Hopeful Student Needs Certificate of Citizenship

rk911

rk911

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rk911
a buddy of mine wants to start PPL lessons but has been told he needs to provide a Statement of Citizenship before he can start. he was born on a US military base in Germany in 1950 to an American father and a Polish national mother. he was raised in the US, served in the US Army and was honorably discharged and his mother became a naturalized American citizen several years after his birth but he cannot locate those papers. he's voted in every election since he attained the proper age but of course the only thing the board of elections cares about is residency and not citizenship. he believes he is an American citizen but how to prove it?

he doesn't know where to begin with this. I suggested he contact his congressional rep and start there. has anyone else faced this issue and how did you solve it?
 
The form is called a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, and is prepared by the State Department for US citizens-by-birth born abroad. If his father was American on a US military base in Germany in 1950, this was probably already done at the time of his birth. I'm in the same situation, and that form just lives with my birth certificate. He should ask his parents; they probably have it. If they don't already have one, I don't know what the process is for getting it retroactively, but I assume it would be a lot of paperwork.

Probably the easiest thing he can do is get a passport (which would also require that Report) because that's a much easier way to prove citizenship in a variety of situations going forward.

More info: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1043/~/birth-abroad-of-a-u.s.-citizen
and: https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...s-policies/citizenship-child-born-abroad.html
 
He won't have a Certificate of citizenship, that is for naturalized citizens.

He'll mostly likely have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) or Certificate of Report of Birth (DS-1350) depending on when he was born. It looks like a normal birth certificate. A lot of people actually think it's their birth certificate. If it was never done and all he has is the German birth certificate, it's more complicated and he'll need legal assistance.

If he can't find it, but one was issued, he can get a replacement. To do so, he Must Submit:

1. A notarized written (or typed) request that includes all of the following information:
  • Full name of the child at birth
  • Any adoptive names of child
  • Child’s date and place of birth
  • Any available passport information
  • Full names of parents
  • If known, the serial number of the FS-240
  • Signature of requester
  • Legal Guardian(s) Only: A copy of the court order granting guardianship
  • Requester’s mailing address
  • Contact number of the requester
2. A copy of requester’s valid identification

3. A $50.00 check or money order
  • Make payable to “Department of State”
  • The Department will assume no responsibility for cash lost in the mail.
4. Mail to:

Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213
 
mcmanigle said:
The form is called a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, and is prepared by the State Department for US citizens-by-birth born abroad. If his father was American on a US military base in Germany in 1950, this was probably already done at the time of his birth. I'm in the same situation, and that form just lives with my birth certificate. He should ask his parents; they probably have it. If they don't already have one, I don't know what the process is for getting it retroactively, but I assume it would be a lot of paperwork.

Probably the easiest thing he can do is get a passport (which would also require that Report) because that's a much easier way to prove citizenship in a variety of situations going forward.

More info: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1043/~/birth-abroad-of-a-u.s.-citizen
and: https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...s-policies/citizenship-child-born-abroad.html
Click to expand...
unfortunately both of his parents are deceased and whatever papers might have been issued back in 1950 have long since disappeared. he is aware of a passport being the ultimate in ID but as you point out he needs the same form...back to square one.

thanks for the links...I will pass those on to him.
 
jbarrass said:
He won't have a Certificate of citizenship, that is for naturalized citizens.

He'll mostly likely have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) or Certificate of Report of Birth (DS-1350) depending on when he was born. It looks like a normal birth certificate. A lot of people actually think it's their birth certificate. If it was never done and all he has is the German birth certificate, it's more complicated and he'll need legal assistance.

If he can't find it, but one was issued, he can get a replacement. To do so, he Must Submit:

1. A notarized written (or typed) request that includes all of the following information:
  • Full name of the child at birth
  • Any adoptive names of child
  • Child’s date and place of birth
  • Any available passport information
  • Full names of parents
  • If known, the serial number of the FS-240
  • Signature of requester
  • Legal Guardian(s) Only: A copy of the court order granting guardianship
  • Requester’s mailing address
  • Contact number of the requester
2. A copy of requester’s valid identification

3. A $50.00 check or money order
  • Make payable to “Department of State”
  • The Department will assume no responsibility for cash lost in the mail.
4. Mail to:

Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213
Click to expand...

thanks, john! i'll pass this on to him.
 
He would have needed the FS-240 when he entered military service. He should have it somewhere.
 
thanks, Bill, I'll let him know but the operative word is "somewhere". he's not exactly organized. :(
 
Check with US State Dept for the FS-240. If he was listed on the DD-214, he might be able to obtain a copy of the DD-214 from the VA, but I don't know the criteria the VA has for providing it to a relative of the deceased. Another option could be the Service branch archives, if he knows the branch of service of his father and can provide the necessary documents to obtain an archive of the records (and it still exists).

ETA: Vital records check could turn up what he needs. Also, a long shot here, but Social Security administration or IRS (based on SSAN).

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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