How to Buy Northern Mariana ID Card Easily Online

Okay, so, I wanted to get a Northern Mariana ID card. It’s not something you hear about every day, right? First off, I did some digging online, ’cause, you know, gotta start somewhere.

I learned that these cards were issued to folks who got their U.S. citizenship through something called Public Law 94-241. Apparently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) doesn’t hand these out anymore, but if you had one, you could file Form I-777. I guess that’s for replacing a lost or damaged card.

Now, I didn’t have one of these cards, but I was curious. The whole process seemed a bit dated. There’s this thing called the “Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands” – sounds super official, doesn’t it? Anyway, these cards were a part of that.

Here’s what I did:

• Researched: I read up on 8 CFR 235.9, which is the rule about applying for these cards. It’s all legal jargon, but it basically says who qualified for these IDs back in the day.
• Looked into Form I-777: This form is for replacing a Northern Mariana Card. It’s a two-page thing, and you need to fill it out for each person.
• Checked requirements: It seemed like a long shot, but I wanted to know what it took to get one. The info I found talked about “FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES (FAS)” residents in Saipan with valid passports.

After all this, I realized that getting one of these cards today is pretty much impossible unless you already had one. I guess it makes sense since these IDs were for a specific period. The government’s moved on to the “REAL ID” thing now, which is supposed to be more secure.

Wrapping It Up

In the end, I didn’t get a Northern Mariana ID card, obviously. But the whole process was an interesting deep dive into a niche part of U.S. immigration history. It’s wild to think about how much things change over time. Now, it’s all about REAL ID, and these Northern Mariana cards are like a relic of the past. Anyway, that’s my little adventure into the world of Northern Mariana IDs – a bit of a dead end, but a fun ride nonetheless!