Melania

Hi there!
I finally received the letter to attend the Oath Ceremony on Oct. 16.
I also applied for a name change, will the Naturalization certificate that I will get have my new name on it? Thank you!

ian-mstm

It should, yes.

Ian

Melania

Thank you, ian-mstm!
I'm taking the Oath Ceremony at the court so I can't wait to see my new name on it!

fatbrit

You'll get a court order that changes your name along with your naturalization certificate in your new name.

Noorah101

My husband indicated a name change on his N-400, and his naturalization certificate has his new name on it. As fatbrit says, my husband also got the court order for the name change.

Rene

Melania

Court order for a name change on the same day of the oath ceremony?! Thank you!

ian-mstm

Just to clarify... you're actually changing your legal name, right? You're not just taking the last name of your spouse. If you do a legal name change to that of your spouse, then you can't ever go back to your unmarried name without another court order... even if you divorce. It's the difference between assuming a new name (which is perfectly okay as long as you're not doing it with the intent to commit fraud), and legally changing your name.

Ian

Noorah101

Yes, the court order was done and handed to him at the oath ceremony, so he would have an official record of the court-ordered name change.

If your oath ceremony is not held in a courtroom or not done by a judge, however, your mileage may vary.

Rene

Noorah101

But if one does go through a divorce, it can be part of the divorce paperwork to have your name changed back to something pre-marriage (anything you choose). My sister and I both did this.

Rene

fatbrit

You need a judicial oath ceremony if you're changing your name. Nothing less will work.

Melania

I'm not getting married, just changing my Asian to an American name.
I believe to get your SS and driver license to a new name, a certificate of naturalization with your new name on it will be accepted but I could be wrong.

I am notified to appear for the Naturalization Oath Ceremony at the U.S. District Court House.
I am excited and ready for all this to be over with!

Noorah101

You are correct.

Rene

ian-mstm

Ah! No worries then.


I believe you need a copy of the judicial order for the change of name, rather than the natz certificate. With the judicial order, you can get a new SS card and license, etc.

Ian

fatbrit

You'll get both documents. Just take the two of them along to DMV and SSA and they'll copy what they need. If you're not leaving in the next month or so, do these before you apply for your US passport. When you do that, you have to send your naturalization certificate with the application. They return it with the passport. Make sure you get a copy (despite the wording on the front!) before you send it off.

Noorah101

IIRC, Sadegh only needed to show the naturalization certificate for both his new SS card and his new State ID.

Rene