N400 - use of Mailing address and changing your name

[Nishvish]

On the N400 naturalization form, there is an option to enter a different mailing address than your home address. Have any of you used that field to enter say a friend’s home address and have USCIS send all the communication to the mailing address that you specified? Were there any issues raised because the mailing address was not an address that you stay/ed at?

Secondly, there is a Name change option on the form. Has anyone used that to change your name to your married name? Was that process pretty straightforward or did you manually have to update a bunch of records?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Al Southner]

On the N400 naturalization form, there is an option to enter a different mailing address than your home address. Have any of you used that field to enter say a friend’s home address and have USCIS send all the communication to the mailing address that you specified? Were there any issues raised because the mailing address was not an address that you stay/ed at?

Secondly, there is a Name change option on the form. Has anyone used that to change your name to your married name? Was that process pretty straightforward or did you manually have to update a bunch of records?

Thank you in advance!

First question: No, I haven't tried to do this and NEVER will. USCIS is very good at sending your mail to the wrong address, even when they have the correct address on file. So, why make their incompetence on this issue even more potent by adding an additional address? You are playing with a denial if you think mailing this to another person will help the process, next thing you are going to receive a letter from USCIS, "your application for citizenship has been denied for failure to appear at a schedule FP or interview"The worst part about this denial? It is send to the correct address...

Changing names has various avenues, you can do it via the courts which takes about 30 days or more, depending on your state. Alternatively, USCIS can do it via court schedule oath ceremony where a presiding judge by virtue of being a judge, can legally change name. So, check with your local court on what is practical.

Thread lightly on sending USCIS mail to various addresses, it usually end uo being a case where they cash your check and deny your application on some technicality, while you are frustrated and angry...

 

[Jackolantern]

Secondly, there is a Name change option on the form. Has anyone used that to change your name to your married name? Was that process pretty straightforward or did you manually have to update a bunch of records?

It is very straightforward with naturalization. Just put the new name on the form, and USCIS handles the formalities behind the scenes, with all that's left for you to do is be there for the oath. Changing it via a separate court process can be very simple or very complicated, depending on the jurisdiction.

Regardless of how you implement the name change itself, you still have to separately visit the SS office and DMV to change your SS card and license.

But whatever you do, don't change your name in the middle of the process. That can cause confusion and delays, especially since they will have to rerun the background checks with your new name. If you're going to change your name with a separate court process, change it before filing the N-400 or after completing the oath.

 

[eringo]

On the N400 naturalization form, there is an option to enter a different mailing address than your home address. Have any of you used that field to enter say a friend’s home address and have USCIS send all the communication to the mailing address that you specified? Were there any issues raised because the mailing address was not an address that you stay/ed at?

I used a PO box as my mailing address, the fingerprint notice came to this but my interview letter came to my physical address, so your main residence address, not mailing address, you will need to be able to collect your mail from here in case the interview letter comes here.

I read here before that UCIS will not send the interview letter to a PO Box, not sure about non PO Box addresses.