YSK: How to document that you are a US citizen
https://www.usa.gov/prove-us-citizenship
The most common way to show that you are a US citizen is to show a passport. However, only about 50% of US citizens have a passport.
An alternative to a passport is a Certificate of Citizenship.
Certificates of Citizenship and Naturalization show proof that someone is a U.S. citizen. The website https://www.usa.gov/prove-us-citizenship shows how you can get or replace these documents.
Prove your citizenship: born in the U.S. with no birth certificate. If you were born in the U.S. and have no birth certificate, learn how to get documentation to prove you are a U.S. citizen.
Prove your citizenship: born outside the U.S. to a U.S. citizen parent. Prove your U.S. citizenship without a birth certificate if you were born outside the U.S. to a U.S. citizen.
This. Especially if you’re a naturalized citizen. The certificate of naturalization is expensive and hard to replace. It should not be your only id. Keep it in a safe place.
If you are a permanent resident, you should already know that you must carry your card on you at all times. That is more important now then ever.
Note that you will need to mail the original certificate to the authorities to get your passport. You will get it back after a couple of weeks, but in the meantime you will have nothing, unless you paid to get a certified copy. It is a large piece of paper that cannot be folded, so it’s not practical to carry around.
While you’re at it, get your driver’s license updated with the federal id. Make sure the BMV records reflect your status. Register to vote. In other words, document your citizenship in as many ways as possible.
During my recent travels I carried a photocopy of my naturalization document plus my passport. I was not asked for it, but my reasoning was that if they took my passport I at least had something. I also had a physical notebook with important info in it, i.e., not just in my phone.