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Citizenship Evidence

You will need to provide evidence of U.S. citizenship when you apply in person for a passport. The type of evidence you provide depends on whether you were born in or outside the United States. 

Tips for submitting your citizenship evidence

  • Submit your evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the front. Provide a photocopy of the back of the evidence if it has printed information.
  • Make sure your photocopies are: 
    • Clear and easy to read
    • Printed on white 8.5”x11” standard paper
    • Single sided
  • If you don’t have the original copy of a document, get a replacement from the office which issued it. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the issuing office.  You can provide a second copy, sometimes called a "certified copy," of your citizenship evidence. We will keep this 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 electronic copies of birth certificates.

Examples of primary citizenship evidence

If you were born in the United States

  • A U.S. birth certificate that shows:

    • the city, county, or state where the applicant was born
    • the date it was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of birth
    • the seal or stamp from the city, county, or state of birth that issued it
    • the registrar's signature
    • the applicant’s parent(s)' full names
    • the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
  • A full validity, undamaged U.S. passport. This means the passport is or was valid for 10 years if issued after the age of 16 and 5 years for children under 16.

Make sure your birth certificate looks like our sample image:

A sample U.S. birth certificate that displays these items: It was issued by the city, county, or state where the applicant was born. It was filed with the state’s registrar within 1 year of birth. It includes a seal or stamp from the office issuing the document. It has the signature of the city, county, or state registrar. It includes a watermark. Some birth certificates may have it, but not all. It lists parents’ full names. It lists the full name, date of birth, and place of birth of the passport applicant.

If you were born outside the United States 

  • Full validity, undamaged U.S. passport. This means the passport is or was valid for 10 years if issued after the age of 16 and 5 years for children under 16.  
  • Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth 
  • Certificate of Naturalization  
  • Certificate of Citizenship

Examples of secondary citizenship evidence  

If you cannot provide primary citizenship evidence, you may provide secondary evidence.

If you were born in the United States

You must submit:

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

A delayed birth certificate is filed at your state’s vital records office more than 1 year after you are born.  

Your delayed birth certificate must include: 

  • A list of the records or documents used to create it, such as early public records 
  • The 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. 

If there is no U.S. birth certificate on file in the state you were born, request 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  
  • 1 early public record or document and 1 early private record or document with Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit. 

These documents are from the first 5 years of an applicant's life. Records must 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 Affidavit

If you were born outside the United States

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. 

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 or Green Card 
    • Foreign passport with the original I-551 visa entry stamp 
  • Your parents' marriage certificate if they were married when you legally entered the United States, and their marriage was 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 lived in the United States in the legal and physical custody of your U.S. citizen parent. Your residence is the primary place where you live. Entering the United States or visiting temporarily—even on an immigrant visa—usually does not count as residing in the United States.  
  • Legal permanent residence cards are not proof of living in the United States. You must provide at least 2 documents to prove you live in the United States with your U.S. citizen parent:  
    • School or day care records 
    • Utility bills 
    • Employment records 
    • Automobile registrations 
    • Deeds or property rental leases 
    • Medical records 
    • Passport stamps
    • If your parents were not married when you were born, you must provide evidence of legitimation. Legitimation means a father creates a full legal relationship with his child born outside of marriage. This is important if your father is a U.S. citizen and your mother is not. This relationship gives the father the same rights and responsibilities as if the child were born to him and the mother while married. Examples of legitimation include: 
      • Your parents' marriage certificate dated after your birth 
      • A certified court order of legitimation  

Please visit U.S. Citizenship Laws and Policy for more information.

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

What to do if you cannot provide evidence

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

  • You had 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. 

Key points

  • To apply for a U.S. passport in person, you must provide proof of U.S. citizenship. The requirements vary based on whether you were born in the United States or abroad.

  • There are 2 types of evidence you can provide: primary or secondary. If you cannot provide primary evidence, provide secondary evidence.

  • Primary evidence includes a qualifying U.S. birth certificate, a full-validity undamaged U.S. passport, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Naturalization, or other official documents.

  • Secondary evidence includes delayed birth certificates, Letters of No Record, and early life records.

  • If you cannot get evidence of U.S. citizenship, request a file search. 

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026

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