How soon can I apply for US Passport?

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patrickchicago

Registered Users (C)
Hi,

I have to fly out of the US on Nov 12. Currently I'm in the process of applying for a US citizenship. It's very likely that my interview date would be on the first week of November. Is it possible to apply for a US Passport right after I pass the interview (the same day)? Or do I have wait until the Oath ceremony? Someone told me that one can travel oversea after passing the interview. However I plan to visit many countries and it would help if I carry a US Passport. Please advice.

D/O Chicago
6/15/2009 N-400 Mailed
6/16/2009 N-400 Received
6/16/2009 Priority Date
7/14/2009 Check has been cashed
7/20/2009 FP Notice Received
8/4/2009 FP Appointment & Done
?????2009 CFR - Check List Received
?????2009 Interview Letter Received
?????2009 Interview Date
?????2009 Oath Letter Received
?????2009 Oath Date

Thank you,
 
You can only apply for US passport when you have your naturalization certificate, which is given after you do the oath. Between interview and oath (or before interview) you will still have to travel under your current passport and Green Card.
 
I think the GC will be taken at the Oath ceremony.

If the travel is after Oath - I think you can expedite the passport application and get it in 1 or 2 days (by showing the tickets for within 2 weeks journey)
 
patrickchicago said:
Hi,

I have to fly out of the US on Nov 12. Currently I'm in the process of applying for a US citizenship. It's very likely that my interview date would be on the first week of November. Is it possible to apply for a US Passport right after I pass the interview (the same day)? Or do I have wait until the Oath ceremony? Someone told me that one can travel oversea after passing the interview. However I plan to visit many countries and it would help if I carry a US Passport. Please advice.

D/O Chicago
6/15/2009 N-400 Mailed
6/16/2009 N-400 Received
6/16/2009 Priority Date
7/14/2009 Check has been cashed
7/20/2009 FP Notice Received
8/4/2009 FP Appointment & Done
?????2009 CFR - Check List Received
?????2009 Interview Letter Received
?????2009 Interview Date
?????2009 Oath Letter Received
?????2009 Oath Date

Thank you,
Click to expand...

well, you might be aware that if you become a US citizen (after oath ceremony), you will be no longer be a citizen of your country unless your country permits dual citizens. You are not officially a US citizen until the Oath Ceremony is completed. You can travel overseas using your passport of your country and your GC after passing the interview because you are not a US citizen yet. Make sure to keep copies of ticket/your boarding pass and make sure your passport is stamped with entry stamp in other country and USA (POE) because Interview officer wanted to see them.

After the Oath Ceremony, you can get a US passport on the same day if you go to the central processing office like Washington DC or some cities. If you apply for a US passport at the post office, it will take from few days to weeks.

If you predict that your interview is coming in Nov, I recommend you not to plan to travel. Otherwise, you will be stressful and worried.
 
Thank you everyone for your response.

USGC485, I'm hesitating about canceling the trip. The hotels in Spain will not refund the money (Europe trip). I planned this trip with a friend before I applied for citizenship. I forgot to check the time line before applying... If I cannot go, my friend (who's a US citizen by birth) will have to cancel his trip because of me. :-(

My original country allows dual citizenship. Hence I'll have two passports after everything is done.


Thanks,
 
No need to cancel the trip at this point. Why are you thinking about canceling? I'm sure you'll be able to work around this citizenship issues. If your office doesn't do same day oath (I think most offices don't do same day oath) you can reschedule your oath if it falls during your trip. Likewise you could be able to change the interview date. The trick is to have someone check your mail while you're out to check for USCIS correspondence. Can you travel to Europe easily under your current passport? If you have already booked hotels and your friend is ready to go I would say don't cancel anything for now and see how the naturalization application progresses and reschedule interview or oath if necessary.
 
patrickchicago said:
I'm hesitating about canceling the trip.
Click to expand...

As Hur-can suggests, don't cancel as you can always reschedule. I hate suggesting rescheduling because of the randomness of getting the new appointment date. There are some horror stories here.

I would just go with the flow and see what stage you are at a week before the trip departure date. With luck you will be past the interview and can reschedule the Oath for when you come back.

Stay calm and don't make hasty decisions. If you are going to lose money by canceling it really does not matter when you cancel so leave it until the last moment or reschedule. Make that decision November 10. :)
 
Just apply for Schengen visa (I assume you require a visa to enter Spain) as an insurance. They're easy to get if you have a set itinerary and a proof of prepaid hotel reservations.
 
patrickchicago said:
The hotels in Spain will not refund the money (Europe trip). I planned this trip with a friend before I applied for citizenship. I forgot to check the time line before applying... If I cannot go, my friend (who's a US citizen by birth) will have to cancel his trip because of me. :-(

My original country allows dual citizenship. Hence I'll have two passports after everything is done.
Click to expand...

As a sometime traveler and resident in Europe with a foreign passport that needed visa stamps from just about every country (before the Schengen treaty), I can appreciate your dilemma.

As others here have suggested, you cannot obtain your U.S. passport until you have become a U.S. citizen after the oath ceremony. There are ways to get your passport in as quickly as a day or two if you have urgent travel needs.

But in your case, as eltoro suggests, you should be able to obtain a Schengen visa from the Spanish consulate/embassy in your foreign passport (Spain is a signatory to the treaty) and be able to travel virtually unrestricted throughout western Europe (except for the U.K. - you will need a separate U.K. visa) and even to the Baltic countries. This should enable you to travel in Europe on your foreign passport and use your GC to return to the U.S.

Cancelling your trip seems like too drastic a step just because you will not have your U.S. passport in time.
 
Thank you everyone!

Thank you for very useful suggestions. I have paid half of the money for the vacation. I'll have to paid in full by the end of August (it's a cruise trip). I think I stand a chance to make it.

The idea of getting Schengen visa came to my mind as well. I think I'll get the visa (just in case) and wait to see how the case progress. Thank you everyone. :)
 
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