# How does one prove their citizenship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552 "2008-07-07T14:38:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552/21 "2008-07-08T00:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=Spezza] What is silly is that you somehow think that just because your records are digitalized and stored on a myriad of information systems those records can prove _your_ citizenship. Sure the records exist, but what links _you_ to _them_?! [/QUOTE] No need to be snarky. Obviously there’s some way to prove I’m the one in question to their satisfaction. After all, I can send in a request form asking for them to send me back the documents. Clearly they have the information, and they’re willing to send it to me - it’s just that they want to do it through a slow process. If they can do a background check instantly verifying I’m a citizen when I purchase a gun, there should be some mechanism by which one government agency (in this case) could verify the same information with another government agency. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552/22 "2008-07-08T05:32:02Z")
> [@](#): > > **SenorBeef** : …for someone to be unable to do something as trivial as prove they’re a citizen seems silly.. One’s citizenship is never trivial and so proving it isn’t either. I’m glad that you found the papers that you need. Time to renew my passport. My driver’s license doesn’t require a photo anymore, but it’s a good idea to have _some_ photo identification. It’s also good to be able to travel on impulse. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552/23 "2008-07-08T07:38:58Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] For instance, I’m under the impression that the NICS background check when you buy a gun accounts for your citizenship, and those are “instant” - the data is clearly there somewhere. [/QUOTE] FWIW, one does not need to be a citizen to legally buy a firearm in this country. NICS does not check for citizenship. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552/24 "2008-07-08T11:18:30Z")
[QUOTE=Zoe] One’s citizenship is never trivial and so proving it isn’t either. I’m glad that you found the papers that you need. [/QUOTE] I didn’t mean to imply that that citizenship itself is trivial.. it just seems to me that indicating/proving it’s something you’d have to do at various points in your life for one reason or another and I’m surprised that there isn’t some streamlined way to do that. I mean they (illegally) track all sorts of things about you based on your SS number, you’d think they’d have “citizen? yes/no” in that database somewhere. [QUOTE=Bear\_Nenno] FWIW, one does not need to be a citizen to legally buy a firearm in this country. NICS does not check for citizenship. [/QUOTE] My mistake then. I thought I recalled it being one of the questions on the form you fill out, so I assumed it was checked. Maybe the question is if you’re an illegal alien. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552/25 "2008-07-08T12:52:28Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] I didn’t mean to imply that that citizenship itself is trivial.. it just seems to me that indicating/proving it’s something you’d have to do at various points in your life for one reason or another and I’m surprised that there isn’t some streamlined way to do that. I mean they (illegally) track all sorts of things about you based on your SS number, you’d think they’d have “citizen? yes/no” in that database somewhere. [/QUOTE] I’ve been asked to check yes/no on the question of citizenship any number of times, but I only recall being asked to back it up with proof when I got my driver’s license, my social security number (maybe, not sure) , my passport and when I was volunteering a day at a VA Hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552/26 "2008-07-08T13:01:17Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] My mistake then. I thought I recalled it being one of the questions on the form you fill out, so I assumed it was checked. Maybe the question is if you’re an illegal alien. [/QUOTE] That is one of them. There are actually a few citizenship-based questions. 1. What is your country of citizenship. 2. What is your state of residence. 3. Have you ever renounced US Citizenship. 4. Are you illegally in the US etc [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-prove-their-citizenship/455552.md?page=1)