After taking the Oath of Allegiance and becoming a U.S. citizen, you can apply for your first U.S. passport. For an adult who has not previously held one, the normal domestic route is Form DS-11 and an in-person application. Your Certificate of Naturalization provides citizenship evidence.
Plan the passport application as a separate step after naturalization. Approval of the citizenship application, a scheduled ceremony and an issued passport are three different milestones.
What to do after the ceremony
USCIS explains that the naturalization process concludes with the oath and Certificate of Naturalization. Before leaving the ceremony, follow the instructions provided and check the certificate for obvious errors.
Keep the certificate safe and make a copy for your own records. You will need the actual citizenship evidence required by Passport Services, not just a picture of the certificate on your phone.
Read this graphic as text
- Citizenship completed: Oath taken and appropriate evidence in hand.
- Passport application: DS-11 in person with evidence, ID, photo and fees.
- Passport received: Check the details and update relevant travel records.
- Visa and travel: Arrange any visa using the passport you will carry.
Naturalization approval and an issued U.S. passport are different milestones.
Your first passport appointment folder
- DS-11. Complete the form accurately and leave the signature blank until instructed at the appointment.
- Certificate of Naturalization. Bring the required citizenship evidence and photocopy.
- Physical identification. Review the accepted identification instructions for the document you intend to present.
- A recent passport photo. A photo left over from an earlier immigration application may be too old or otherwise unsuitable.
- Fees. Prepare the government application fee and the separate acceptance fee.
- Name-change evidence, if applicable. Include the official record connecting any names that differ across your documents.
The State Department’s adult passport application page is the controlling checklist for a first application. If you have an A-number and are applying for the first time, include it where the application instructions require it.
What if you changed your name during naturalization?
Build the application around your current legal name and the records proving it. Check whether you received a separate court order or other name-change document. Do not assume that a difference between the certificate, driver’s license and travel booking will explain itself.
If your ticket was booked under an earlier name, resolve the booking and document requirements before departure. For later changes to an existing U.S. passport, the applicable form depends on timing and circumstances; that is a different process from the first DS-11 application.
Will the government keep your naturalization certificate?
The original evidence is normally returned separately from the new passport. Do not expect every item to arrive in one envelope. Keep track of the submission and mailing dates, and read what to do when supporting documents have not returned if the book arrives first.
If you also need the certificate for another task, plan the order of those tasks before mailing or handing over the original. Avoid making two simultaneous plans that both require possession of the same document.
Planning international travel after naturalization
Do not treat a foreign passport and a copy of your certificate as an automatic replacement for the U.S. travel document you need. The State Department’s dual-nationality guidance requires U.S. citizens holding dual nationality to enter and leave the United States on a U.S. passport. Destination-country document rules are a separate consideration.
Build the sequence in order: citizenship completed, passport application submitted, passport received, visa arranged if required, travel details updated. If a destination visa needs the new passport number or the original book, it cannot be fully arranged around a passport that has not yet been issued.
If your departure is close
Check the official urgent passport options and the availability of a suitable appointment. Evidence requirements still apply when travel is urgent.
24 Hour Passport & Visas assists with first-time passport preparation and eligible expedited handling. Tell us the ceremony date, whether the certificate is in hand and your travel date. That makes it possible to discuss the actual next step.
Frequently asked questions
Must I wait a fixed number of weeks after the oath?
The passport application follows citizenship and requires the appropriate evidence. Use the instructions supplied after your ceremony and the current Passport Services checklist rather than assuming a universal waiting period.
Can I renew online for my first U.S. passport?
No. Online renewal is for eligible existing passport holders, not first-time applicants.
Tell us your destination, departure date and application status. Call first to arrange a visit to our Los Angeles office.
Call (310) 913-7804