a.2 Return or replacement of surrendered certificate of naturalization or citizenship.
8 C.F.R. § 343a.2
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01A certificate of naturalization or citizenship which is contained in a USCIS file, and which was surrendered on a finding that loss of nationality occurred directly or through a parent as a result of the application of any of the following sections of law may, upon request, be returned to the person to whom it was originally issued, notwithstanding the fact that he or she has since been naturalized or repatriated in the United States or abroad:
(a) Section 404 (b) or (c) of the Nationality Act of 1940;
(b) Section 352 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which was invalidated by Schneider v. Rusk, 377 U.S. 163;
(c) Section 401(e) of the Nationality Act of 1940;
(d) Section 349(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which was invalidated by Afroyim v. Rusk, 387 U.S. 253;
(e) Section 301(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(f) Section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act relative to persons born after May 24, 1934, which was invalidated by amendment to section 301(b) on October 27, 1972, Public Law 92-584.
If, after having been surrendered to the Department of State or to USCIS, the certificate was lost, mutilated, or destroyed as a result of action by USCIS or that Department, a replacement certificate may be issued in the name shown in the surrendered certificate without fee and without requiring the submission of an application. A surrendered certificate shall not be regarded as mutilated and a replacement shall not be issued solely because of holes made in it to accommodate a fastener, unless the citizen declines to accept the return of the surrendered certificate in that condition and insists upon issuance of a replacement. When it is desired that the replacement certificate be furnished in a name other than the one shown in the surrendered certificate, the regular application procedure with payment of fee must be followed.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-8.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026