New Citizen and New Passport

Tammy Chen is a retired elementary school teacher from Taiwan. She immigrated with her husband, Charles, to the United States to live with their daughter and granddaughter.

After living in the United States for five years, Tammy applied for US Citizenship and passed the interview.

Tammy went to Taiwan for the summer to visit her family. While she was in Taiwan, she finally received her letter for the Oath Ceremony--18 months after her Citizenship interview!

Tammy was very happy to receive the letter, but there was a small problem. The Oath Ceremony was on August 6 and she was going on vacation to the Canadian Rockies on August 8. She must have a passport to go to Canada. What should she do?

Tammy called her daughter, Carol, in California. Checking the internet, Carol found out that the US State Department, not the USCIS, issues US passports.

The US State Department does not manage relations between US states, such as California and Nevada. The US State Department manages relations between the United States and other countries, such as the United States and Canada. The Travel Department of the US State Department issues passports for US Citizens and visas for visitors to the United States.

Because Tammy needed a passport quickly, Carol made an appointment for Tammy at the San Francisco Passport Agency.

The San Francisco Passport Agency only serves customers who are traveling, or submitting their passports for foreign visas, within 14 days.

To apply at the Agency, you must schedule an appointment by calling toll-free at 1-877-487-2778, 24 hours/day.

If you are not traveling, or needing to submit your passport for foreign visas within 14 days, you must apply at a Passport Application Acceptance Facility.

On August 8, the day after her Oath Ceremony, Tammy and Carol went to the SFPA for her appointment.

San Francisco Passport Agency
95 Hawthorne Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105-3901

Tammy gave the agent her application, fee, and 2 passport photos. The passport agent did not ask her many questions, but only checked her passport application. Then the agent gave Tammy a new passport.

Twenty-seven hours after becoming an American Citizen, Tammy Chen can use her new US Passport to travel to outside of the United States.

Tammy is overjoyed to become a US Citizen and her family is thrilled to go on vacation together. Congratulations and Bon Voyage!