How does my french friend get another passport?

June 15, 2011 12:13 PM

My friend, a french citizen, lost his passport a while back. He has been in the US nearly his entire life, but I am unsure of his citizen status. What should he do to gain another French passport?

My friend has been in the US since he was young. Attended all levels of public education and is currently enrolled in college.

However, a few weeks ago, he lost his passport. He doesn't really know where to start. I don't know what his citizenship status is, but I believe that's why he is hesitant to look in to a passport replacement. Where should he start?

posted by apip to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

The French embassy.
posted by desjardins at 12:18 PM on June 15, 2011

He should phone to nearest French consulate and ask what he needs to do. (This information should be on their website, but I can't find it.)

I don't know if the record of his permission to be in the United States would be in his French passport (I think my mother's was or at least she had something in it), but this page has information on replacing a green card. He'd presumably need to talk to CIS to replace whatever documentation was in his passport.
posted by hoyland at 12:20 PM on June 15, 2011

Contact the nearest French consulate (or embassy if you're in DC). The French public service site says to do just that (s'adresser à; l'ambassade ou au consulat français à l'étranger).
posted by fraula at 12:22 PM on June 15, 2011

He can safely go to the French Consulate about replacing his passport, but if he is unsure of his immigration status, he should probably talk to an attorney specializing in immigration matters before approaching the USCIS.
posted by ThisIsNotMe at 12:40 PM on June 15, 2011

If your friend's parents were naturalized in the US while your friend was a minor (and already living here), he was automatically granted citizenship alongside them. From the State Department:

Biological or Adopted Children Residing in the United States

A child automatically becomes a U.S. citizen when all of the following conditions have been met under section 320 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Child Citizenship Act (CCA):

At least one parent of the child is a U.S. citizen, whether by birth or naturalization.
The child is under the age of 18 years.
The child is residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent based on a lawful admission for permanent residence.
An adopted child may automatically become a citizen under section 320 of the INA if the child satisfies the requirements applicable to adopted children under sections 101(b)(1)(E), (F) or (G) of the INA.
To qualify as a “child” for purposes of section 320 of the INA, the individual must be unmarried. Also, a person who was born out of wedlock (meaning that the parents were not married at the time of the person’s birth), must be “legitimated” while under the age of 16 and while in the legal custody of the legitimating parent. See section 101(c)(1) of the INA. Finally, a stepchild who has not been adopted does not qualify as a child under this section.

A person who satisfies the requirements of section 320 of the INA before turning 18 automatically obtains citizenship without having to file an application. However, in order to obtain a certificate of citizenship from USCIS, an individual must file Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship. ...

There's a lot of links in that textblock at the State Dept website, but here's one important one right here: Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship
posted by carsonb at 1:53 PM on June 15, 2011

Oh, and as such he'd be eligible for a US Passport.
posted by carsonb at 1:55 PM on June 15, 2011