Jimmyjimjim

I think that there's only a couple of extra days involved in doing it via the post office - the delay in shipping it to the state department; they ship it back directly.

Certainly nothing significant.

I handed in my original certificate at the post office - I don't think the state dept. will accept a photocopy (the post office made a copy, I believe).

They sent me back the original certificate a couple of days after I received my passport.

I've not made any copies of mine, except for a scan of it.

Ah; from your other comment I thought it was a he!

Mine was a he, wondered if it was the same person.   Obviously not. 

If you want to get your passport photos done in advance, you MIGHT get lucky and have the passport people available after the ceremony.   They don't have the facilities to take photos, so if they're there, and you have the form ready to go with pics, then you can be done the same day.

If not (and I hadn't got photos), I booked my appointment at the post office during the oath ceremony itself, went along 2 days later, paid for the slightly quicker processing, it turned up 11 days after that.

There is a passport office nearby, and they advise you to go there, but the post office was more convenient for me.

I've time booked off work for today to take care of the social security number.

 Oh good!   I was thinking earlier this week that it had to be soon, and I should check, but work got in the way!   Congrats!   I didn't think you would have any issue - mildly surprised you weren't approved on the spot.   I saw your comment on another thread about your interviewer - can you remember his name?

Yes, I'm waiting for my US passport (and updating my SSN once I get the certificate back), then I'm going through and disposing of a LOT of bills, receipts, proof of living here, etc for the last decade.

I was going to buy a larger fire safe, but I suspect I'll have more than enough space once I've cleared out all the cruft.

For me, the oath ceremony wasn't a big deal - like you say, there's been enough large milestones along the way - US Embassy interview for the L1-B, L1-B approval, L1 extension, H1-B in abbeyance, PERM approval, AOS via I-485, 'card production ordered', etc, that to me, the N-400 interview was the last major hurdle.   The oath ceremony itself was almost just a handover of the paperwork.   I'd have been happier just to get the naturalization certificate at the end of the interview and called it good.

I suggested that they encase the GC in plastic so it could be used as a paperweight - I'd have been very happy to have it.

I think you've got more than enough there to show that it's obviously not a shame marriage.    They may take a copy of one or more pictures to show the supervisor - but to be completely honest, I expect you'll be approved on the spot.

You may get lucky on the ceremony...but I wouldn't worry about it - you just come back in 2-3 weeks and get the piece of paper (sad day, the green card is an old friend, the naturalization certificate is a feeble substitute

13 years and 4 months from me from job offer to citizenship.

I could have shaved 5 years off that if I'd pushed, though.

Thanks!

Now the less positive bit - I naturalized under the 5 year rule, so although I married an american on 2014, the marriage (and the two resultant kids) was irrelevant to my application.

So, in order - I swore an oath 'whole truth', handed over my green card and passports, answered 6 civics questions, laughed along with the interviewer at the simplicity of the English test, reviewed my application with him.

The only questions I was asked about my foreign travel 'not much recently?' 'two young kids' ' oh I UNDERSTAND'.

I gave him the passport I first entered on (expired) and my current passport - these were the only 2 I had.   I don't think he had any interest in the expired one at all, so you should be able to relax there.

And that was pretty much it.

While being questioned about criminal activities, I admitted to a speeding ticked that I'd forgotten, and had only remembered when compiling a folder of documents for the interview (birth certificates, etc) when I found the receipt.   He wasn't interested in the receipt, or the offence.

Frankly, despite nerves on my part, it was clearly a formality.   20 minutes, tops.   

As for waking up on the wrong side of bed, they start and finish early, you're likely to be the second interview(so he'll have woken up enough by then) - and because you're before 9a.m., if you're approved (again, unless it's not obviously a sham marriage, it's nearly a formality) there's a chance you can have the ceremony the same day.

In your case, I suspect they'd be interested in joint tax returns and bank accounts, so statements, printouts of the last 5 years of tax returns would be a good idea.

I compiled my folder from the list here:

https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/documents-required-for-u-s-citizenship/

But, as above, only needed my latest (now very close to expiration passport).

Cheers, Jim.