Latest Citizenship Timeline - adults only

[azure]

if they're aware of my name change application, they might delay processing

I mean, yeah there's a chance of a delay but i just wanted to get it over and done with and kept waiting for name change and also approval. Upto you. Option 1 sounds safer.

[Kelerei]

But the DIA rep who was on the phone with me insisted that I have to tell them as soon as I lodge my name change application and not to wait until the name change is approved which I find strange.

Actually, take a look at my edited response above. Name changes are handled by the Department of Internal Affairs, but a different department within it (Births, Deaths, and Marriages). Notifying the Citizenship Office as soon as you submit your name change application would enable the Citizenship Office to internally liaise with BDM around your name change: BDM would do their usual verification around the name change, and would then send the result of your name change application directly to the Citizenship Office, who would accept whatever BDM's outcome is. All that considered, I don't find it strange at all.

I really don't see this affecting whether or not your citizenship application is approved: if BDM is happy, the Citizenship Office will likely be happy as well. The Citizenship Office may however delay issuing your citizenship certificate until BDM has registered the name change.

However, your future travel plans means that the Citizenship Office may delay issuing your citizenship certificate regardless, to avoid a situation occuring where your citizenship certificate is issued while offshore. As mentioned previously, this can result in a problematic situation where you will have to suddenly obtain a New Zealand passport while abroad to return to New Zealand, as you will be unable to use your foreign passport to return. If the Department is aware of your travel plans and believes that you may end up in this situation, their usual procedure is to delay issuing your certificate until your return, which will enable you to freely travel on your foreign passport and then be able to apply for a New Zealand passport upon your return.

It seems to me like you're too fixated on getting that citizenship certificate: maybe take a step back, and look at the bigger picture here.

[azure]

I've decided to wait until I get the approval email and call them again to ask if there's a delay in printing if I lodge a name change before printing date.

why not enquire about it NOW, if there's usually a delay

[azure]

Yeah K is right about BDM. It did take a long time to get my name change cert

[azure]

If the Department is aware of your travel plans and believes that you may end up in this situation, their usual procedure is to delay issuing your certificate until your return, which will enable you to freely travel on your foreign passport and then be able to apply for a New Zealand passport upon your return.

yep, correct as well. I'm in this situation myself but I'm going to postpone travel. Are you able to postpone, get approval, PP & rebook?

[azure]

As such, I would expect that much of the verification work would be during the name change process itself.

Does K or HT or anyone else know about why or what they'd even verify for a mere name change?

[azure]

did you change your name before you applied for citizenship?

Nope

If you changed during citizenship application waiting for processing, did you inform DIA of your name change?

right away so i don't get blamed for anything. It came down to me waiting for BDM to issue my cert and later wait again to have DIA issue my cert so I applied to BDM after my citizenship application

[sally300]

Hi All,

So its been over a year now since I applied. Still no CO assigned and the response given is they are still on May Applications. CO's will only be assigned if you didn't pass the automated checks. This is the new process.

HT8990 I'm not sure when you applied but if it was after July 2021 and after many of us who haven't been approved then I can only assume you passed the automated checks but then that still doesn't explain why you have been contacted to say your application has been picked up by a CO because according to their new process you won't need a CO if you passed the automated checks and you would just be given straight approval.

And if you didn't pass the automated checks and need a CO to review your application and you applied after all of us then according to their "we don't just pick applications randomly" you should still be waiting in the queue behind all of us who are awaiting a CO and whom applied earlier.

I don't believe there is transparency from the DIA and even though their website states in 11 months you will be assigned a case officer I can confirm at nearly 13 months I am still waiting for one.

[Michaeln]

HT8990 I'm not sure when you applied

HT applied in mid feb 2022, as mentioned by him in march

[ht8990]

Actually, take a look at my edited response above. Name changes are handled by the Department of Internal Affairs, but a different department within it (Births, Deaths, and Marriages). Notifying the Citizenship Office as soon as you submit your name change application would enable the Citizenship Office to internally liaise with BDM around your name change: BDM would do their usual verification around the name change, and would then send the result of your name change application directly to the Citizenship Office, who would accept whatever BDM's outcome is. All that considered, I don't find it strange at all.

I really don't see this affecting whether or not your citizenship application is approved: if BDM is happy, the Citizenship Office will likely be happy as well. The Citizenship Office may however delay issuing your citizenship certificate until BDM has registered the name change.

However, your future travel plans means that the Citizenship Office may delay issuing your citizenship certificate regardless, to avoid a situation occuring where your citizenship certificate is issued while offshore. As mentioned previously, this can result in a problematic situation where you will have to suddenly obtain a New Zealand passport while abroad to return to New Zealand, as you will be unable to use your foreign passport to return. If the Department is aware of your travel plans and believes that you may end up in this situation, their usual procedure is to delay issuing your certificate until your return, which will enable you to freely travel on your foreign passport and then be able to apply for a New Zealand passport upon your return.

It seems to me like you're too fixated on getting that citizenship certificate: maybe take a step back, and look at the bigger picture here.

My ultimate goal is to get NZ passport in time for my travel in Oct, that's the most important thing and I can't risk having DIA delay approving my citizenship process by this name change. This is because my foreign passport is expiring in Feb 2023 and my partner's foreign passport is expiring in Jan 2023 (We won't be able to enter the country we're visiting with our passports' validity less than 6 months). Applying for new foreign passports and then transferring our NZ PR visa to the new foreign pp will take ages (probs longer than waiting for our NZ citizenship approval + name change + NZ passport using urgent service LOL).

Thanks K for your input, I will discuss this with my partner and decide what to do with the name change because both of us will change our names. Our foreign passports don't separate first name/middle/family name so all our names are lumped into one single FULL name, it's a nightmare when applying for things in NZ - All my names are put in the Surname field on NZ driver licence and people address us by our middle name (not first name) in all documents like bank statement, car insurance policy etc