Travel outside the country during naturalization process

[RSingh09]

Hi,

I am in the process of getting US citizenship. Currently, I have a green card and a valid Indian passport. My citizenship interview is scheduled for 9/15/21 post which the oath ceremony would be within 30 days of the interview ~10/15/21. I am planning to travel to India on my Indian passport in December. I will apply for US passport after my travel back from India in January. Can I still hold and use my Indian passport after the Oath Ceremony if I haven't applied for a US passport?

Thanks!

[SouthBay2019]

Hi,

I am in the process of getting US citizenship. Currently, I have a green card and a valid Indian passport. My citizenship interview is scheduled for 9/15/21 post which the oath ceremony would be within 30 days of the interview ~10/15/21. I am planning to travel to India on my Indian passport in December. I will apply for US passport after my travel back from India in January. Can I still hold and use my Indian passport after the Oath Ceremony if I haven't applied for a US passport?

Thanks!

If you have your oath ceremony on 10/15, they will take away your green card. So unless you have a US passport, I am not sure how you can get back in US.

[RSingh09]

If you have your oath ceremony on 10/15, they will take away your green card. So unless you have a US passport, I am not sure how you can get back in US.

Got it! Yes, in that case, I can't travel to India. Do you know what is the impact of requesting to move the oath ceremony date to a few months later after I am back from India?

[sapphire89]

Got it! Yes, in that case, I can't travel to India. Do you know what is the impact of requesting to move the oath ceremony date to a few months later after I am back from India?

I wouldn’t advise doing so (unless it is an ABSOLUTE emergency) because you never know how long it may take for USCIS to reschedule the oath ceremony. The date will be in their discretion, you will not be able to request a date for when you want it. What if it is rescheduled while you are out of the country? It’s wiser to get it done with, have your US passport (you can get it expedited) then travel, so that you can enter back into the US without any hassles.
After waiting so long for this event, why delay it even further, especially with all the uncertainties due to Covid.