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NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) is the US national archives, holding federal court naturalization records and other documents relevant to CBD cases.
In depth
NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) is the US national archives, holding federal government records including federal court naturalization records, census records, military records, and immigration records.
For CBD cases, NARA is a key source of: (1) federal court naturalization records (particularly for naturalizations before 1906, when USCIS did not exist), (2) census records (which show citizenship status and year of immigration), (3) military records (which can establish citizenship status), and (4) ship manifests (passenger arrival records).
NARA records are available at NARA facilities in Washington DC, College Park MD, and regional archives. Many records are available online through the National Archives catalog and through partnerships with Ancestry and FamilySearch.
Related terms
A naturalization record is a government document certifying that a person acquired citizenship by naturalization, critical for CBD cases to determine if the citizenship chain was broken.
USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) is the US government agency that holds naturalization records and issues 'no record' letters for CBD cases.
A ship manifest (passenger list) is a document recording the arrival of a ship's passengers at a port, used in CBD cases to document the ancestor's emigration.
A long-form birth certificate is a detailed birth certificate that includes the child's and parents' full information, required for most CBD applications.
A short-form birth certificate is a simplified birth certificate showing only the child's basic information, typically not accepted for CBD applications.
A certified copy is a copy of a document that has been verified as a true and accurate copy by the issuing authority, typically required for CBD applications.