Naturalization ceremony+name change+passport?!

[sfoboy85 0]

Hello People,

I am getting naturalized in a couple of days and - of course - besides all the excitement I am planning ahead. I am sure some of you have been in this situation before that is why I would like to ask what the answer is to my question?

With naturalization, I am changing my legal name. Which means from the day I become naturalized I will have a brand new name. Now, since I have to leave the country for business 10 days after my ceremony I am not sure how to handle things. Since at naturalization I have to surrender my Green Card, I will only have my foreign passport. I figured I will use the expedited services of Travisa or other companies who do overnight processing, still they (and the National Passport Center) ask for copies of both sides of your drivers license.

NOW! My DL will obviously be under my previous name at that time. It takes 1 day at the SSA to update everything,(then a weekend comes) then DMV takes about 1 week (in a lucky case) to get my DL sent to my place. In this case, if I am lucky, I can get my DL before I leave the USA. Bad case I will not even get my DL. Since the NPC does not accept temporary documents (like the one you get when you change your DL (punched hole+temporary paper) I am clueless how to get it before I leave.

Question: Will the NPC accept the copies of my DL with my previous name (since the Naturalization certificate will show my previous and my new name I assume) or not?

Please help, thank you!

[nwctzn 55]

One thing for sure: Once you are naturalized, you need to get your US passport for leaving/entering the US.

If things are really a mess and you cannot postpone your business trip, one option is that you can re-schedule your oath ceremony and travel with your greencard and foreign passport. You can then have your oath ceremony and your passport application afterwards once you are back and have all your documents like DL and your SSN updated with your new name.

Edited October 9, 2011 by nwctzn

[sfoboy85 0]

Hi nwctzn,

Thanks for your feedback. Rescheduling my naturalization is my very last thing on my mind right now (and will be here in 5 days anyway). Even if I leave the country without my new DL, I will still have my naturalization certificate with me and can apply for a US passport in any of the Consulates and get it in a week, so re-entering is not an issue.

I was just wondering if there was any way that I can obtain a passport without going through SSA and DMV first... ?! If the NCP would accept the copy of my previous DL plus Naturalization certificate as proof?

Thanks for your input!

One thing for sure: Once you are naturalized, you need to get your US passport for leaving/entering the US.

If things are really a mess and you cannot postpone your business trip, one option is that you can re-schedule your oath ceremony and travel with your greencard and foreign passport. You can then have your oath ceremony and your passport application afterwards once you are back and have all your documents like DL and your SSN updated with your new name.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

What the #### are you talking about?

One or two days before you have your Oath ceremony, you will make an appointment at the closest passport agency for the next morning after you have become a U.S. citizen.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/npic/agencies/agencies_913.html

About three hours later you will have your brand new U.S. passport in your new name. Four or five hours later you will sit at the SSA office and update your SSA records. That's all you will do before going on that business trip.

Once you are back in the States, you will apply for a new driver's license at your local DlW. At that time your passport card will be in the mail also and you'll use it to prove that you are a U.S. citizen. They will just swipe it and that's all it takes. You don't do this before your trip because you don't want to rent a car abroad with an invalidated driver's license and a temporary license that looks like you made it at home.

Then you take care of bank and credit cards. That's it.

Put the Certificate in the bank safe, the passport book into the safest place at home, and the passport card at a totally different place. You will only use the passport card if you need to show proof of U,S. citizenship and put it back in its safe place once you have taken care of this.

[NickD 202]

Make sure you bring you paper trail with you at the DOS service center between your old and new name. You will also need a valid airline ticket. Can also tell you, the name on your airline ticket better match the name on your passport, or you will never board the plane. And you have to make and have your appointment verified first with one of the twelve DOS service centers. You just don't walk in.

Ten days sure sound risky in particular when dealing with governmental agencies, and especially with a name change. Good luck. We also had situations where they wanted to see a drivers' license as additional proof of identity or some other form of a photo ID.

I can recall the days when all you needed to buy an airline ticket was cash, actually preferred that over a credit card, hey, that wasn't that long ago. Today if you flash cash, would have a ton of some kind of federal agents on your butt. That brings up another point, better get the name on your credit card changed too. When abroad, also needed a form of photo ID to use my credit card. This is getting complicated.

[sfoboy85 0]

Hi NickD,

Thanks for your reply! What do you mean exactly "Paper trail between my old and new name"? Do I get additional paperwork when I get naturalized? I will obviously bring my plane ticket (issued for my old name, at that time I did not even know that I will be naturalized by now but that's fine because my other passport will still have my previous name in it).

I will bring my naturalization certificate and I assume that one shows my old name AND my new name as well but other than that, what else will I have to prove my identity? Would I need anything else anyway? I have already made my appointment of course! About Credit Card, I assume I will not be able to change that until I change my SSN so that will also be after I get my passport.

Thanks for your response!

Make sure you bring you paper trail with you at the DOS service center between your old and new name. You will also need a valid airline ticket. Can also tell you, the name on your airline ticket better match the name on your passport, or you will never board the plane. And you have to make and have your appointment verified first with one of the twelve DOS service centers. You just don't walk in.

Ten days sure sound risky in particular when dealing with governmental agencies, and especially with a name change. Good luck. We also had situations where they wanted to see a drivers' license as additional proof of identity or some other form of a photo ID.

I can recall the days when all you needed to buy an airline ticket was cash, actually preferred that over a credit card, hey, that wasn't that long ago. Today if you flash cash, would have a ton of some kind of federal agents on your butt. That brings up another point, better get the name on your credit card changed too. When abroad, also needed a form of photo ID to use my credit card. This is getting complicated.

Edited October 9, 2011 by sfoboy85

[nwctzn 55]

Thanks for your feedback. Rescheduling my naturalization is my very last thing on my mind right now (and will be here in 5 days anyway). Even if I leave the country without my new DL, I will still have my naturalization certificate with me and can apply for a US passport in any of the Consulates and get it in a week, so re-entering is not an issue.

After the oath, when you leave the US, I am not sure you can leave with your foreign passport only. During check-in when you leave, the airline expects a US passport, or a foreign passport + greencard, or a foreign passport + US visa. Not sure if they accept your foreign passport + naturalization certificate.

Edited October 10, 2011 by nwctzn