Immigration Site

Hey guys,should i include my middle name in my application forms even though they it is not shown in my passport or my birth certificate.My first name is like 17 letters so it takes up all the space.I do have a middle name though.

If its not on your birth certificate, nor on another legal document showing you added the middle name after birth, you legally dont have a middle name, as far as USCIS is concerned. So you would not include it in the "current legal name" section, but you should include it in the "other names used" section of the N-400.

And if it is displayed on the GC, you would also include it in the question that asks for your name as displayed on the GC.

If you want the middle name on your naturalization certificate, youll need to request a name change.

Thank you Jackolantern.Can I request for a name change before I get my greencard? because I dont want that extra long name of mine on my green card.I have a feeling it would cause some complications for me in future.

Sorry, Ive been going back and forth between sections of the forum and thought I was in the citizenship section when writing my above reply.

So regarding your upcoming green card ... have you applied for it yet? Is your 17-letter first name made up of one word, multiple words with a hyphen, or multiple words with space(s) in between? If its multiple words with spaces, you can simply treat the first word as your first name, and the rest of it as your middle name(s). Fill out the GC application like that and do the same for everything else (drivers license, SSN, etc.) and youll have no problems.

But if its one long word, or two words with a hyphen in between, you would have to request an official name change in court to get the shorter first name onto your GC. You would also need a court-ordered name change to add in the middle name, since its not on your birth certificate or passport.

And you are right that a 17-letter first name would create complications for you when living in the US, where very long names are not popular. Different government agencies and businesses will chop off the name at different places, making you unable to have all your IDs and accounts and registrations with the same first name across the board.