Changing BOTH first and last name on N400?

[nicolenicole]

Hello, I will soon be eligible to apply for N400 this year.

I have a question on changing my name on N400. I am thinking about changing both my first and last name. I want to adopt an americanized first name and use my current first name as middle name instead (currently, I do not have a middle name). And I got married 3 years ago and want to finally change my last name to adopt my husband's last name.
I am just afraid of what the consequences are for going from "A B" to "C A D" (a completely new name).
Should I just change my first name with N400 and change my last name to my husband's a few years later? Or do it together?

Also, is it true that changing name on N400 will delay my application? (I am located in IL).

Thanks much!

 

[baikal3]

Hello, I will soon be eligible to apply for N400 this year.

I have a question on changing my name on N400. I am thinking about changing both my first and last name. I want to adopt an americanized first name and use my current first name as middle name instead (currently, I do not have a middle name). And I got married 3 years ago and want to finally change my last name to adopt my husband's last name.
I am just afraid of what the consequences are for going from "A B" to "C A D" (a completely new name).
Should I just change my first name with N400 and change my last name to my husband's a few years later? Or do it together?

Also, is it true that changing name on N400 will delay my application? (I am located in IL).

Thanks much!

There is no problem with changing both the first and the last name. USCIS treats such requests exactly the same as when you change just the first or just the last name and there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Requesting the name change can result in a longer waiting period between the interview and the oath, because the name change has to be approved by the court. If you live in Chicago or Chicago suburbs, then requesting a name change does delay the oath somewhat: applicants who do not request the name change and whose applications are recommended for approval at the interview receive the oath letter at the conclusion of the interview; if you request a name change, you would have to wait for the oath letter to arrive by mail.

If you live in central or downstate Illinois, then a name change request will have little or no effect on the waiting period between interview and the oath. Administrative oaths (administered by USCIS) are not available for applicants from central and downstate Illinois because the federal courts there have claimed exclusive jurisdiction over the naturalization oaths. So all oaths there are judicial oaths and are administered by the federal courts, regardless of whether you request a name change or not. Applicants from those areas always have to wait for an oath letter to arrive by mail. In such cases the courts only have oaths ceremonies for a given area a few times a year (for the town in central Illinois where I live, the oaths take place 4 times a year, about every three months). So it usually does not add any extra waiting time if a name change is requested because one usually has to wait 1-2 months for the oath anyway, which is more than enough time for the name change request to be processed.

 

[Jackolantern]

Should I just change my first name with N400 and change my last name to my husband's a few years later? Or do it together?

Better to do it all at once. If you do it piecemeal, you'll end up having a history of documents with three different names, which could cause more confusion when dealing with government agencies and employers.

 

[nicolenicole]

Thank you so much for your insights! I greatly appreciate it.
Baikal3, I am from Chicago, so I am guessing that it may create about a month delay (but hopefully no more?)- I am assuming?

And this may be a silly question, but at what point do you actually become a citizen? Is it after your oath ceremony? I want to sponsor my dad as soon as I become eligible (i.e. become a US citizen), so wanted to ask about timing of things.

Thanks again for your comments! I will request to change both first and last name together on my N400.

 

[baikal3]

Thank you so much for your insights! I greatly appreciate it.
Baikal3, I am from Chicago, so I am guessing that it may create about a month delay (but hopefully no more?)- I am assuming?

And this may be a silly question, but at what point do you actually become a citizen? Is it after your oath ceremony? I want to sponsor my dad as soon as I become eligible (i.e. become a US citizen), so wanted to ask about timing of things.

Thanks again for your comments! I will request to change both first and last name together on my N400.

You become a U.S. citizen the moment you take the naturalization oath at the oath ceremony. At the end of the oath ceremony you will receive your naturalization certificate confirming your status as a U.S. citizen. Then you'll be able to apply for a U.S. passport, register to vote, etc.

If you apply for a name change as a part of your N-400, the naturalization certificate will be issued in your new name and together with the certificate you will be given the court order approving the name change. Also, if you do not request a name change when filing N-400, you can change your mind and request it during the interview. Conversely, if you request a name change when filing N-400, you can change your mind and during the interview request not to do the name change.

If you are seriously thinking about a name change, I do recommend that you do it as a part of the naturalization process and not postpone it until later. For one thing, if you do the name change after naturalization, you'll have to do it through a state court and here in Illinois the name change process is rather long: you first have to run an ad in a local newspaper for 3 weeks announcing your intent to change your name; then you have to wait at least six weeks since publishing the first ad before you can file a court petition. Plus there are court fees and waiting for the court to grant the name change order. After that, in order to get a naturalization certificate in the new name, you'd have to file form N-565 for a replacement certificate, pay $345 application fee and wait several months. And so on.

 

[xxhwx]

I, like others, highly recommend name change via naturalization. I did and I am happy now