How to Buy Northern Mariana Passport? Follow These Steps

Okay, so, I’ve been digging into this whole Northern Mariana Islands passport thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a journey. I started off pretty clueless, just like anyone else. I mean, who even thinks about this stuff, right?

First, I started to figure out if I even needed a passport to go there. Turns out, if you’re a U.S. citizen, you don’t need one to travel between the U.S. and the Northern Mariana Islands. It is pretty simple, just like going to Guam.

Then I started looking into how one might actually get a Northern Mariana Islands passport. It seemed like something that someone might want, it is a symbol of where are you from. This is where it got a bit more interesting. I found out that people born in the Northern Mariana Islands are considered U.S. citizens. That’s a good starting point, I guess.

Next, I stumbled upon something called “Section 301 and 302 of the CNMI Covenant.” Sounds official, right? Well, it basically says that if you got U.S. citizenship through Section 301, you could declare within six months of November 4, 1986, or within six months after turning 18, that you don’t want it. This would make you a non-citizen national. Why would anyone do that? I have no idea. Maybe they really, really want that Northern Mariana Islands passport.

Then I tried to find out where to apply for it. There is no passport offices in Northern Marianas Islands. However, you can apply at any Passport Agency or acceptance facility in the United States. There are lots of them. That made things a bit easier, or so I thought.

I also looked into visa stuff, just out of curiosity. Apparently, people from 44 countries can visit the Northern Mariana Islands without a visa, and 45 countries can get a visa online. But citizens of 150 countries need to get a visa before visiting. That’s a lot of paperwork for some folks.

So, after all this digging, did I actually get a Northern Mariana Islands passport? Nope. I realized it wasn’t necessary for me. It is not a common thing for sure. But hey, I learned a lot along the way. It was a bit of a wild goose chase, but it was interesting.

I also read a few things saying the President of the U.S. is the head of state there, and they get U.S. funding. So, it is all pretty tied to the U.S., which makes sense since the people born there are U.S. citizens.

What did I get out of all this?

• People born in the Northern Mariana Islands are U.S. citizens.
• U.S. citizens don’t need a passport to travel there from the U.S.
• There was a way to become a non-citizen national, but the deadline was ages ago.
• You can apply for a passport at agencies in the U.S.
• Visa requirements vary a lot depending on your nationality.

Anyway, that’s my story about trying to figure out the Northern Mariana Islands passport. It was more complicated than I expected, but a good learning experience. If anyone else has gone down this road, let me know. I’d love to hear about it!