How does the new law regarding Puerto Rican Birth Certificates affect my application for a U.S. Passport?
The Government of Puerto Rico recently passed a law which prohibits the widespread practice of retaining certified copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates. These certified copies will no longer be considered valid after September 30, 2010. (However, the Governor was authorized to further extend the validity of the old birth certificates to October 30, if necessary).
On July 1, Puerto Rico began issuing new birth certificates, creating an overlap of 90 days in which the existing and new birth certificates will both be valid. The US Embassy began accepting the new birth certificate on July 1, and will also continue to accept the existing birth certificates until September 30 (or October 30 if the validity date is extended).
Existing Puerto Rican birth certificates will not be considered valid after September 30, and cannot be used as proof of citizenship or parental relationship for any Consular services. However, applicants should be sure to retain their existing birth certificates as proof of travel.
The US Embassy also reminds US citizens living in the Dominican Republic of the importance of obtaining a passport for travel and as proof of citizenship, as travel to and from the Dominican Republic is no longer possible without a valid passport.
For more information on the changes to Puerto Rican birth certificate law, please visit Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration website at:
www.prfaa.com/birthcertificates/ (English) and
www.prfaa.com/certificadosdenacimiento/ (Spanish).
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