SFO name change

[hprem1 0]

Hello all! I went for my citizenship interview this morning and passed the exam, however I'm a little bum out that I can't change my name when I'm getting naturalization. My IO(nice guy) told me they no longer do that here this office. He also mentioned that it would be an expensive process to do the name change, but I'm set on changing my name! What is the first step I can do to petition for a name change in the Bay Area? Help please!

[JimmyHou 611]

Hello all! I went for my citizenship interview this morning and passed the exam, however I'm a little bum out that I can't change my name when I'm getting naturalization. My IO(nice guy) told me they no longer do that here this office. He also mentioned that it would be an expensive process to do the name change, but I'm set on changing my name! What is the first step I can do to petition for a name change in the Bay Area? Help please!

Your information agrees with the information posted on the Name Change thread. See the first post:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/549894-information-on-name-change-during-naturalization/

Name changes are not available through the N400 process in San Francisco (also San Jose).

At this point for you the name change process will have nothing to do with USCIS or with immigration. You need to look up name changes laws and fees for your county and city. Most likely you will go to your courthouse and request the change. Once approved, you'll get a name change order from a judge. You can use that to change your name on everything less (see the thread linked above).

Cost can vary from $10 to $500 depending on where you are in the US. Best place to start: Google. Every city will have its own laws and fees. Advice: don't buy a " name change kit" online. Lots of lawyers and service websites will charge you a lot of money to fill out forms that you can fill out in your own.

Also, at this point your naturalization certificate will be in your current name. To change it you'll have to pay several hundred dollars for a replacement certificate. But there's no need to do that. Once you get your certificate you can apply for a name change and then use the natutalization certificate and the name change order to get a passport in your new name.

Note that some cities require you to place an ad in a local paper to do a name change, so the process can take several weeks.

Edited July 13, 2015 by JimmyHou

[hprem1 0]

Thank you for your help, Jimmy!

[Jamnan_n_Steve 17]

Not too difficult or expensive for the name change alone (did it thirty years ago in San Francisco Superior Court to correct immigration's awkward transliteration of my paternal name back in 1925). Spend some time on the web to obtain forms and instructions directly from the court and choose the most economical means of publishing the public notice.

The important thing is to understand the complexity of your life that is tied to your current name and to plan for filling out a lot of forms and paying some modest fees to effect the change. Assume that financial institutions will be sticklers as there are many fraudsters and deadbeats around. Probably best to delay the actual change until you receive yout naturalization to avoid messing up that process.

[hprem1 0]

Thank you so much!