As I've written before, I applied for the foreign birth registry of a nation, so that my right to claim citizenship is recognized. Although my brother hit a bump in the road with his paperwork, he is now a dual citizen of both the United States and of this country (which I will leave unnamed at the moment.) I just hit another bump in the road, and I will need to resubmit my photographs (no big problem) and submit one extra piece of paperwork that I do not have access to - my grandmother's marriage certificate. AARGH!
I do not know if my brother has the date and jurisdiction of my grandmother's marriage license, so that I can get a certified copy from the appropriate entity to file with the photographs requested by the foreign birth registry. But you might be interested in the contents of the following letter, so that if you are going through this process, you can understand what I'm going through.
Dear applicant,
We are dealing with your application to obtain Citizenship through entry on the Foreign Births Register. Unfortunately we cannot proceed with your application without the following document/s:
For the applicant (yourself):
1. A newly completed application form (pdf attached) and 4 new photographs, the witness to the application submitted is not the same witness that certified/witnessed your passport sized photos and your photo ID. The same witness must certify/witness all your documents. Please ensure the form is completed in full. Please ensure that the back of 2 of the photographs submitted are stamped, signed, dated and the application number is entered on the back by your witness. Please ensure that your witness stamps, signs and dates your application and submits a business card /letterhead if no stamp is available.
2. A certified/witnessed photocopy of your current state-issued photographic ID document (i.e. passport, drivers licence, national identity card), certified/witnessed by the witness to your application form. If you are sending a copy of your passport, please ensure that all the data on the photo page is fully visible.
For the grandparent (your grandmother):
1. Original civil marriage certificate/s showing name change from birth surname to current surname - Church certificates, certificates of marriage registration, marriage licenses and/or photocopies are not acceptable.
Please ensure that your application number is clearly marked on the envelope.
When the documents are received and your application is reviewed, you may be contacted again for further clarification or documents if required.
As you can see, I have a bit of work before me. My grandmother's history is a bit sketchy, as my dad preserved precious little documentation regarding her life. Yet, my brother squeaked through this process, so I should do so as well. But when? I want to be able to leave the USA if the Orange Monster goes completely berserk.
PS: We found a photograph of the Marriage Certificate, but we need an official copy. Given that it is not digitally accessible in the NYC records database, it's going to be a bit more of a pain in the ass than I would like.
