Recap of today's Philly appoinment

[anitapgh]

Whew!

It's over--the appointment, that is. As everyone else on this forum has said, Lia is great and very professional to work with (though all-business and strict!)

I had just a few issues that I need to resolve by mailing documents in. Incredibly, it got past me that there was one birth certificate that wasn't long form--MY OWN! No problem, I've already ordered it and will send it ASAP.

I only had short forms for marriage licenses (not the full application) for my grandfather and great-grandfather--because the county told me thats all they have. Not sure what to do on this, besides call again and try once more.

And lastly, that pesky affidavit of never renouncing citizenship. I had signed affidavits but they wanted accompanying copies of photo ID, also notarized. Again, not a huge deal, just another step.

Other than that... looks like I'm set! I got there early, at 8:30a, which was plenty of time to be first in line (though they only two applicants per day, and I was done in an hour... so either way, no big deal). It helps a ton to have all of your documents in order of great-grandparent, grandparent, father, yourself to speed the process. Also, I had many name discrepancies, and had an affidavit of anglicization, which was accepted without question. After I send in the remaining few docs, she said it's a 3-6 month wait.

Any questions, I'd be happy to answer! Here's hoping....

[KarenChristino]

Regarding the marriage licenses -- you might ask them for a full photocopy of the original application. Are they applied for at the town level in PA? There's a chance the town could have more detail. Since you have the documents, you should have the name of the town where they applied. In my experience, the town people generally have more time and tend to be more helpful. After this, you might try going down if they're not too far away.

[trinasignoriello]

How co you get an affadavit of anglicization? I have a few docs that have 3 different spellings for one person nThanks

[anitapgh]

Quick check-in -- today, after 2.5 years since I began the process, I received my AIRE letter in the mail! At least, I think it's my AIRE letter - it is from the Comune in Italy and is all in Italian, and certifies my birth etc. But what is my next step? Do I need to receive something separate from the consulate? Or am I all set -- a citizen! -- and ready to apply for my passport?

Thanks for all the great support from this forum over the years!

Anne Marie in Pittsburgh

[jennabet]

You should not need anything else from the Philadelphia consulate. Give them a call and make a passport appointment if you want one.

[shawnwalters]

My Grandfather's birth certificate has an entirely incorrectly name "Bozario", but his marriage, death, (my mother's birth) all list his correct name "Russell"

How much of a problem is this going to cause?

Also, just confirming that my GGF became American citizen in 1940, but he gave birth to my GF in 1921 and my mother was born in 1951. These dates are all ok, right? Does it matter my Great-Grand-Father became American/Naturalized AFTER my GF was born?