How to Fill Out and Submit Navajo Nation Form 600: Tribal Enrollment

To fill out Navajo Nation Form 600, you prepare a notarized letter containing the applicant’s and both parents’ identifying information, attach original birth certificates and any required supporting documents, and submit the packet by mail or in person to the Navajo Office of Vital Records and Identification (NOVRI) agency office that serves your home area.1Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification The form itself is less a fill-in-the-blanks document than a structured request package, and every piece has to be in place before NOVRI will act on it.

Before You Start: Who Qualifies

Three conditions must all be true for enrollment. At least one biological parent must already be an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. The applicant must have at least one-fourth Navajo blood quantum. And the enrolled parent’s name must appear on the applicant’s original birth certificate.2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment

That third piece trips people up. NOVRI calculates blood quantum from the documented lineage of both biological parents, but only parents named on the birth certificate count. If the mother is the only parent listed, blood quantum is calculated from her side alone.3Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. FAQs So if the Navajo parent is the father and he is not on the birth certificate, the applicant may not qualify until paternity is legally established and the certificate amended.

If Another Tribe Is in the Picture

The Navajo Nation does not allow dual enrollment with another federally recognized tribe. Any affiliation the applicant or either parent has with another tribe requires a Non-Enrollment Letter from that tribe, and the applicant may need to provide lineage information to the other tribe to obtain it.2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment If a parent is a member of a different tribe and is not Navajo, NOVRI needs that parent’s name, date of birth, and ethnicity instead of Navajo enrollment details.4Bureau of Indian Affairs. Navajo Office of Vital Records and Identification Enrollment Through Mail Request

Enrolling a Minor Child

A minor can be enrolled by a biological parent whose name is on the birth certificate, or by a legal guardian holding a final court order granting custody or guardianship. NOVRI reviews each court order individually to confirm the guardian’s authority to access the child’s records.2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment

Documents to Gather

NOVRI requires originals, not photocopies, hospital-issued souvenir certificates, or laminated versions. State- or county-certified copies from the registrar are accepted. All documents must be in good condition, meaning not torn, taped, or laminated.5Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Tribal ID Originals are returned after processing.2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment

  • Applicant’s original birth certificate, listing the enrolled Navajo parent by name.
  • Mother’s original birth certificate, used to verify her lineage and blood quantum.
  • Father’s original birth certificate, used to verify his lineage and blood quantum.
  • Non-Enrollment Letter from any other federally recognized tribe the applicant or either parent is affiliated with.
  • Certified guardianship or custody court order, if the person submitting the application is not a biological parent named on the birth certificate.

If the applicant’s current legal name differs from the name on the birth certificate, supporting proof is needed. For a name change from marriage, that means a marriage license. For a court-ordered name change, it means the finalized court order and a revised birth certificate reflecting the new name.5Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Tribal ID

Writing the Notarized Letter

For mail-in requests, NOVRI wants a notarized letter rather than a bare form. The letter has to include every one of the following items, and a missing piece will delay processing:2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment

  • A short statement that you are requesting enrollment in the Navajo Nation.
  • The applicant’s full legal name, date of birth, and birth order (first, second, third child, and so on).
  • The mother’s full name, date of birth, Navajo Nation enrollment number, current or former spouse’s full name, and her parents’ names.
  • The father’s full name, date of birth, Navajo Nation enrollment number, current or former spouse’s full name, and his parents’ names.
  • A current mailing address and a working phone number where NOVRI can reach you.

If you do not know a parent’s Navajo Nation enrollment number or census number, include the parent’s name, date of birth, and their parents’ names so staff can look up the record.4Bureau of Indian Affairs. Navajo Office of Vital Records and Identification Enrollment Through Mail Request More detail helps; partial detail still helps.

Notarization is a specific procedure. Sign the letter in front of a notary public, who then stamps and seals it. Do not sign beforehand, because the notary has to witness the signature. Banks, UPS stores, and some tribal offices provide notary services. When you are enrolling a child, the parent or legal guardian signs.

Where to Send It

Applications go to the agency office that serves the applicant’s home area, not to a single central address.2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment NOVRI’s website has a Home Agency lookup tool. The six mailing addresses are:6Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Contact

  • Administration Office (Window Rock): P.O. Box 3240, Window Rock, AZ 86515
  • Fort Defiance Agency Office: P.O. Box 290, Fort Defiance, AZ 86504
  • Central Agency Office (Chinle): P.O. Box 2527, Chinle, AZ 86503
  • Western Agency Office (Tuba City): P.O. Box 1510, Tuba City, AZ 86045
  • Northern Agency Office (Shiprock): P.O. Box 60, Shiprock, NM 87420
  • Eastern Agency Office (Crownpoint): P.O. Box 148, Crownpoint, NM 87313

All agency offices are open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.1Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification If any part of the application feels uncertain, going in person is often the cleaner path. Staff can pull enrollment numbers, look over your documents, and confirm the packet is complete before it enters the queue.

What Happens After You Submit

Once your packet arrives, NOVRI verifies the information against tribal enrollment records and calculates whether the applicant meets the one-fourth blood quantum threshold. Same-day service is generally not available because each request requires research.1Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification Processing times depend on how complete the application is and how many requests the office is handling, so plan for weeks to months rather than days.

If NOVRI finds discrepancies or missing information, staff will contact you using the phone number or address in your notarized letter. Accurate contact details matter for exactly this reason. Original birth certificates are returned to the applicant once processing is finished.2Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. New Enrollment

Getting a CIB or Tribal ID After Enrollment

Enrollment itself does not automatically produce a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB). The CIB is a separate request, made through its own notarized letter to NOVRI. That letter should include your name, date of birth, census number, the number of copies you need, the reason for the request, your mailing address, and a phone number.7Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Request for CIB and BIA 4432 A BIA-4432 Verification of Indian Preference for Employment can be requested the same way. CIB requests can be faxed or mailed to your agency office.4Bureau of Indian Affairs. Navajo Office of Vital Records and Identification Enrollment Through Mail Request

Once enrolled, you can apply for a Navajo Nation Tribal ID card at any agency office. The fee is $17.00, and it must be paid by money order; NOVRI does not accept cash or credit cards. A replacement for a lost, stolen, or unexpired card costs $50.00.5Navajo Office of Vital Records & Identification. Tribal ID Bring the money order blank, since staff will tell you how to fill it out.

Mistakes That Delay Enrollment

The most common reason an application stalls is a document problem. A parent missing from the birth certificate, or a hospital souvenir certificate submitted in place of a state-certified copy, will stop the process. Amending a birth certificate to add a father’s name is a separate legal proceeding in the issuing state and can add months.

Dual tribal affiliation catches applicants off guard. Even without any intention of enrolling elsewhere, a connection to another tribe through either parent triggers the Non-Enrollment Letter requirement. Some tribal offices take weeks to issue those letters, so it pays to start that request early.

Notarization is the third failure point. A letter signed before the notary arrives, an expired commission, or an illegible seal means the whole letter has to be redone. Confirm the notary’s commission is current and the seal is clean on the document before you drop the packet in the mail.