I am a naturalized citizen. Do I need my birth certificate?

If you were not born in the United States, but immigrated here and became a U.S. citizen at some point in your life, you are a naturalized citizen. You should have been issued a Certificate of Naturalization at the time you became a citizen. This is essentially the same as a birth certificate for purposes of obtaining other ID documents.[39] If your Certificate of Naturalization was lost or destroyed, you can apply for a new one. You will need to fill out an “Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document” (Form N-565). You can call the Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services, National Customer Services Center hotline at 1-800-375-5283 to have the form mailed to you. The form is also available online at http://www.uscis.gov/n-565.[40] A copy of the most up-to-date form as of the time of this Guide’s first printing (2015) is at Appendix C, PG. 91.

  1. 39

    8 C.F.R. § 301.

  2. 40

    Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, http://www.U.S.C.is.gov/n-565.