YSK: How to document that you are a US citizen
https://www.usa.gov/prove-us-citizenship
The most common way to show that you are a US citizen is to show a passport. However, only about 50% of US citizens have a passport.
An alternative to a passport is a Certificate of Citizenship.
Certificates of Citizenship and Naturalization show proof that someone is a U.S. citizen. The website https://www.usa.gov/prove-us-citizenship shows how you can get or replace these documents.
Prove your citizenship: born in the U.S. with no birth certificate. If you were born in the U.S. and have no birth certificate, learn how to get documentation to prove you are a U.S. citizen.
Prove your citizenship: born outside the U.S. to a U.S. citizen parent. Prove your U.S. citizenship without a birth certificate if you were born outside the U.S. to a U.S. citizen.
Tl;dr: get a passport. If you have a passport, get it out right now. Look at it. Hold it. Is it expired? How many people do you think have a passport but have no idea where it is? Don’t be one of those folk
many people havnt renewed thier passport in decades, so they likely have to reapply all over, and its the wait time for appts can be weeks to months away
Best time to plant a tree
I keep mine in my work backpack at all times. That bag sits next to my desk when I work at home, next to my person when I’m in the office, and converts to my go back when I go on vacation. It’s with me almost always. I’m a white guy who can trace his family back to ellis island, so my risk is significantly lower that many others, but I’m also very outwardly critical of Nazis, so it’s not no risk.
Im not sure having it on you is the best way to go unless you have two.
This is why a passport card is so awesome. Only Costs $30 on top of the passport fee, you can easily keep it on your person, and if ICE confiscates it because “we think it’s fake” you have your actual passport at home that your lawyer can bring to the facility to get you out, once he finds you.
I hadn’t heard of this and now I need to look into it.
It’s rarely actually on me, but it in the same general location that I’m in in case I need it, but I agree with you
Personally, I would rather just get fucked up by ICE rather than comply with the “papers please” state. Who knows, maybe I’ll even end up in the news.
I’m sure as shit never unlocking my phone if asked, but I’ll show ID if requested in official capacity. If an unmarked person asks, I’ll tell them exactly where they can shove their request.
There. Your great grandpa made a spelling mistake on his citizenship application. Off to El Salvador you go!
At least if they were to send me to my country of origin, or that if my ancestors, it’d be Germany or Ireland. But we know it would be El Salvador, or the new concentration camp, Alligator Auschwitz.
If they tried to send me to my country of ancestry, it no longer exists
Ah, I see we have an Alantian in our midst.
You can come but we’re not taking the orange turd back!
This. Especially if you’re a naturalized citizen. The certificate of naturalization is expensive and hard to replace. It should not be your only id. Keep it in a safe place.
If you are a permanent resident, you should already know that you must carry your card on you at all times. That is more important now then ever.
Note that you will need to mail the original certificate to the authorities to get your passport. You will get it back after a couple of weeks, but in the meantime you will have nothing, unless you paid to get a certified copy. It is a large piece of paper that cannot be folded, so it’s not practical to carry around.
While you’re at it, get your driver’s license updated with the federal id. Make sure the BMV records reflect your status. Register to vote. In other words, document your citizenship in as many ways as possible.
During my recent travels I carried a photocopy of my naturalization document plus my passport. I was not asked for it, but my reasoning was that if they took my passport I at least had something. I also had a physical notebook with important info in it, i.e., not just in my phone.