How can I travel outside the US after naturalization while waiting for passport?

1/24/2019 1:18:55 PM

Exit the US on your other passport, as there are no exit checks.

On the return, fly to Canada with your naturalisation certificate (the universal airline database, TIMATIC, clearly states it’s accepted instead of a passport, but do be prepared to have to point it out to the check-in staff), and enter the US by land.

From TIMATIC regarding Canada:

Passport Exemptions:

  • Nationals of the USA with a recommended proof of citizenship
    such as a:

    • US birth certificate; or

    • US certificate of citizenship; or

    • US certificate of naturalization.

1/4/2019 6:37:11 AM

One more option: The US does not have exit immigration, so you can leave the country on your old passport to travel. When your new US passport is ready, authorize somebody else to pick it up and have them FedEx/UPS it to wherever you are overseas.

The obvious concern with this plan is that if your US passport is delayed for any reason or lost in transit, you’re stuck overseas until you can procure a new one. Depending on your nationality, you might be able to fly to Canada and cross the land border with documents proving your US citizenship, but this would be a significant hassle.

All things considered, contacting the passport office to see if they can expedite your existing application would be a much better way to go.

1/7/2019 12:05:54 PM

Passport services can get delayed by USA government shutdowns because various agencies have to coordinate to verify your identity and not all of them are fee-funded.

Ideally, you should have either filed expedited or gone to a walk-in passport office and pleaded for emergency same-day service. But it might be too late for that although you should try phoning the passport office to see if you can upgrade to expedited.

I think your next best bet is to hope that they at least send your naturalization certificate back as soon as they scan it. Then with that you can go to a same-day passport office and get one made same-day.

A more risky, strategy is to travel out with your former country’s passport, apply for an ESTA, and then when coming back into the USA show your naturalization certificate at US immigration and expect a nice haranguing at secondary while they yell at you for pulling a shenanigan. You can also try entering through a pre-clearance airport in Abu Dhubai, Ireland, or Canada — or through the land border in Canada or Mexico. USA Immigration can yell at you and detain you while they check your status but they can’t deny you entry so you’ll get in, eventually.

Note: there’s evidence here on se of dual citizens getting ESTA. You should declare your us citizenship on the esta application in any case.

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Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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