petitefrancaise

I'm about to send off my application for naturalization - and will be divorced shortly. I intend to revert to my maiden name post divorce and was thinking I would put this name down on the application where you can ask for your name to be changed. That way I won't have to get everything changed with US immigration..
Can't think of any reasons not to do this - can you guys think of anything?

Pulaski

Nope - sounds like the prefect opportunity to get a new/ different name officially recognized, and by the US Government no less, especially as you will, presumably, immediately apply for a passport which will be perfect for supporting all other name changes you will need to make - bank accounts, DL, etc.

Noorah101

I agree, sounds like a good plan.

Rene

Nutmegger

I have always used my maiden name since my first divorce, but for reasons unknown double barreled with my new OH’s last name on my last green card. It was basically the only place I ever did that. At my naturalization interview the female examiner and I ended up having a very friendly and funny chat about what I should call myself on the naturalization certificate. We went with just the maiden name.

RICH

Sorry to hear about the divorce. Per another thread, voter registration and signature might be a concern.

tht

The OP is not a USC so can’t vote yet!

I doubt that the interview will be before the election if it has not been submitted yet, and the name won’t change until the ceremony, this is probably something you can amend at the interview anyway. The officer changed my nationality from the one requested on the form N400 (that was on my last passport issued) to my birth one. I don’t think it’s all finalized till you are done with the interview.

If you do this make a list of things to update, I would do the following:
-take certificate to DMV to update name and get a real ID for travel etc, you can also update the bank with this.
-then send away certificate for US passport
- once you get a new DL you can register to vote and once the passport comes back you can go to the SSA etc

RICH

OK not a concern then.

Rete

Using your maiden is completely legal. You can change your documents now if you want to, i.e. driver's license, social security card, etc.

One daughter took her husband's name and the other daughter still uses her maiden name even though they have a child.

retzie

Why would you wait until you had a new DL? They had electoral board representatives at my naturalization ceremony and a bunch of us turned in the registration form before we had even left the courtroom.

tht

I waited over a year... I am an independent so did not register for the primary and only did the registration for this election 2 weeks before the deadline in CT... go ahead and do it day 1 if you fancy jury duty, have not been to the DMV yet either, already have “real ID” so will update it when I have to renew anyway next summer.

Nutmegger

I registered to vote on “day one” over twenty years ago, and haven’t had to do jury duty yet. That shouldn’t be a reason to wait.

tht

I still don’t get the point, sure if it makes you feel better, but if you are organized and know the deadline before the next election you want to participate in and submit the form before that you won’t miss out on anything (most special elections are held with a general to save costs). A sample of 1 does not really give you anything other than an anecdote, maybe you are ineligible for some other reason, maybe where you live there is not a big demand for jury members, maybe it’s a glitch, who knows, but I think it’s pretty well know that voter record and DMV are some of the data sources used. I was called twice in NYC, once on a L1, once on my GC, so I assume that was from the DMV database as I was not eligible to register as a voter as a [legal] alien (and had to prove this to be excused).

Rete

I'm a registered voter since age 18 who has never signed up to a particular party. So I don't vote in primaries.

My first jury duty was 25 years after registering to vote and getting a driver's license. I was happy to serve on jury duty both on the local level and federal level.

PS This was Westchester County NY

retzie

I think you might be missing the fact that some of us are happy to be a part of the justice process

The timelines involved are also not necessarily obvious or advertised. For the upcoming presidential election, yes, there has been a reasonable amount of information. But for our local elections last November and the primaries earlier this year, the deadlines were WAY before I would have ever thought to look for them. I was lucky to catch up with a friend with a big interest in politics a few days before the primary deadline, so I could drop it off in person (I hadn't known you needed to be registered to a party to vote in the primaries in NY).

Pulaski

It isn't widely understood that in both the UK and US your name on your birth certificate is your name, and that the convention of married women taking their husband's surname is a common law variation that is allowed. But no matter how widespread the practice, barring a court-sanctioned deed poll, your name on your birth certificate legally remains your name. IOW at any time you could present your birth certificate and obtain/ change the name on your passport, drivers license, bank account, etc. to match your birth certificate.

France, which has codified law, not common law, takes a stricter view, and while it is common for married French women to adopt their husband's name socially, their birth name remains on legal documents including their passport.