If you find that your US citizenship certificate is missing, you must file Form N-565, with the USCIS, to get it replaced. These certificates are issued to people who acquire or derive US citizenship. People who become US citizens by birth and people who naturalize and become US citizens may not be issued US citizenship certificates. People may use these certificates to prove their citizenship status and they may also apply for US passports after obtaining these certificates. Remember that you need to lodge a police complaint if you lose your certificate.
You must file an application to replace your certificate of citizenship, if your current document is lost or destroyed. To replace this document, you will have to file the USCIS Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document. You may visit the USCIS website and obtain this immigration form and you need to complete this form and mail it to the right USCIS lockbox along with the required photos and supporting documents. If your certificate of citizenship is mutilated, you will have to submit the damaged copy along with your application and if your document is missing, you need to submit a copy of that lost document, if you have one. Your application must accompany the exact form filing fee and you need to go through the form instruction page, to know about the form filing fee and about the mailing address.
Your petition will not be considered if it is incomplete and if it does not accompany the required initial evidence and such applications will be denied. You will have to follow all the form instructions to avoid mistakes. Your form will not be accepted if you forget to affix your signature. Hence, it is recommended to check your application before filing it. You will receive a confirmation notice from the USCIS after you mail Form N-565 and after the USCIS accepts your form. The receipt notice will contain an application receipt number and you may use that number to check the progress of the application that you had filed. At times, you may be required to submit few more documents while you appear for an interview and you may also be required to submit original documents. However, your original documents will be returned to you after verification.
After the approval of your application, USCIS will grant you a new certificate of citizenship. If your application is not accepted, you will receive a denial letter from the USCIS and this letter will contain the reasons for the denial of your application. You may also file Form N-565 to replace your lost or damaged naturalization certificate. However, you must not file this form to correct errors on your naturalization or your citizenship certificate.