American Citizen Services
Installment 73
Q: I am a U.S. citizen but do not have a U.S. passport and need to travel. What should I do?
U.S. law requires that U.S. citizens enter and leave the United States on a valid U.S. passport. If you are in the United States, then you should apply for a U.S. passport before you come to Guyana. You may apply at the nearest passport acceptance facility, such as a U.S. post office or passport agency. Please visit our website to find a list of passport acceptance facilities that are convenient to where you live. http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
If you are in Guyana, then you should go online and schedule an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown at https:// evisaforms.state.gov/acs/default.asp?postcode=GEO&appcode=1. You will need to bring your original naturalization certificate, a previous U.S. passport, or if you were born in the United States, a certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate and valid photo ID to the U.S. Embassy. Because all U.S. passports are processed in the United States, this procedure will take some time and may delay your return to the United States, It is therefore recommended that you get your passport before leaving the United States. If your passport will expire during your stay in Guyana, please allow at least two weeks to renew it at the U.S. Embassy before you need to return to the United States.
Q: If I am a citizen of both the United States and Guyana, may I travel on my Guyanese passport or a Guyana travel document?
Because U.S. law requires that U.S. citizens enter and leave the United States on a valid U.S. passport, you should obtain your U.S. passport before departing the United States. As a dual national of both the United States and Guyana, you may be eligible to enter Guyana on a Guyanese passport but are required to obey the laws of both countries.
Q: My U.S. passport is about to expire, do you still have those long delays before I can get it renewed? How soon do I need to come in to have it renewed?
Before leaving the United States, we recommend that you check your passport to be sure that it will be valid for the duration of your trip to Guyana. If your passport is going to expire in less than six months, then you should get it renewed, or the airlines may refuse to board you.
It normally takes several weeks to renew your U.S. passport in the United States. However, you do not have to wait until your passport is expired in order to renew it.
Q: I was born in Guyana, but I am now a U.S. citizen. I plan to stay in Guyana for an open-ended period of time. Someone from the U.S. Embassy asked me if I was registered. What does that mean and why should I register? Is it mandatory?
It is not mandatory, but the U.S Embassy strongly encourages all U.S. citizens to register. By registering with the U.S. Embassy, a U.S. citizen informs the consular section of his/her arrival and stay in Guyana. Thanks to the Internet, U.S. citizens overseas can save themselves a trip to the Embassy by registering online at the Department of State website at https://travelregistration. state.gov/ibrs/ui/ Those who wish to register in person, do not need to schedule an appointment and may come to the Embassy during normal American Citizens Service business hours (Monday through Thursday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.).
There are several reasons for registering whether in Guyana for a short visit or for those residing in Guyana. If there is an emergency, civil disturbance, or impending danger about which U.S. citizens must be alerted, the consular section needs to be able to communicate with U.S. citizens in Guyana quickly. Moreover, if there is a natural disaster that would require the evacuation of U.S. citizens, the registration system allows the consular section to identify more quickly those U.S. citizens in need of services. When a U.S. citizen registers with the U.S. Embassy, it is easier for the consular staff to follow up with services in the event that citizen encounters trouble or needs assistance.
What services can the U.S. Embassy provide for U.S. citizens?
The U.S. Embassy is concerned with the welfare of all U.S. citizens in Guyana, whether they were born in Guyana, the United States, or somewhere else. The U.S. Embassy has a section known as American Citizens Services (ACS) that provides a wide range of services to U.S. citizens within its consular district, including obtaining or renewing a U.S. passport, documenting a child born to a U.S. citizen parent or parents, or assisting with an emergency, such as death or arrest.
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“Ask the Consul” is a bi-weekly column from the U.S. Embassy answering questions about U.S. immigration law and visa issues. If you have a general question about visa policy please email it to us at AskGeorge@state.gov. We select questions every other week and publish the answers in Stabroek News and on our website at http://georgetown.usembassy.gov/guyana/ask_con.html. For more information about visas please see http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov or http:// georgetown.usembassy.gov/.
Other than the questions we select, we DO NOT respond to questions sent to Ask the Consul. Please contact the visa inquiries unit (email visageorge@state.gov or call 225-7965 between 8 am and 4 pm Monday through Friday) if you have questions about a specific case.