TYPES OF DOCUMENTS
Certificate of Non-Existence
Naturalization is the process by which United States of America citizenship is granted to a lawful permanent resident after meeting the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). A person with a dual citizenship is a citizen of two countries at the same time, which has advantages and disadvantages because it is a complex legal status. Some of the benefits of having a dual citizenship include the ability of an individual to possess two passports, the freedom of access, movement, and money that is not readily available to just the citizen of one country.
Prior to 1906 naturalization proceedings took place in local, municipal, or state court systems. After 1906 the federal courts took responsibility for reviewing and granting United States citizenship. Then in 1991 the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) took the responsibility. In 2003 INS ceased to exist and most of its functions were transferred to three entities within the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
- United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
When applying for dual citizenship, most countries will require a copy of Certificate of Naturalization from the The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to be Apostilled. Locating the Certificate of Naturalization Document is important for you to apply for citizenship by descent. Your ancestor must have completed a Certificate of Naturalization before their direct descendents were born.
NARA receives thousands of requests per year for naturalization records from researchers seeking dual citizenship with foreign countries. Howver, Certificates of Naturalizations are not available through NARA within its Federal Court Holdings. Researchers will need to inquire with the USCIS to obtain a copy of the Certificate of Naturalization.
If no Certificate of Naturalization can be found a Certificate of Non-Existence can be requested in writing from the USCIS. The NARA can issue a "negative search letter" which indicates to the USCIS that they do not possess a Certificate of Naturalization for your ancestor. However, only the USCIS can issue the Certificate of Non-Existence.
A Certificate of Non-Existence is an official agency statement regarding the conterits of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) records. This certifies that no records on a particular individual, decision or action based on the identifying information or criteria provided by the requester or encountered as a result of USCIS searches.
Listed below is the current list of countries where it is possible to have dual citizenship. Some of the countries listed may not officially allow dual citizenship, but it is possible to be a dual citizen. They each have their own regulations and restrictions that you must research.
A Certificate of Non-Existence is an United States Federal Government Document issued by the Department of Homeland Security's, Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and can only be Apostilled through the United States Department of State (USDOS) in Washington D.C. This document cannot be notarized, copy certified, and no State Office can process this document. All United States Federal Documents are processed through the United States Secretary of State or the United States Department of State.
NARA does not have the authority to issue an Apostille. In order for us to process your Certificate of Non-Existence, you must mail in the original or certified copy to our office. ONLY THE ORIGINAL CERTIFIED DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. A Photocopy is not acceptable. Once we receive your documents, in order to minimize errors and processing time, we will verify that all documents received from notaries before submitting them to be Apostilled. We will contact you as soon as possible if any errors are encountered and we will instruct you on how they need to be corrected.
Obtaining an Apostille can be a complicated process and should not be left to someone who does not understand all of the steps involved. Untrained persons that do not understand all of the requirements for legalization in each country are more likely to make errors, which will severely delay the Apostille process and cost you more money.
Once the original English Certificate of Non-Existence is properly received you can mail it to us to be Apostilled. We can also provide Certified Translation Services into the language required by the Country of Designation.
Here at Ezra Notary and Apostille,