I am trying to fill out my F-86 form, but it had a section requiring a certificate of citizenship number. I am a derived citizen because my parents were naturalized while I was under 18. I do have a valid passport but I do not have any certifications. What do the people who do not have the certification fill out?
Certificates of Citizenship and Naturalization both serve as proof of U.S. citizenship, but the eligibility requirements differ. A Certificate of Citizenship is available to people who were born abroad and automatically acquired or derived U.S. citizenship through birth to or adoption by a U.S. citizen parent or parents (whether U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization), while a Certificate of Naturalization is given to a lawful permanent resident after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
You can also apply for separate citizenship documents as someone who was naturalized as a child through their parents.
I don’t remember the form or the process - but I have seem them in my work. Google would be a good place to start.
Valid US Passport? If so, you can use your passport as it is a evidence of citizenship.
Thanks all, but it seems I need to clarify.
On the F-86 form, it has a section that requires me to put in a certificate of citizenship number. However, since I am a derived citizen, I do not have one. Do I just leave it blank on the form? Would this be a problem in getting a security clearance?
Without reviewing the form, I think that it is asking for a cert number, not requiring it. Is there an explanation field in the same section? Either leave the cert number blank or mark it N/A. Use the explanation block to explain that you do not have a number, why you do not have a number and that you DO have a valid passport. You can even include the number from your passport in your text.
You are not the only applicant that this has come up for. You will very likely get questions about it but you are going to get questions anyway. Just be prepared to provide all of the documentation you might need.
You need to leave it blank but report your mother’s citizenship certificate information and an explaination in the comments section. For the future, look into obtaining documentation from USCIS.
The US passport works for most Agencies, but apply for your own documentation using USCIS Form N-600 and save yourself headaches in the future.
It only took a few seconds through Google to find this information BTW.
Thanks all,
I am aware of the N-600 but my problem is that it is timely and costly to obtain so I am not sure that is an option. I am just worried that not having a certificate of citizenship might be an issue but from your comments it doesn’t seem that it would be a huge roadblock.
I understand. I meant as an option in the future so you will not have this angst again.
As many factors, it depends on the Agency and program you are applying for. Some IC agencies can be very picky.
1 Like
Been there. In fact when I got my TS it really involved a lot of questions about what derived citizenship is. I was told later on when everything went electronic to use 000000 or 12345678 as fillers and they would allow the system to continue but flag as erroneous number. My passport has been good enough to prove citizenship. In fact before 9/11 my HAND WRITTEN birth certificate was enough! Whoever made the form did not know a passport was enough proof.
The passport is a document derived from other forms to prove citizens ship.
A handwritten birth certificate might’ve been “ good enough “ before 9/11 - but my handwritten birth certificate was not good enough for my initial military security clearance in 1978 and I had to get a birth certificate from my birth state’s dept of vital statistics — even though the handwritten birth certificate was from a military hospital.
What authorizes my citizenship is the combination of:
- My Canadian BC.
- My parents marriage certificate.
- My green card.
- My father’s naturalization certificate dated before I was 18.
- My parents’ divorce paperwork showing my father had custody of me.
Of course no one understands that mess of paperwork except the State Dept when they issued my passport in record time. My sister went with Mom so she is Canadian and had to be naturalized. Now that I am retired I went ahead and got a Canadian passport as I was born there and a UK passport as my dad was born there, so traveling around is much easier. If I was still working holding three passports may question my intention to keep America #1, but there are cases of dual citizenship that are allowed once intent is proven, with Israeli/Jewish being a common scenario.