There have been several cases of U.S. Citizens receiving emails from the Department of Homeland Security telling them to leave the country. While these emails were hopefully sent in error, now is the time to prepare yourself and your legal documents in case something similar were to happen to you.
Birth Certificate: You can request a birth certificate from the vital records office in the state that you were born. (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/index.htm) You will need a valid photo ID to request your birth certificate. If you're requesting your certificate by mail it can take weeks to months to receive, depending on processing times.
Passport: A passport is helpful as it is easier to carry around than your birth certificate to prove your citizenship and will be helpful in case you need to flee the country. Routine processing time for passports is 4-6 weeks. Cost for a first-time passport is $165. To acquire a passport you will need:
- Form DS-11. Filled out, but NOT signed. You will sign it in the presence of the acceptance agent.
- Evidence of U.S. citizenship (e.g. birth certificate). Must be original or replacement copy. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the office which issued it.
- Physical photo ID (e.g. In-state, fully valid driver's license).
- A copy of your evidence of U.S. citizenship (e.g. birth certificate) AND of your photo ID. These will be sent with your application. Copies should be: Black and white, on 8.5" x 11" inch paper, single-sided.
- A passport photo. Do not attach or staple your photo to the form. The acceptance agent or passport employee will review the photo and staple it to your form.
- Apply in person at a Passport Acceptance Facility near you. (https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/) You may need to make an appointment.
- Bring at least one check with you to pay the application fee ($130). An additional $35 acceptance fee will be due to the facility which takes your application.
Other important documents you may want to locate in case you need to flee the country:
- Marriage & divorce records
- Property deeds or titles
- Will or end of life documents
- Tax returns
- Social security card
- Insurance cards
- School transcripts & diplomas
- Resume
- Recent bank statements (to prove income or savings)
- Vaccination records or other relevant medical records
- Rental history (for apartment applications)
TL;DR
- Locate original documents.
- Make at least two physical copies of original documents. Leave one copy with any family or relatives staying behind.
- Scan all original documents to at least one USB drive.
- Consider uploading scanned copies of documents to cloud storage.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not meant to be taken as legal advice.
Originally Posted By u/sunmarsh At 2025-04-20 09:52:19 PM | Source