Legal name change foreign country

[BB Family 299]

I recently became a US Citizen, but my "legal" name they put on the certificate isnt the one i have ever used. All my IDs are in a different name. When i asked they told me i had to have a court order in order to fix it. My husband is military and we are now stationed in Korea. If i did a legal name change in a Korean Court, will that be recognized in the US and by USCIS? Thanks

[Luis Leon 4]

Yes, you got to give them the paper that proof the name change if was made already. Also you can change at the oath ceremony but only if you take the oath with a judge. the second way is more simple and do not represent any extra cost.

[JimmyHou 613]

1- You're right that you need a court-ordered name change.

2- I'm not sure if a Korean court would issue a name change for a foreign national (assuming you are not a Korean citizen).

3- USCIS would normally accept a foreign name change (many people change their names before even moving to the US, so their passport name doesn't match their birth certificate name), but if you are already a US citizen, why do you care what USCIS accepts?

4- More importantly, you will need to apply for a new passport in your new name, so what is important is what the State Department will accept. I haven't found anything about that, but I did find this interesting piece of information: the Social Security Administration will let you change your Social Security card using a foreign name change court order, but only if you are applying at certain locations:

"EXCEPTION: When either a US citizen or foreign national applies for an SSN card at a Foreign Service post (FSP) or Veterans Administration Regional Office (VARO), a foreign court order name change may be acceptable evidence of a name change under the SSN and foreign evidence guidelines."

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110212080

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[BB Family 299]

We didnt have the time to do it at the oath ceremony. We filed under 319(b) and were leaving the country in under 2 weeks. And the next court oath would have been over a month and a half from what they told us. The reason i need it fixed is because i was adopted but never used my adopted name. So the name they used on my Naturalization cert doesnt match any of my other documents or certificates. THey didnt even use that name on my green card, ssn, or drivers license lol. So i need to get it fix so the Naturalization certificate matches everything else in my life. The reason i care if USCIS will except a foreign court order is because thats who i need to send the paperwork to in order to change my name on my Naturalization cert. Thanks for the advice.

I have also emailed the US Embassy in Seoul but no answers yet.

[JimmyHou 613]

We didnt have the time to do it at the oath ceremony. We filed under 319(b) and were leaving the country in under 2 weeks. And the next court oath would have been over a month and a half from what they told us. The reason i need it fixed is because i was adopted but never used my adopted name. So the name they used on my Naturalization cert doesnt match any of my other documents or certificates. THey didnt even use that name on my green card, ssn, or drivers license lol. So i need to get it fix so the Naturalization certificate matches everything else in my life. The reason i care if USCIS will except a foreign court order is because thats who i need to send the paperwork to in order to change my name on my Naturalization cert. Thanks for the advice.

I have also emailed the US Embassy in Seoul but no answers yet.

But why do you want to change your Naturalization certificate? Your naturalization certificate in your old name along with your name change certificate would be perfectly valid to prove that you are a citizen and what your new legal name is. If that's too complicated, you can use your naturalization certificate and your name change certificate (once you get one) to get a new passport in your new legal name. That way you can use a single document (your passport) to prove your name and citizenship.

Of course if you want your naturalization certificate updated for sentimental reasons, you can, but it is much more expensive than a passport, so almost no one who gets a name change after naturalization bothers to change their naturalization certificate... almost no one ever uses the certificate after they get their first passport. I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting a new certificate if you want one... but I do want to point out that it is expensive and not required.

Edited January 13, 2015 by JimmyHou