What official documents prove US citizenship?
Executive summary
Official, primary proof of U.S. citizenship is straightforward on paper: a full, valid U.S. birth certificate, an undamaged U.S. passport, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Citizenship — documents expressly listed by federal sources as proof of citizenship — with additional federally issued documents (like Consular Reports of Birth Abroad and Department of State forms) also accepted in many contexts [1] [2] [3].
1. Primary documents that conclusively prove citizenship
The documents most commonly treated as standalone, primary evidence are a full (not amended or abstract) U.S. birth certificate, a U.S. passport (current or sometimes expired under limited rules), a Certificate of Naturalization (for naturalized citizens) and a Certificate of Citizenship (for those who derived or acquired citizenship through parents); federal guidance and passport instructions list these as principal proofs when applying for travel documents or proving status to government agencies [1] [2] [3].
2. Secondary or alternative documents and special-case proofs
For people without primary documents, government guidance and state programs allow combinations of secondary records — such as Department of State forms (FS-545, DS-1350), historical census records, certain military records, tribal documentation, or older federal receipts (INS Form G-711) — to establish citizenship when paired with identity evidence; states and programs vary, and some require two secondary items or one secondary plus corroborating affidavits [4] [5] [6].
3. Documents used by employers and federal forms (Form I-9 context)
Work-eligibility and identity checks use a standardized lists approach: Form I-9 accepts certain documents that show both identity and employment authorization (List A) or combinations of List B identity and List C employment-authorization documents; specific citizenship-proving items enumerated for employment include Certificates of Citizenship or Naturalization and certain historical ID cards (e.g., Form I-179) among others — emphasizing that different federal processes may accept different sets of records [7].
4. Lost documents, replacements and the process of proving citizenship without originals
If originals are lost, federal guidance directs applicants to obtain certified replacements from the issuing authority — for passports through State Department procedures, for Certificates through USCIS Form N-565, and for birth records via state vital records offices — and explicitly warns against submitting electronic or mobile copies when applying for passports; where no primary record exists, agencies may accept notarized affidavits plus secondary evidence and documented searches, but the burden and accepted evidence vary by agency [1] [2] [3].
5. Practical takeaways and where to look for authoritative instructions
Authoritative lists and step-by-step rules appear across official sources: the State Department’s passport guidance on evidence, USCIS instructions for naturalization and citizenship certificates, and USA.gov explain which documents prove citizenship and how to replace them; readers should consult the specific federal or state agency handling the request because acceptable evidence can differ by purpose (passport application, naturalization interview, employer I-9, state benefits) and because some locally accepted substitutes (for people born long ago or without records) are set by state rules or program-specific guidance [1] [8] [2] [3] [5].