What To Bring to the Oath Ceremony

[angelnoah 0]

Hi all,

My oath will be next week. Aside from the notice and my green card, what else should I bring with me to the oath ceremony? What "immigration documents" (as stated on the notice) should I take with me? Do they require me to bring my Philippine passport? My passport is not currently in my possession because I renewed it and still on process thinking that my oath would be delayed, and I am traveling.

Any insight is mostly appreciated, Thanks!

[sunny808 1]

Hi all,

My oath will be next week. Aside from the notice and my green card, what else should I bring with me to the oath ceremony? What "immigration documents" (as stated on the notice) should I take with me? Do they require me to bring my Philippine passport? My passport is not currently in my possession because I renewed it and still on process thinking that my oath would be delayed, and I am traveling.

Any insight is mostly appreciated, Thanks!

I believe that it refers to reentry permits and n470 related documentation. On a related issue, will your new passport be effective if issued before your oath? I was under the impression that you need to get a new passport after the oath, and not before. Please correct me if my assumptions are erroneous.

Edit: Here's why I raised the passport issue, a quote I got from the San Francisco Philippine consulate website:

Former Filipino nationals who are naturalized citizens of foreign countries are no longer entitled to use or renew their Philippine passports as they are considered to have lost their Philippine citizenship.

Edited March 18, 2010 by sunny808

[sunny808 1]

I re-read my post and it wasn't stated clearly. I was referring to a passport applied for before oath being effective after oath (and after reacquisition of Philippine citizenship). Sorry if it caused confusion.

[shadowboxer 0]

Hello,

sorry, I won't be much help but now that you mention it I've started asking myself the question about the passport as well.

(My German passport has expired and as I will renounce German citizenship anyhow- I never bothered to renew it. Thus, I would not think it important to bring it.)

Was anybody ever asked for a foreign passport before the ceremony?

Thank you- and enjoy your ceremony!

Rebecca.

[sunny808 1]

sorry, I also meant to answer that you do not need your foreign passport as a general matter but may need it for identification purposes or if you have made any interim trips between interview and oath.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Right - if you have any travel indicated in your passport between the time you took the test and the time you take the oath then you need to bring the passport so they can verify the dates and insure you still meet the continuous presence/residency requirements. If you have not travelled then you do not need to bring your passport unless you are using it for identification purposes. You need to bring the letter scheduling the time of the ceremony that has the questions on it that you should answer before you arrive for the ceremony (they will go over them with each person individually just before the ceremony), your green card and your identification. Some people receive a special travel document and that is what they refer to 'other immigration documents' - it needs to be handed in before the ceremony. You will hand in your green card at the ceremony and receive the Certificate of Naturalization shortly afterwards.

Good luck and enjoy the ceremony!

[angelnoah 0]

Right - if you have any travel indicated in your passport between the time you took the test and the time you take the oath then you need to bring the passport so they can verify the dates and insure you still meet the continuous presence/residency requirements. If you have not travelled then you do not need to bring your passport unless you are using it for identification purposes. You need to bring the letter scheduling the time of the ceremony that has the questions on it that you should answer before you arrive for the ceremony (they will go over them with each person individually just before the ceremony), your green card and your identification. Some people receive a special travel document and that is what they refer to 'other immigration documents' - it needs to be handed in before the ceremony. You will hand in your green card at the ceremony and receive the Certificate of Naturalization shortly afterwards.

Good luck and enjoy the ceremony!

Hi sunny808,

I am aware that my Phil passport will no longer valid (whether renewed or not) after my oath. The only reason why I thought of renewing it is; so that I can have the option to use it just in case I still doesn't have my oath when my upcoming trip comes. I am leaving for Philippines middle months of this year, so I don't want any compromise for my trip . Better be safe than sorry... I am definitely getting a US passport right away once I get my citizenship and use it for my trips, much much better that way .

Kathryn41,

Thanks for the info. I didn't have any travels between the test and the oath, so do u think it's just okay if I can't bring my Phil. passport with me, right?

Thanks for the responses. Those surely helped me.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Kathryn41,

Thanks for the info. I didn't have any travels between the test and the oath, so do u think it's just okay if I can't bring my Phil. passport with me, right?

Thanks for the responses. Those surely helped me.

Yes, if you didn't travel then no, you don't need to bring the passport as long as you have other official identification. I didn't bring mine nor was I asked about it.

[NickD 202]

"You must bring the following with you:

This letter, WITH ALL THE QUESTIONS ON PAGE 2 ANSWERED. TYPE OR PRINT ANSWERS IN

BLACK INK.

Permanent Resident Card.

Reentry Permit or Refugee Travel Document.

Any Immigration documents you may have.

If the naturalization application is on behalf of your child (children), bring your child (children).

Other.

Had not idea what Reentry Permit or Refugee Travel Document is, we never got one, so we didn't bring it. "Other" was equally confusing, other what? I never been to an oath ceremony before, "Any Immigration documents you may have." was equally confusing, have a ton of immigration documents still in that special immigration folder type brief case we took to the interview, so I toss that in the car as well, just in case. It stayed in the car. So my wife walked in with her oath letter and LPR card, and that is all they wanted, two pieces of paper.

We were able to answer "NO" to the eight questions on the rear of the N-445 oath form, used a black ball point pen at home, wife took that pen with her so she could sign it in front of the immigration officer and date it. As a relative, was in a different line to get in, did bring my camera and that was permitted, but already trained NOT to bring in my cell phone. Some did and had to leave those with the guards and pick them up on their way out.

My job was to check my wife's certificate for any errors, she was way too excited to do that, sure don't want to drive back home and find an error, keep a cool head.

Wish this applied to Colombia:

"Former Filipino nationals who are naturalized citizens of foreign countries are no longer entitled to use or renew their Philippine passports as they are considered to have lost their Philippine citizenship."

But I assume you can visit your mom with your new US passport. Ironically, the Philippines had an opportunity to become a US state after WW II, but voted it down.