Applying for citizenship but lost my passport, please help!

[dianad]

I've been a legal resident since I was 1 yr old, I'm now 31 and decided to finally apply for my citizenship. When filling out part 7, it asks to list all the trips you have done since you became a legal resident. During the last 5 years, I've only gone to Puerto Rico for 5 days (it was actually last year), the last trip before that was around '05 to Ecuador, and the trip before that was around '01 to Dominican Republic. Now the problem that I'm having is that I can't give specific dates or days that I stayed out because first I don't remember and second because I lost my password, which by the way had expired like almost 10 years ago. Am I gonna have problems if I go to the interview? is there any other documents I can present instead of the passport?

[rayb]

Your Puerto Rico trip does not count and does not have to be listed, since it is considered in the U.S.

The other two trips were not within the last 5 years, so won't affect your "continuous residency," but still need to be listed. Make approximations of the dates and attach a statement that the exact dates are not known since you have lost your U.S. passport.

If your passport expired "almost" 10 years ago, how did you get to Ecuador in 2005?

--Ray B

For the other two trips

I've been a legal resident since I was 1 yr old, I'm now 31 and decided to finally apply for my citizenship. When filling out part 7, it asks to list all the trips you have done since you became a legal resident. During the last 5 years, I've only gone to Puerto Rico for 5 days (it was actually last year), the last trip before that was around '05 to Ecuador, and the trip before that was around '01 to Dominican Republic. Now the problem that I'm having is that I can't give specific dates or days that I stayed out because first I don't remember and second because I lost my password, which by the way had expired like almost 10 years ago. Am I gonna have problems if I go to the interview? is there any other documents I can present instead of the passport?

[dianad]

Applying for citizenship but lost my passport, please help!

Thanks for ur help rayb! it expired pretty much soon after that trip, I remember this because I was planning another trip a few months after but noticed it had expired, I don't remember exactly the expiration date that's why I said almost 10 years considering we're pretty close to 2015. Oh and it wasn't a US passport, it was Ecuadorian.

[dianad]

Applying for citizenship but lost my passport, please help!

Would they still need to somehow verify the times I've been out of the country (even if they're not within those 5 yrs)? Would they just take my word for it? I was trying to think of ways to proof I've been in the country and I think that some type of
letter from my previous employers might work?

I've also read somewhere that they also need the passport to verify country of origin but if that's the case, would the residency card be enough? Because in that card says "country of origin: Ecuador" would that be a legit proof?

[rayb]

Sorry, I should have said "Ecuador" passport. I can't say whether prior entries and exits can be tracked, and if self-disclosure without the passport will satisfy the reviewer.


--Ray B

Thanks for ur help rayb! it expired pretty much soon after that trip, I remember this because I was planning another trip a few months after but noticed it had expired, I don't remember exactly the expiration date that's why I said almost 10 years considering we're pretty close to 2015. Oh and it wasn't a US passport, it was Ecuadorian.

[cafeconleche]

With that kind of travel history you have nothing to worry about. Just estimate the dates you went to Ecuador and the DR. Did you report your passport loss to the police, by the way? Or, is it just missing at home? Anyway, don't worry. List those trips and when you go for the interview make sure to tell the officer that they're educated guesses because they were so long ago. They have records, but they could be spotty. Still, nothing to worry about unless you have a tonne of trips and are close to the physical presence/continuous residence requirements.