Proof of residency
Why do I need to prove my residency? I have a daughter that I am trying to get confirmed as a US citizen. The process is actually easy but a lot of paperwork. One of the requirements is to prove that you have lived in the USA for at least 5 years.
What documents are acceptable to prove residency?
- passport new and old with exit and entry stamps
- tax returns
- school records, high school or college
- social security statements
- w-2 forms
- or travel records obtained which you can get by writing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection the address is: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW; Mint Annex Building, FOIA Division; Washington, DC zip 20229
The easiest is bring all your old passports.
I tried to get my tax returns as I keep them online with turbo tax, however, they do not go back far enough.
I live in Poland and many Polish people complain about paper work. Actually I found that Polish paperwork and proof of residency easier than US. See in Poland you have a PESEL and the governments knows everything about you (thow back from communism) based on this. While in the US, there is no real central control over citizen records, the responsiblity is on you to prove it.
On a side note I believe that Obama was born in the US and is a natural US citizen. However, if I have to provide my citizenship and residency using only ‘long form’ records with the seals seem in person for all to see, as I was told at the embassy this morning ( they rejected my short form) then why should Obama not make all the birthers happy and just show the long form not an electronic short form. It would be the respectful think to do. Anyway its a dead issue, he will never do that, and he most likely was born in HI.
If you want to prove your residency for citizenship and or children born abroad to a US citizen or to be president of the US, be prepared to be honest, as they can check everything, and have good records with raised seals and official stamps.
2 responses to Proof of residency
I’m in the process of doing the same through the US General Consulate in Moscow, Russia. Initially they wanted me to pay three different fees and fill in a few forms (which I happily did). Then they requested a proof of (a) relationship with the mother of my child born in Moscow and (b) proof of residence for the last five years. We satisfied the above requirements fairly easily (provided tax returns from 2005 for (b)) but now the Consulate wants me to provide a proof of residence back to… 1997! No idea of what could be considered as a proof given that 12 years passed since then. I do have the old passport but will they check all ins and outs? I doubt it.
Proof of residency
The main thing is do not give up. When you hear about the requirement of proof of residency for the first time it sounds very hard. But once you step back from the process and realize it is only a paper chase, and take your time you can get the documents together. Yes, use your passports as one source. Get an excel spreadsheet and start to document all the times you have been in the USA and all the times you left. On another column document your evidence of residency, such as a passport or any other legal documents. School records are great. Proof of residency for citizenship is more an exercise in patience and excel than anything else.
Proof of residency
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