For Those Who Know They Are Not the NAME

This one has been a labor of love.

Over the last several months, Leslie and I have spent hours and hours tearing apart, researching, strengthening, rewriting, and rebuilding our Passport Explanatory Statement.

Leslie put an enormous amount of work into the last major revision—following statutes, tightening the language, challenging assumptions, and strengthening the legal architecture we had already been using.

Then I took her revised version and kept going.

And once we began following some of the statutory language further—especially “national of the United States”—what other protections, relationships, and notices properly belonged in the record?

So Leslie and I kept pulling on threads.

What began as another revision eventually became something much larger:

The Ultimate Passport Explanatory Statement

It is a combined master Statement built for people who understand that they are not the NAME appearing across their governmental records and who want the passport application record to accurately reflect the status, capacity, documentary history, protections, reservations, and claims they are making.

And it is finally done.

First: What Is a Passport Explanatory Statement?

If you are new to this work, start here.

The DS-11 is the application used to apply for a United States passport. It asks for the information the Department of State requires: your name, birth information, parents, identifying information, citizenship evidence, previous passports, signature, and oath.

What it does not provide is meaningful space to explain the legal and factual context in which you are submitting that information.

For example, it does not ask you to explain the capacity in which you are signing, the distinction you make between yourself and the registered NAME appearing throughout governmental records, the nationality you are claiming, how you understand the documents you are submitting, what prior governmental classifications do or do not represent, or what rights, protections, and reservations you intend to preserve.

That is the purpose of the Passport Explanatory Statement.

It is a separate sworn Statement submitted with the DS-11 that explains the applicant’s claimed status, capacity, supporting evidence, statutory authorities, reservations, notices, and conditions of submission.

Our Statement expressly directs that it is to remain with and attached to the Passport Application.

That matters to me.

If something is material to the meaning of an application I am signing under penalty of perjury, I do not want that meaning existing only in my head. I want it expressed in writing and placed in the record.

Silence writes contracts too.

You Are Not the NAME

That principle sits underneath the entire Statement.

Your Birth Certificate has a NAME.

Your Social Security record has a NAME.

A marriage certificate has a NAME.

A Certificate of Naturalization has a NAME.

Military records have a NAME.

Government benefit records have a NAME.

Previous passports have a NAME.

Your next passport will also be issued in a NAME.

But the living man or woman holding and using those records is not merely the NAME printed upon them.

Once you understand that distinction, the important question becomes one of capacity.

Who performed the labor?

Who entered the marriage?

Who served in the military?

Who took the oath?

Who traveled?

Who is holding the passport?

And what role does the administrative PERSON associated with the governmental record play in that relationship?

The new Passport Explanatory Statement expressly defines the distinction between the living person and the legal-administrative PERSON associated with governmental records, applications, accounts, registrations, and identifying numbers.

That distinction is established early and then carried consistently throughout the Statement.

We are not asking the reader to guess what we mean.

We define it.

Then We Get to Nationality

This is where the passport work becomes especially important.

Most people were taught to use “citizen” and “national” almost interchangeably. Congress did not draft the Immigration and Nationality Act that way.

Under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(22), a “national of the United States” includes both:

“(A) a citizen of the United States, or
(B) a person who, though not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States.”

Then there is 8 U.S.C. § 1452(b):

“A person who claims to be a national, but not a citizen, of the United States may apply to the Secretary of State for a certificate of non-citizen national status.”

That wording matters.

The statute does not say “American National.” That is terminology we use within our work.

The statutory language is “national, but not a citizen, of the United States.”

One of the goals of this revision was to become much more precise about those distinctions.

If we are going to tell people to READ THE CODES, our own document should reflect the language Congress actually used.

So Where Is the Certificate?

This is one of the most important pieces of the passport framework.

The Department of State explains that it did not create a separate physical Certificate of Non-Citizen National Status because so few applications were received that designing a separate secure document was not justified.

Instead, the Department states that those who would be eligible to apply for such a certificate may apply for a United States passport that would:

“delineate and certify their status as a national but not a citizen of the United States.”

That is not my characterization of the passport.

That is the Department of State’s own description of what the passport may do for a person eligible for the certificate contemplated by § 1452(b).

This is why I have said for years:

The passport is the certificate.

The DS-11 is the application.

The Explanatory Statement explains the claim, capacity, and record accompanying that application.

The supporting documents provide the evidence.

And the resulting Department of State file becomes the administrative record behind the passport.

Once you understand that framework, the quality of the Explanatory Statement matters a great deal.

Why We Needed a Master Statement

The more people we worked with, the more obvious it became that a single fixed fact pattern was not enough.

Someone born in Iowa with a State Birth Certificate does not have the same documentary history as someone born overseas who later naturalized.

Someone who was adopted may have an original birth record, an adoption decree, and an amended Birth Certificate.

Someone who married may have changed names.

Someone may have changed names again later.

A veteran may have decades of military records, retirement, compensation, and government-administered benefits associated with the NAME.

Someone may have voted, served on a jury, worked in public employment, taken prior governmental oaths, or already held multiple passports.

Those facts do not disappear simply because someone begins examining nationality and capacity later in life.

The better approach is to address them.

So rather than creating a dozen disconnected Explanatory Statements, Leslie and I built one master Statement with provisions that can be retained, customized, or removed based upon the actual history of the person signing it.

The finished Statement should look like it belongs to the person using it.

Not like a template downloaded from the internet.

State Birth Records and Full Faith and Credit

For an applicant born in one of the several States, the new Statement addresses the certified Birth Certificate and the Full Faith and Credit framework applicable to authenticated State public records, including Article IV, § 1 and 28 U.S.C. § 1739.

That remains an important part of the document.

But we also stopped trying to force that same language onto someone who was born in another country.

Their record is different.

The Statement should reflect that difference.

Foreign Birth and Naturalization

This was one of the most important additions.

A foreign-born applicant who later naturalized may have a documentary chain that includes a foreign Birth Certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, and naturalization oath, together with existing governmental records identifying the PERSON named in those instruments.

That required its own section.

While working through the naturalization issue, we followed another statutory trail to 22 U.S.C. § 1731.

That statute provides that naturalized citizens of the United States while abroad:

“are entitled to and shall receive”

from the United States Government the same protection of person and property accorded to native-born citizens.

That language gave us another relationship that deserved careful treatment in the Statement: the relationship between allegiance and protection.

The new section therefore addresses the foreign Birth Certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, associated oath, governmental protection obligation, and the applicant’s claimed status and capacity within the broader framework of the Statement.

This did not exist in our earlier versions.

Now it does.

Adoption and Parentage

Adoption creates another documentary history that deserved its own treatment.

An adoption may alter recorded parentage, the Birth Certificate, the registered NAME, and the documents through which the person is identified.

It does not create a second living human being.

The new master Statement therefore includes an optional Adoption, Parentage and Preservation of Rights section addressing continuity of the living person, the original and amended records, the associated PERSON, and the relevant supporting documents.

Again, the goal is not to pretend everyone's history is identical.

It is to make the Statement accurately follow the facts.

Marriage and Name Changes

We also substantially expanded the treatment of marriage.

Marriage and a change of name through marriage are related, but they are not the same thing.

A person can marry and keep the same name. A person can change a name because of marriage. A person can later change that name through an entirely separate legal process.

The new master Statement therefore separately addresses:

Lawful Marriage

Change of Name Through Lawful Marriage

and

Lawful Change of Name and Preservation of Rights

This allows the record to reflect what actually happened rather than forcing several distinct events into one generic paragraph.

Military Service and Earned Entitlements

Military service raised another question of capacity that I wanted addressed directly.

The living man or woman performed the service.

The NAME, Social Security number, and administrative PERSON are the instruments through which the government records and administers that service and the resulting retirement, compensation, benefits, and entitlements.

The new Statement now includes an optional Honorable Military Service, Rights and Entitlements provision addressing that distinction.

We also added a broader Earned Rights, Credits and Entitlements section for government-administered retirement, compensation, insurance, credits, benefits, and other interests arising from labor, service, contributions, or qualifying acts.

The objective is not to disclaim what has been earned.

It is to state clearly who earned it and how the associated administrative record is being used.

Voting, Jury Service, Public Employment and Oaths

This was another issue that deserved better treatment.

What if someone voted?

What if they served on a jury?

What if they worked in public employment?

What if they previously executed a governmental oath or declaration?

Ignoring those facts is not useful.

The new Statement instead addresses the underlying issue directly: capacity.

The new Civic Acts, Declared Capacity and Preservation of Rights section addresses past, present, and future governmental and civic activities, including voting, jury service, public employment, oaths, affirmations, and declarations.

It also preserves the distinction between compulsory civic obligations and voluntary participation in activities for which the person meets the applicable qualifications.

The important question is not merely whether an act occurred.

It is what the act actually represented, under what terms it occurred, and in what capacity it was performed.

That is a much more precise way to address the record.

Following “National of the United States” Beyond Title 8

One of the more important additions came from simply following the statutory language beyond the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The phrase “national of the United States” appears in 18 U.S.C. § 112, a federal criminal statute titled Protection of foreign officials, official guests, and internationally protected persons.

Section 112 addresses conduct involving attacks upon the person or liberty of protected persons, including assault, imprisonment, intimidation, coercion, threats, harassment, and attacks upon private accommodation or means of transport.

What caught my attention was § 112(c).

For purposes of that section, Congress expressly includes the term “national of the United States” and directs the reader to 18 U.S.C. § 1116(b) for its meaning.

Section 1116(b), in turn, incorporates the meaning supplied by 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(22).

That statutory trail matters.

It means the defined term “national of the United States” does not appear only in immigration law. Congress carries that same defined term into a federal protection and international-jurisdiction framework.

The new Passport Explanatory Statement therefore addresses 18 U.S.C. §§ 112 and 1116 carefully. It does not simply declare that every provision automatically applies. It expressly preserves, to the fullest extent lawfully applicable, every protection, safeguard, remedy, and benefit available under those statutes.

That is the level of precision I wanted throughout the entire revision: follow the words Congress actually used, trace the cross-references, and state exactly what is being claimed without saying more than the law supports.

Right of Travel, Lawful Passage and Protection

The new Statement also includes a dedicated section addressing the passport itself as an instrument of identity, nationality, travel, and governmental protection.

A United States passport is more than ordinary identification. It is an internationally recognized travel document issued under the authority of the Secretary of State, and the Department’s own regulations describe it as attesting to the identity and nationality of its bearer.

The Statement therefore addresses the living passport bearer, the right of travel, lawful passage, consular protection, and the protections claimed in relation to the passport and its bearer.

This section also draws upon the broader body of authority surrounding the function of a passport internationally.

When I use the words safe passage, I am not using them casually.

Previous Passports and Existing Government Records

Another significant addition addresses people who have already held United States passports.

If you have previously been issued a passport, the Department of State already has an administrative history associated with your NAME.

The new Statement does not pretend that history disappears when you submit a new application.

Instead, the Previous Passports and Administrative Records section expressly addresses prior passport records and prior classifications while placing the Department on notice of the status and capacity being declared in the present application.

It also preserves the right to obtain, examine, challenge, and seek correction of records that do not accurately reflect the information now being presented.

Which leads to another major addition.

Accuracy and Integrity of Government Records

The new Statement now contains a dedicated section titled:

Formal Notice, Accuracy and Integrity of Government Records.

This was important to me because there is little point in carefully submitting a sworn Statement concerning identity, nationality, capacity, and supporting evidence if we then act as though the resulting governmental record does not matter.

It does matter.

Government records can be relied upon later. They can be repeated across systems. They can become the basis for future administrative assumptions.

The Statement therefore places the Department of State and other governmental record custodians receiving or relying upon the Notice on express notice of the applicant’s declarations.

It also invokes applicable governmental recordkeeping and correction provisions and demands that refusals to recognize or correct matters that are legally required to be addressed identify the factual and legal grounds relied upon.

The purpose is not to assume that every declaration automatically binds the government simply because it has been written down.

The purpose is to create a clear record of what was actually declared, what evidence was provided, and what the government was placed on notice of.

That distinction matters.

The Passport Is What You Carry. The Passport File Is the Record Behind It.

This has become one of the most important parts of the way we teach the passport process.

You receive the passport.

You hold it in your hand.

You travel with it.

But behind that passport is the Department of State’s administrative file associated with the application.

We have obtained certified passport files through this process, and we know that the Explanatory Statement can be retained as part of the passport application record.

So our work does not end when the little blue book arrives.

We teach students how to request the certified Department of State passport file afterward.

I want to know what was retained.

I want the DS-11.

I want the Explanatory Statement.

I want the supporting record.

I want the certified file.

The passport is the document you carry.

The passport file is the record behind it.

This Is Not a “Change the Name and Sign It” Template

Leslie and I did not spend all of this time building a stronger document so someone could replace the sample name, sign under penalty of perjury, and mail it without understanding it.

That would completely miss the point.

The Ultimate Passport Explanatory Statement is a master Statement.

It is intended to be customized.

If you were adopted, use the provisions that apply to adoption.

If you were born outside the United States and later naturalized, use the appropriate foreign-birth and naturalization provisions.

If you married and changed names, address that history.

If you served in the military, address it.

If you have previous passports, address them.

If a section does not apply to you, remove it.

Your finished Statement should accurately reflect your facts, your documents, and the claims you are willing to make under oath.

Most importantly, read it.

Read the statutes.

Follow the definitions.

Question the provisions.

Understand what you are signing.

That has always been the point of Conscious Contracting.

This is not about replacing one collection of paperwork you did not understand with a different collection of paperwork you do not understand.

It is about becoming conscious of the words you use, the capacity in which you use them, and the record those words create.

Ready to Actually Complete Your Passport Process?

If you want the document and guidance through the complete passport process, you have two opportunities to work with us.

Leslie’s Passport Cohort Is Live Now

Leslie is currently leading a live Passport Cohort.

You will have access to the class recordings so you can catch up on the material already covered, then continue through the remaining process with Leslie live.

If you are ready to move now, you do not need to wait for the next Cohort.

Rachelle’s Next Passport Cohort Begins in January 2027

If you would rather begin with a new group from the beginning, Rachelle will lead the next Passport Cohort beginning in January 2027.

The Passport Cohort walks through the complete implementation process, including vital records, authentication, the Passport Explanatory Statement, DS-11, passport appointment, passport issuance, and obtaining the certified Department of State passport file afterward.

Join the Passport Cohort here:

https://www.consciouscontracting.life/passportcohort

Already Understand the Process and Just Want the Ultimate Passport Explanatory Statement?

You can purchase the new master Passport Explanatory Statement separately.

This is the newly completed Statement Leslie and I have been developing, including the expanded PERSON/person framework, nationality provisions, statutory protection language, State-born and foreign-born approaches, adoption, marriage, name changes, military service, earned entitlements, civic acts, previous passports, government-record provisions, reservations, oath, and customizable sections.

Get the Ultimate Passport Explanatory Statement here:

https://www.consciouscontracting.life/offers/uLeFbpv4/checkout

Want the Detailed Breakdown of What Leslie and I Built?

On November 5, 2026, I am dedicating the Conscious Contracting Cohort presentation to a detailed breakdown of the Ultimate Passport Explanatory Statement.

This will not be a class about where to type your name.

We are going into the architecture of the document and the reasoning behind the language.

We will cover the PERSON/person framework, the distinctions among “national,” “national of the United States,” and citizenship, 8 U.S.C. § 1452(b), the Department of State certificate language, Full Faith and Credit, foreign birth and naturalization, allegiance and protection, 18 U.S.C. §§ 112 and 1116, civic acts, previous passports, government records, reservations, the oath, and how those pieces work together in one administrative record.

If you want to understand not merely what is in the Statement but why it is there, this is the class.  Cohort Membership also includes access to the new Passport Explanatory Statements (Adult and Minor)

Join the Conscious Contracting Cohort here:

https://www.consciouscontracting.life/enroll

Already a member? Join us live on November 5.

If you cannot attend live, catch the recording afterward as a member.

Why We Built It

If you know you are not the NAME, your relationship to that NAME should not be left entirely to presumption.

If you claim to be a national, but not a citizen, of the United States, know what Congress actually wrote and understand the statutory procedure you are invoking.

If you are submitting Birth Certificates, Naturalization Certificates, marriage records, previous passports, military records, or other governmental instruments, understand what those records establish and what you intend their submission to mean.

If your history contains facts that matter, address them.

If you are claiming protections, state them precisely.

If you want something placed into the passport record, put it in the passport record.

And if you are going to sign a document under penalty of perjury, know exactly what you are saying.

Leslie and I put a tremendous amount of work into this Statement.

We revisited old language, followed new statutory trails, addressed factual situations our earlier versions did not adequately handle, strengthened provisions that needed greater precision, and built a master document that can be customized around the actual person using it.

The Ultimate Passport Explanatory Statement is finally done.

I am proud of what we built, and I cannot wait to teach you what is inside.

READ THE CODES. KNOW YOUR CAPACITY. STATE THE CLAIM. BUILD THE RECORD. GET IT DONE.

~ Becky, Founder of Conscious Contracting