular Report of Death Abroad is not a state vital record, so it cannot be ordered from a state office. Here is who may request a copy, what it costs, and how long it takes.
Essential Steps to Obtaining U.S. Residency Through Marriage
Gaining U.S. residency through marriage is a common pathway for many international spouses seeking to live in the United States with their American partners. This process, while straightforward in many ways, involves several steps and legal requirements that must be meticulously followed. This guide aims to provide a clear overview of the necessary procedures and…