Name Change in Atlanta

[Ken&Barbie 0]

Hi, I am filing for citizenship in December and wanted to find out some basic information. I noticed in N400 that I can change my name. But I want to do same day oat. I have been researching online and I found out that if you want name change in Atlanta, it is a real hassle. I read one guy said he applied with his wife and it took months...like 8 months....and 4 infopass appointments to get oat ceremony letter after interview!!! I thought that was crazy and someone said it is best not to do name change on N400 and just go to District court before you apply for your passport and do the name change. Any ideas or thoughts? ANyone who has recently gone through this process? Any advice...

By the way, I am only trying to change my name back to my maiden name. I never asked to change my name to my married name. It has really been a hassle since i had my green card. Especially with my school (which has my maiden name) and I already had well established financial life before marriage. Every time I apply for jobs, I always have to send my marriage certificate to show why some documents (college diploma) has a different name from my social security card and ID, and also, when they call my previous job for reference, it is always a hassle, because i worked with my maiden name at my old job where i worked for years and always use as a reference.

So any advice would be much appreciated.

[jsnearline 2]

I don't know about Atlanta, but here in Denver we were told four to six months to naturalize after interview. It ended up taking less than a month and a half. Then again, I don't know how often the court does name change oath ceremonies. Perhaps we were just lucky with our timing.

Have you looked into how long it would take and what it would cost to change your name before filing your N-400? If you're anticipating a long wait in Atlanta, it might be another option to consider.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

If you are hoping to change your name your Citizenship application also needs to be approved by a Judge. It was not a judge who was conducting the citizenship ceremonies in Atlanta when I had my ceremony last week so everyone who needed the name changed would have been processed earlier and then scheduled for the next available ceremony.

While Atlanta does same day oath ceremonies you are not the one who gets to decide if you do it or not. Citizenship interviews are held throughout the day. Those that are completed and approved early in the day - before noon - may be invited to participate in the same day Oath ceremony. If your interview is later than that then you will be scheduled for a Ceremony on a different day. Those who are taking the oath need to be processed and ready by 1 pm. It will be the Atlanta Field Office who decides when you have your Oath ceremony. I had a two week wait for mine but in the same service were people who had been interviewed last February and March. I don't know why it took so long to schedule them, but it does show that the wait can be several weeks to several months. The wait will be guaranteed if you are also changing your name. They won't be able to do a same day oath ceremony if a name change is involved.

Hope this helps.

Edited September 1, 2009 by Kathryn41