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.
Get this: The filing fee for a Certificate of Citizenship is $1,335.
The advantage of a Certificate of Citizenship over a passport is that it does not expire (I believe this is correct).
The passport fee is $130.
And a passport is only good for ten years. So if you’re planning to be around more then 110 years (and not leave the smoldering remnants of the USA), the Certificate of Citizen is the smart money move.
that’s much more than ours in EU. are they gold plated?