What are the things to do immediately after getting US Citizeship

[floyd777]

Is there a checklist of things that a newly naturalized US Citizen should do. I know there's a bunch of things.

I can think of a few

1) Apply for US Passport
2) Apply for I-130 for wife (this applies to me)
3) Change Social Security Information
4) Register to Vote
5) Change Driver's license?
6) Apply for visa for home country (India in my case)

What else - any advice from any of you.

[nkm-oct23]

Item 5 might not be required, check with your DMV.
In addition, your employer might require you to notify HR and update your I-9, check with HR.

[WBH]

Is there a checklist of things that a newly naturalized US Citizen should do. I know there's a bunch of things.

I can think of a few

1) Apply for US Passport
2) Apply for I-130 for wife (this applies to me)
3) Change Social Security Information
4) Register to Vote
5) Change Driver's license?
6) Apply for visa for home country (India in my case)

What else - any advice from any of you.

None of these is necessary unless
(1) you need to travel
(2) you have a wife who need yoru sponsorship
(3) you SS benefits depend on your being a citizen or you need your SS card to establish work eligbility
(4) you want to vote
(5) your state requires so

[floyd777]

I thought updating your SS information is a required thing? Everyone I know did it - is it optional?

[cafeconleche]

No idea, but you might as well do those things. Many do it because they have restricted cards, but I did it because I needed student aid, and they checked these records and said they show me as a non-citizen. The DL updating is probably not really necessary unless you have a restricted DL or something.

[Triple Citizen]

(7) If you were registered with your country's (or former country's) consulate for consular assisstance, you might want to inform them that you are a US citizen now.

1) Apply for US Passport
2) Apply for I-130 for wife (this applies to me)
3) Change Social Security Information
4) Register to Vote
5) Change Driver's license?
6) Apply for visa for home country (India in my case)

[grape ape]

all those things are great, and here's another ... get a cheeseburger!!!! woo hooo!!! celebrate!! you deserve it!!!

[cafeconleche]

Hah, grape-ape. I remember that cartoon.

[Dago Red]

Actually it's higly advisable to report the change to the SSA. If your eligible for benefits from multiple countries, there is a provision in some SSA agreements between the US and other countries called "Windfall elimination provision". This will ensure you don't get more benefits than what you would get max from the SSA. Also, the calculation method used is different under such agreements, depending on your citizenship status. You don't want to clean up this mess when you retire ! And of course, sooner or later you will need a passport and since the passport is valid for 10 years, you don't want to do that a few weeks before you travel. We all know how fast some federal offices are ....

Congrats !

[WBH]

This will ensure you don't get more benefits than what you would get max from the SSA.

Should we only worry that we get fewer benefgits than what we would get minimum from SSA? Let the
government worry about aspect in the opposite direction

[König]

This kind of threads (i.e., "what to do after the citizenship") should be merged and made sticky. They pop up too often.

[micopengson]

How long can I stay outside the USA coz i just got my naturalization last October 2011 and left May 2012? can I stay out of the country longer?

[TheRealCanadian]

How long can I stay outside the USA coz i just got my naturalization last October 2011 and left May 2012? can I stay out of the country longer?

Please start your own thread.

[CalGreenCard]

...(5) your state requires so

If the person's state issues an Enhanced Driver's License (proving US citizenship) it might be good to have. Four US states do so. In my case, I live in a state which does NOT require proof of lawful presence in the USA for its regular driver's license, but does issue an enhanced driver's license (which requires proof of lawful presence--namely US citizenship).

This distinction is of little significance in my home state itself. However if I travel to Arizona--which I do regularly--they will accept an enhanced driver's license from my home state as proof of legal US presence under their tough immigration laws. They do NOT accept a regular driver's license from my home state. Although I'm a white guy and now a naturalized US citizen--and hence perhaps not an obvious target of Arizona's new laws--I've been told I still speak with a noticable foreign accent, and therefore I prefer that my ID reflect my US citizen status.

[König]

In my case, I live in a state which does NOT require proof of lawful presence in the USA for its regular driver's license, but does issue an enhanced driver's license (which requires proof of lawful presence--namely US citizenship).

I was also contemplating whether to get an enhanced driving licence or not, and I tried to do so two times at the DMV. However, the lines were very long and I was informed every time that I could not do it on the same day. So I finally gave up and got a passport card instead. The advantages of the passport card over the EDL are quite obvious: it does not expire in 5 years, it is a federal identity document that can be used anywhere (Arizona too), and its validity does not end when you move to a different state. Plus, obtaining a passport card/book does not require an interview unlike EDL.

[CalGreenCard]

I was also contemplating whether to get an enhanced driving licence or not, and I tried to do so two times at the DMV. However, the lines were very long and I was informed every time that I could not do it on the same day. So I finally gave up and got a passport card instead. The advantages of the passport card over the EDL are quite obvious: it does not expire in 5 years, it is a federal identity document that can be used anywhere (Arizona too), and its validity does not end when you move to a different state. Plus, obtaining a passport card/book does not require an interview unlike EDL.

Hmmm--I didn't encounter any unreasonably long lines, and the "interview" really wasn't much to speak of. I agree a passport card serves nearly the same purpose. My slight preference for the enhanced driver's license is that this is primarily for the benefit of state officials (by this I mean police) in states with strict rules. Police are used to dealing with driver's licenses and it is usually the first document one shows the police. Being pulled over by the police is always a bit stressful, even if only for a minor traffic infraction. The faster I can put the police officer's mind at ease--to the extent I can--the better.

[König]

Hmmm--I didn't encounter any unreasonably long lines

Maybe I encountered long lines because I was applying in June of 2009 - just a month before the USA would implement the final stage of the WHTI. On that time Washingtonians were applying for WHTI-approved documents en mass.

Police are used to dealing with driver's licenses and it is usually the first document one shows the police. Being pulled over by the police is always a bit stressful, even if only for a minor traffic infraction. The faster I can put the police officer's mind at ease--to the extent I can--the better.

It is interesting - in Germany they would always refuse to accept driving licence as an ID. They, however, readily accepted my passport card, thinking perhaps it was an American ausweis. Oh those funny Europeans