Advice please!

[MichaelJuan.198 25]

I need your advice on my wife's upcoming citizenship interview. She'd like to change her name, but we're trying to decide when to do it. The interview location offers same-day oath ceremonies, so here are her options:

 

1. Change her name during the interview, but this means she won't qualify for the same-day oath. She'll likely need to wait a couple of weeks for a judge to approve the name change before returning for her oath ceremony.

 

2. Complete the interview and oath ceremony with her current name, becoming a citizen the same day. She can even apply for her passport immediately. She would change her name afterward through a separate process.

 

Which option do you think is better? The additional cost for changing her name later isn't her main concern.

 

Also, if she changes her name after becoming a citizen, her naturalization certificate will show her former name. Will this cause complications when she needs to present her naturalization documents in the future? 

 

Thank you!

[OldUser 8,401]

#1 is better long term unless she has urgent reason to get passport super quickly.

 

Also, nobody can ever guarantee same day ceremony!

 

Edited March 12 by OldUser

[MichaelJuan.198 25]

5 minutes ago, OldUser said:

#1 is better long term unless she has urgent reason to get passport super quickly.

 

Also, nobody can ever guarantee same day ceremony!

 

Why is it better long term?

[MichaelJuan.198 25]

5 minutes ago, OldUser said:

#1 is better long term unless she has urgent reason to get passport super quickly.

 

Also, nobody can ever guarantee same day ceremony!

 

It’s not guaranteed but it is very common in our field office. Some office simply don’t do it, ours do it pretty frequently.

[OldUser 8,401]

20 minutes ago, MichaelJuan.198 said:

Why is it better long term?

Having one doc as proof of citizenship and name change is just cleaner in my opinion, than two docs: 1 for name change and 1 for citizenship. Fewer moves, fewer docs to keep in safe place etc.

If she knows she's changing name, applying for passport in current name also doesn't make much sense, as requires updating it again.

Edited March 12 by OldUser

[Crazy Cat 42,919]

Another vote to change the name as part of the N-400.  Otherwise, it is going to cost you more.  In addition, the Certificate of Naturaliztion will be 100% accurate with legal name.  You have a single name-change document rather than having to supply both a NC and a court order if needed to prove citizenship.

Edited March 13 by Crazy Cat

[Dashinka 25,163]

10 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

Another vote to change the name as part of the N-400.  Otherwise, it is going to cost you more.  In addition, the Certificate of Naturaliztion will be 100% accurate with legal name.  You have a single name-change document rather than having to supply both a NC and a court order if needed to prove citizenship.

That is a great point.  Although not a requirement, it would be recommended to file the N565 (another $505) to update the Nat. Cert.  

 

I agree, the N400 is the cleanest and cheapest way to do a name change even if it means having to wait a few weeks for a judicial oath ceremony.

 

Good Luck!

[Moda25 64]

What is she changing her name to? If she’s just taking your last name and dropping hers, then it can be done the same day. I did same when I did my naturalization.

[OldUser 8,401]

2 minutes ago, Moda25 said:

What is she changing her name to? If she’s just taking your last name and dropping hers, then it can be done the same day. I did same when I did my naturalization.

Not everywhere

[Moda25 64]

@OldUser Okay, thanks for letting me know. I remember the interviewer telling me if I wanted to keep my last name hyphenated with my husband’s name, then I had to wait but if I drop mine and take my husband’s, it could be done the same day. I didn’t know the rules were different for different places.

[top_secret 2,591]

If you are only changing the last name to married name, it can be done same day because the marriage certificate is the legal name change document and the USCIS officer only needs to acknowledge that. They just change the name the petition was filed under. (but based entirely on the discretion of the interviewing officer if they accept it or not)  So same day is possible with a simple change to married name, but never guaranteed. If changing to a totally different name, a judge is required and it most likely means same day naturalization is not possible.

 

My wife totally blew this particular point at her interview when the interviewing officer suggested to her it would somehow be simpler to keep the same name at naturalization and instead change it on her passport application.  That is of course totally false and it won't fly with the passport agency but my wife did not know any better, is still stuck with her maiden name she wanted to change, and now there is no way to change it except in the California courts which is a months long process requiring yet another giant stack of paperwork and costing $500+.  Plus, after that, another round of passport application, trip to SS office, DMV etc.

 

So maybe it CAN be done same day. But if not, option 2 really sucks.

 

[top_secret 2,591]

10 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Although not a requirement, it would be recommended to file the N565 (another $505) to update the Nat. Cert.  

 

Does anyone know if an N565 could be filed requesting the name on the existing naturalization certificate be changed based on the preexisting marriage certificate as the legal name change document rather than a new court name change?????  I hadn't considered that and can't find an example of that but it would be a way cleaner solution if possible.  The N565 requirements for name change asks for a marriage certificate and the date of the marriage but does not offer guidance if the date of the marriage could be before the naturalization.