name change and passport.

aloevera

Registered Users (C)
Hi,

I changed my name. Do I need to wait till receive the DL with the new name in order to apply for passport or only need the certificate of naturalization with the new and old name??

thanks
 
What document has your new name?

I changed my name so I am going to have to change my name in everything: DL, Social Security, insurance car, banks....

But my question is if I need to wait to receive my new Driver license with the new name to apply for passport or only with the certificate of naturalization is fine.

thanks
 
I think nkm-oct23 meant to ask whether the naturalization certificate has your new name.

Did you change your name as part of the citizenship process itself, or did you change it separately through a court? If it was done separately, was it done before or after your naturalization oath?
 
DL first, SSN next then passport

That's how I did it. Here in NY they didn't even ask to see the nat cert at DMV. Just name change petition and old DL. SSA needs to see nat cert and name change petition. Passport agency needs to TAKE AWAY your nat cert so better do that the last. They will mail it back to you later. BTW you might want to get a few certified copies of your name change petition at the courthouse because sometimes your credit card company or life insurance company might need that. (i.e. not just any photo copy). You can probably do all these in a couple of days. (no need to wait for DL)
 
That's how I did it. Here in NY they didn't even ask to see the nat cert at DMV. Just name change petition and old DL.

You probably should have shown the natz cert anyway, so they could record in the system that you are a citizen. Otherwise, you're probably still listed as a permanent resident in the system.
 
That's how I did it. Here in NY they didn't even ask to see the nat cert at DMV. Just name change petition and old DL. SSA needs to see nat cert and name change petition. Passport agency needs to TAKE AWAY your nat cert so better do that the last. They will mail it back to you later. BTW you might want to get a few certified copies of your name change petition at the courthouse because sometimes your credit card company or life insurance company might need that. (i.e. not just any photo copy). You can probably do all these in a couple of days. (no need to wait for DL)

I change my name during naturalization process. In the interview I signed the paper with the new name.
What do you mean with certified copies in the courthouse??. I did not go there. So with the certificate of naturalization should be fine to provide to credit card...?
 
If you have credit cards under your old name, you might want to change them to reflect your name change. The credit card companies will want some proof. Sometimes, they will ask you to mail them a certified copy of your name change petition, which you should have received on oath day. That means you have to go to the clerk of the courthouse where you took the oath and ask for a certified copy (a photocopy with a raised seal on it) for a fee. Sometimes though, a photocopy will suffice. So better ask the credit card or insurance companies and see what they need to prove your name change. Your nat cert shows only the new name, not both old and new names.
 
At the oath ceremony you should have received a name change court document showing that you changed your name from XXXXXX to YYYYYYY.

I didn´t have the oath ceremony yet. The IO didn´t give me any copy of the paper I signed in the interview. I guess that one it is not a court document. So will I receive the certificate of naturalization and court document in oath ceremony???. In any court could I get a certified copy of my name change??.

Thanks
 
Probably I will take the oath ceremony in a big building with 5000-6000 people in Los Angeles, CA. So I need to know where I can get a certified copy out of the ceremony should I need it after that.

BTW, The IO told me that the certificate of naturalization SHOULD HAVE BOTH THE NEW AND OLD NAME ON IT. My wife works in a bank and she saw a lot of people with the certificate of naturalization in order to change the name in the bank. She told me that the certificate of naturalization has both names. You should ask about it.

Thanks
 
Probably I will take the oath ceremony in a big building with 5000-6000 people in Los Angeles, CA. So I need to know where I can get a certified copy out of the ceremony should I need it after that.

Probably you can ask the USCIS people at the ceremony.

BTW, The IO told me that the certificate of naturalization SHOULD HAVE BOTH THE NEW AND OLD NAME ON IT. My wife works in a bank and she saw a lot of people with the certificate of naturalization in order to change the name in the bank. She told me that the certificate of naturalization has both names. You should ask about it.

Thanks

Not in my nat cert. Maybe they do it differently in CA??
Anyway, my point is that check with your service providers to see what they need to change your name on record. The banks are usually the easiest because you can also walk into a branch to show your original documents. If you have to do it over the phone, the process could be a bit more complicated.
 
I didn´t have the oath ceremony yet. The IO didn´t give me any copy of the paper I signed in the interview. I guess that one it is not a court document. So will I receive the certificate of naturalization and court document in oath ceremony???. In any court could I get a certified copy of my name change??.

Thanks
That is strange. They should have asked you to sign a name change petition which has to be approved by the court. It will be given out during the oath ceremony. Are you sure you requested name change in your application? Or did you change your name already before you filed for naturalization?
 
Not in my nat cert. Maybe they do it differently in CA??
Anyway, my point is that check with your service providers to see what they need to change your name on record. The banks are usually the easiest because you can also walk into a branch to show your original documents. If you have to do it over the phone, the process could be a bit more complicated.

I can tell you. I don´t know if the people goes to the bank is getting the nat cert from CA. Maybe is better to ask in the ceremony.

Anyway, thanks
 
Probably I am not going to have my ceremony in a courthouse.

So When can I get a certified copy as you say??. Could I get it after the oath ceremony in every court??.
Thanks
 
You probably should have shown the natz cert anyway, so they could record in the system that you are a citizen. Otherwise, you're probably still listed as a permanent resident in the system.

I did. They didn't want it. All they cared was that I had six points of ID. The old DL suffices.

I think Jackolantern is right. Here in Georgia they check the voter's list against the driver's license list and throw out voters who show as non-citizens on the DL list. There's some controversy over this practice, which is fairly recent, and voters in this status can apply to vote provisionally, or something like that, but goodness knows if they count your ballot. When I'm finally a USC and entitled to vote, I want my vote to be counted.

Until reading a recent news story about rejected voters it hadn't even occurred to me that I should notify the Dept. of Driver Services when I become a USC (God willing). I'm now definitely intending to do that promptly, in addition to notifying the SSA of course. I didn't bother to get my SSN card updated (to remove the conditional language) when I got my green card because it didn't seem worth the long wait at the SSA office. Now I'll hopefully have a much more important reason to go there, and I'll ask for a new card too.
 
I think Jackolantern is right. Here in Georgia they check the voter's list against the driver's license list and throw out voters who show as non-citizens on the DL list. There's some controversy over this practice, which is fairly recent, and voters in this status can apply to vote provisionally, or something like that, but goodness knows if they count your ballot. When I'm finally a USC and entitled to vote, I want my vote to be counted.

Until reading a recent news story about rejected voters it hadn't even occurred to me that I should notify the Dept. of Driver Services when I become a USC (God willing). I'm now definitely intending to do that promptly, in addition to notifying the SSA of course. I didn't bother to get my SSN card updated (to remove the conditional language) when I got my green card because it didn't seem worth the long wait at the SSA office. Now I'll hopefully have a much more important reason to go there, and I'll ask for a new card too.

I totally agree that a naturalized citizen should register to vote. All I am saying is NYSDMV doesn't care to see your citizenship certificate to change your name on your DL as long as you can provide 6 pts ID. They don't even have a field on the form where you can check off your immigration status. I even submitted my voter registration with my DL change/renewal form and they still didn't even ask for nat cert, just my DL. (As long as it doesn't say "temp immigration status" it is fine with them.) Here really there is no way to tell the state that you are a new citizen. (If anyone knows otherwise please share.) I guess they will know once they cross check your status with SSA when you submit your voter registration. So I think it is definitely more important to tell SSA you are naturalized asap and register to vote.
 
I didn´t have the oath ceremony yet.

When the name change is embedded in the naturalization process, the name change takes effect only when you complete the oath. So if your name change is being done through naturalization, your name has not legally changed yet.
 
Probably I am not going to have my ceremony in a courthouse.

The naturalization ceremony with name change doesn't have to physically be in a court; USCIS will file name change papers with the court on your behalf, and then they can hold the ceremony outside the court if a judge is there to oversee it.
 
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