If born in the U.S.
Original Birth Certificate
A certified copy issued by the State or local vital statistics office where the birth was registered — commonly called the "Long Form." Must include parents' full names, registrar's signature and seal.
U.S. passport requirements
Everything the U.S. Department of State needs from you — proof of citizenship, what counts as a certified Birth Certificate, and the document checklist for every special situation.
Proof of U.S. citizenship
Proof of U.S. citizenship — any one of these documents
You only need a single primary-evidence document. The U.S. Department of State accepts any of the four below as proof of U.S. citizenship.
Previous passport
Old undamaged U.S. Passport
A previously issued U.S. passport book or card, valid or expired — but it must be full validity (originally issued for 10 years for adults / 5 years for children under 16). Limited-validity or emergency-issued passports do not qualify.
If born abroad to U.S. citizens
Consular Report of Birth Abroad
Issued by the U.S. Department of State through consulates abroad to children of U.S. citizens born outside the United States — usually before age 18. The current form is FS-240; the older domestic version DS-1350 hasn't been issued since December 31, 2010, but previously-issued DS-1350 documents remain valid.
If derived citizenship through a parent
Certificate of Citizenship
Issued by USCIS (formerly INS, now under DHS) to people who derived U.S. citizenship through a parent — typically claimed later in life. Form N-560 is the original certificate; N-561 is the replacement when the original is lost, mutilated, or the holder's name has changed. Not the same document as the State Department's CRBA.
If naturalized
Certificate of Naturalization
Issued at the formal naturalization ceremony — the legal process by which a foreign-born person becomes a U.S. citizen after meeting LPR, residence, and civics requirements. Historically issued by INS, now by USCIS (Forms N-550 / N-570). Bring the original — photocopies aren't accepted.
What makes a Birth Certificate "certified"
A certified BC isn't a photocopy or a hospital souvenir. The State Department looks for three specific marks on the document:
- The registrar's raised, embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal.
- The registrar's signature.
- The date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office — which must be within 1 year of your birth.
No digital copies. The State Department does not accept mobile or electronic versions of any of these documents — you must submit the original physical paper.
Special situations
Special situations — born abroad, adopted, or missing documents
Pick the case that matches yours. We'll show exactly what documents the State Department needs in place of the standard ones.
U.S.-born with a delayed or missing Birth Certificate
If your Birth Certificate was filed more than a year after you were born, or if no record exists at all, the State Department accepts an alternative document path — with specific evidence requirements.
If your BC was filed more than 1 year after birth (Delayed BC)
A Delayed Birth Certificate may still be acceptable on its own if it:
- Lists the documentation used to create it, and
- Is signed by the attending physician or midwife, or lists an affidavit signed by the parents, or shows early public records.
If you have no BC and no previous U.S. passport
You'll need to assemble secondary evidence in three steps:
- Get a Letter of "No Record" issued by the State — with your name, date of birth, which years were searched for a birth record, and confirmation that no certificate is on file for you.
- Gather as many of the following early records as possible:
- baptismal certificate
- hospital birth certificate
- census record
- early school record
- family bible record
- doctor's record of post-natal care
- Optionally, submit an Affidavit of Birth (Form DS-10) from an older blood relative (parent, aunt, uncle, sibling) with personal knowledge of your birth. It must be notarized or carry the seal and signature of an acceptance agent.
About these documents: they must be early public records showing the date and place of birth, preferably created within the first 5 years of your life. The closer to birth, the better.
Born abroad without a Consular Report of Birth
You claim citizenship through a U.S. citizen parent but don't have FS-240 or DS-1350 on file. What you need depends on whether one or both of your parents were U.S. citizens at the time of your birth.
If one U.S. citizen parent
- A Letter of "No Record" from the State — confirming no birth certificate is on file for you in the U.S.
- Your foreign birth certificate from the country where you were born.
- Proof of citizenship of your U.S. citizen parent (their passport, certificate of citizenship, or naturalization certificate).
- An affidavit from your U.S. citizen parent showing all periods and places of residence or physical presence in the United States and abroad before your birth.
If both U.S. citizen parents
- Your foreign birth certificate.
- Your parents' marriage certificate.
- Proof of citizenship of both U.S. parents.
- An affidavit of your U.S. citizen parents showing all periods and places of residence or physical presence in the United States and abroad before your birth.
Why physical presence matters: U.S. citizenship transmission rules under INA §§ 301 and 309 depend on how long the U.S. citizen parent lived in the United States before your birth — the specific years required vary by your date of birth and the marital status of your parents (e.g., 5 years for births on/after Nov 14, 1986 with one citizen parent, with at least 2 years after age 14). See the full breakdown at travel.state.gov →
Proof of U.S. citizenship for adopted children
Under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (INA § 320, effective February 27, 2001), an adopted child automatically acquires U.S. citizenship when all four of the following are true before age 18:
- At least one parent of the child is a U.S. citizen — either by birth or by naturalization.
- The child is under the age of 18.
- The child is residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent — after having been lawfully admitted as an immigrant for lawful permanent residence (LPR).
- The adoption is full and final — legally complete and recognized by the U.S. state where the child resides. Foreign adoptions may require re-adoption in the U.S. state if the original adoption isn't fully recognized.
Applying for the passport: two paths
- Easier path — Certificate of Citizenship. Apply for it first via USCIS Form N-600. Once received, the certificate alone is sufficient evidence of U.S. citizenship for the passport application.
- Without N-600. Submit a certified copy of the full and final adoption decree (translated if not in English), the child's foreign birth certificate, proof of the U.S. citizen parent's citizenship, and evidence that all four CCA conditions were met while the child was under 18.
Adoption category matters. For citizenship to transmit, the adoption must qualify under INA § 101(b)(1)(E), (F), or (G) — typically an orphan visa (IR-3/IR-4) or Hague Convention adoption (IH-3/IH-4). A general state-level domestic adoption may also qualify, but international cases often hinge on the visa category the child entered on.
Name change
Name change evidence for a U.S. passport
If your current legal name doesn't match the one on your citizenship evidence, you also need to prove the name change.
Submit a certified copy of any of these
If you changed your legal name — by way of marriage or otherwise — you must submit evidence of the change. The State Department accepts a certified copy of any of the following:
- Marriage certificate — if your name changed through marriage.
- Divorce decree — if you're reverting to a prior name after divorce.
- Court decree for legal name changes other than marriage.
- Adoption decree — for name changes that result from an adoption.
Other situations:
· If your name changed during naturalization, the Certificate of Naturalization itself is sufficient evidence.
· For an informal name change without a court decree or marriage ("custom and usage"), submit Form DS-60 with evidence of using the new name publicly and exclusively for at least 5 years (3+ public documents, or 2 affidavits from people who've known you under both names).
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