how to sign on N-445(oath letter)

W

waitingforins2

Registered Users (C)
Hi Guys,

We need to sign oath letter on the back..

should it be..
1. The way we sign cheques

or

2 Full name i.e First name middle name last name


Thanks a lot!
 
waitingforins2 said:
Hi Guys,

We need to sign oath letter on the back..
should it be..
1. The way we sign cheques
or
2 Full name i.e First name middle name last name
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

This is an often asked question. I myself had this question a week ago as I have my oath ceremony coming up.

Follow this thread and you will get your answers:

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=288903

Bottomline: the consensus is that the USCIS is now asking you to sign the oath letter (N445) exactly as you signed the two passport size photographs at your interview. Please follow the said thred - you will see references to other documents with the policy change at USCIS.

AP
 
tabaliya said:
This is an often asked question. I myself had this question a week ago as I have my oath ceremony coming up.

Follow this thread and you will get your answers:

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=288903

Bottomline: the consensus is that the USCIS is now asking you to sign the oath letter (N445) exactly as you signed the two passport size photographs at your interview. Please follow the said thred - you will see references to other documents with the policy change at USCIS.

AP
Click to expand...
The thread you quote actually refers to how to sign the naturalization certificate itself, not the oath letter.

The bottom line is that the current policy is that the photos and certificate should be signed with your normal signature which presumably you also used on the N-400 and can use on the oath letter.
 
tabaliya said:
This is an often asked question. I myself had this question a week ago as I have my oath ceremony coming up.

Follow this thread and you will get your answers:

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=288903

Bottomline: the consensus is that the USCIS is now asking you to sign the oath letter (N445) exactly as you signed the two passport size photographs at your interview. Please follow the said thred - you will see references to other documents with the policy change at USCIS.

AP
Click to expand...

The OP's question was how to sign oath letter, not naturalization certificate.
 
ok the reason I am asking this question

Hi Guys,

In my interview first the officer told me to sign in the box as "first middle last" and I did..However later he asked me how I normally sign and I showed him the "scribble" that i do. he asked me what language is it:) actually although it is english it looks like some letters in marathi. So then he made me sign it again with my scribble signature, the way I sign cheques etc.(on N-400 as well as on photographs he made me change it).

My original question is however about N-445 i.e the oath letter that I received. so I sign as scribble correct?

As For my certificate at my oath, I will ask them how to sign it. If some problem arises later on I will tell them I did as i was instructed.

any thoughts?

Thanks
 
waitingforins2 said:
Hi Guys,

In my interview first the officer told me to sign in the box as "first middle last" and I did..However later he asked me how I normally sign and I showed him the "scribble" that i do. he asked me what language is it:) actually although it is english it looks like some letters in marathi. So then he made me sign it again with my scribble signature, the way I sign cheques etc.(on N-400 as well as on photographs he made me change it).

My original question is however about N-445 i.e the oath letter that I received. so I sign as scribble correct?

As For my certificate at my oath, I will ask them how to sign it. If some problem arises later on I will tell them I did as i was instructed.

any thoughts?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Scribble on n-445, full name cursive on certificate.
 
Bobsmyth said:
Scribble on n-445, full name cursive on certificate.
Click to expand...
No - the certificate signature must match the photo signature and the OP said that the interviewing officer made him sign the photos with his everyday scribble.
 
Bobsmyth said:
This reference suggests otherwise:

http://www.newcitizen.us/after.html
Click to expand...
That web site must be out of date because I'm going on what we were told at least three times at my oath ceremony last week - "The signature on your certificate must be in black ink and must exactly match that on the photo attached to the certificate, regardless of what that signature looks like".

The fact that the "oather" repeated himself so many times suggested that there had either been a recent change or considerable confusion on this matter.
 
dms1 said:
That web site must be out of date because I'm going on what we were told at least three times at my oath ceremony last week - "The signature on your certificate must be in black ink and must exactly match that on the photo attached to the certificate, regardless of what that signature looks like".

The fact that the "oather" repeated himself so many times suggested that there had either been a recent change or considerable confusion on this matter.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you can find an equal amount of recent posters from different DOs who weren't told at the oath how to sign the certificate. In the end, whether you sign the certificate like the signature on picture or not does not affect the validity of the certificate or your citizenship.
 
Bobsmyth said:
I'm sure you can find an equal amount of recent posters from different DOs who weren't told at the oath how to sign the certificate. In the end, whether you sign the certificate like the signature on picture or not does not affect the validity of the certificate or your citizenship.
Click to expand...

Not to labor the point, but the website you provided the link to earlier goes on to say "If you previously signed the photograph that is mounted to your Certificate of Naturalization, then sign your certificate using the exact same signature you used to sign your photograph, even if that signature does not match the full name shown on your certificate.", and according to this USCIS memo http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/natz_interview_apr2508.pdf (second page, fourth paragraph), the photo should now be signed with your everyday signature. Ergo, so should the certificate.
 
Bobsmyth said:
In the end, whether you sign the certificate like the signature on picture or not does not affect the validity of the certificate or your citizenship.
Click to expand...

I agree. After my ceremony, I was given my certificate and told "sign it when you get home". Since then, DSS has taken a copy to update their records, and I've applied for a passport. After that, the actual certificate will sit in my safe.
As I see it, no-one really cares how it is signed.......
 
Auscal said:
I agree. After my ceremony, I was given my certificate and told "sign it when you get home". Since then, DSS has taken a copy to update their records, and I've applied for a passport. After that, the actual certificate will sit in my safe.
As I see it, no-one really cares how it is signed.......
Click to expand...

Auscal.. you haven't received your passport yet?
 
Bobsmyth said:
This reference suggests otherwise:

http://www.newcitizen.us/after.html
Click to expand...

The very same website also says:

If you previously signed the photograph that is mounted to your Certificate of Naturalization, then sign your certificate using the exact same signature you used to sign your photograph, even if that signature does not match the full name shown on your certificate.

Regardless of what you sign on your N400 the way you signature looks on the photographs will supercede anything else.

AP
 
tabaliya said:
The very same website also says:

If you previously signed the photograph that is mounted to your Certificate of Naturalization, then sign your certificate using the exact same signature you used to sign your photograph, even if that signature does not match the full name shown on your certificate.

Regardless of what you sign on your N400 the way you signature looks on the photographs will supercede anything else.

AP
Click to expand...

Correct, dms1 already noted that in previous post.

The OP's original question was how to sign oath letter, not how to sign certificate. The answer to that was that you would still sign the N-445 the same way you signed N-400.
 
Out of interest, had anyone here come across the concept of a full-name cursive signature before coming to the US?

I certainly hadn't. The first time I came across the concept was when closing on my first house purchase here. I explained to the title agent that whilst I could come up with a full cursive signature I would almost certainly never be able to reproduce it in the same way again and therefore it was of no use as an identifier. He agreed and conceded to let me sign my usual dead-spider scrawl.
 
dms1 said:
Out of interest, had anyone here come across the concept of a full-name cursive signature before coming to the US?

I certainly hadn't. The first time I came across the concept was when closing on my first house purchase here. I explained to the title agent that whilst I could come up with a full cursive signature I would almost certainly never be able to reproduce it in the same way again and therefore it was of no use as an identifier. He agreed and conceded to let me sign my usual dead-spider scrawl.
Click to expand...
Same here. Everytime I've closed on a house I was asked to sign entire name as it appears in cursive writing. The purpose I was told it to make the signature legible and avoid possible confusion.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dms1 said:
Out of interest, had anyone here come across the concept of a full-name cursive signature before coming to the US?

I certainly hadn't. The first time I came across the concept was when closing on my first house purchase here. I explained to the title agent that whilst I could come up with a full cursive signature I would almost certainly never be able to reproduce it in the same way again and therefore it was of no use as an identifier. He agreed and conceded to let me sign my usual dead-spider scrawl.
Click to expand...

Yes, I too went through that recently (again) while refinancing my house. I spent a lot of time on the phone arguing with the closing agent at the bank that I'll do my usual scrawl but he wouldn't let me have it my way. It had to be the full name in cursive.

AP
 
Bobsmyth said:
Same here. Everytime I've closed on a house I was asked to sign entire name as it appears in cursive writing. The purpose I was told it to make the signature legible and avoid possible confusion.
Click to expand...
I was explicitly asked to sign it, just like the one that was on my picture !
 
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