name change = not allowed to drive (yet)

[ga1jin 0]

My wife has an expired Florida driver's license which we are attempting to renew. We were told they could not issue her a new license in her married name OR her maiden name, because her name according to the USCIS (married name) does not agree with the name on her SS card (maiden). They told us we must change the name on her SS card before we can renew the license.

The problem is, our local SSA office tells us we must wait until we receive her work permit (at least a month from now) with her married name on it before we can change her name on the SS card, even though we have a marriage certificate and USCIS documents (NOA'S) showing her new name. (From what I've read on vj, a marriage certificate seems to be adequate for some people change the SS card.)

So what this boils down to is that if she had not changed her name, all her documents would agree and there would be no problem. But because she has changed her name she's not allowed to drive right now. Seems absurd to me, but not surprising. Has anyone else come across this issue and found a way around it?

[YuAndDan 153]

Need to wait for EAD or Green-card to change name on SSN card.

Moving this to Work/Travel before green-card.

[Eric-Pris 1,606]

If you had applied for the SS card in her married name, this wouldn't be an issue.

But now, you do have to wait until the EAD to make changes on the SS card.

[I'm Gone 60]

Even though your spouse cannot be issued an SSN card without proof of current work authorization, she may be able to have the name corrected on her SSN record.

RM 00203.510 D4 Correcting Numident Data When a Replacement Card Cannot Be Issued

If the alien does not provide evidence of work authorization or a valid nonwork reason, explain that no replacement card can be issued.

Although a replacement card cannot be issued, the Numident can be corrected if the alien has provided documentation supporting the change, e.g., a name change.

If the alien provides documentation supporting the change, process the SS-5 to update the Numident information but suppress the issuance of a card.

RM 00203.510 Alien without Work Authorization - Nonwork Need for an SSN:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203510#D4

Once the SSN record has been corrected, she can request an SSN Verification Printout, which will provide her with proof of her SSN and the name that currently appears on the record until she is eligible to be issued an SSN card.

[ga1jin 0]

Thanks, all, for your replies.

We applied for the ss card in her maiden name as vj recommends in the K1 flowchart. However, the ssa would not allow us to change her name on the card with just the marriage certificate.

The drivers license problem has been resolved, though. I called the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and talked to about four people, including the Deputy Director of Driver Licenses (or something like that). They called the local DHSMV office and told them to issue my wife a license in her married name based on her I-797C, NOA for the EAD application. So we went back and got her license this afternoon. I guess it pays to be persistent! :-)

[Kim & Chris 0]

Thanks, all, for your replies.

We applied for the ss card in her maiden name as vj recommends in the K1 flowchart. However, the ssa would not allow us to change her name on the card with just the marriage certificate.

The drivers license problem has been resolved, though. I called the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and talked to about four people, including the Deputy Director of Driver Licenses (or something like that). They called the local DHSMV office and told them to issue my wife a license in her married name based on her I-797C, NOA for the EAD application. So we went back and got her license this afternoon. I guess it pays to be persistent! :-)

FYI......... I applied for my SSN a few weeks after arriving here, got married last week, 10 mins after getting married we walked down to the county clerks office to get marriage cert endorsed, then drove 5 mins to the social security office and gave them the form for my SSN card to be changed into my married name. Handed over our marriage cert and my passport and that was it. Done. Was told it will arrive in the post within a couple of weeks

[Thai family 0]

Thanks, all, for your replies.

We applied for the ss card in her maiden name as vj recommends in the K1 flowchart. However, the ssa would not allow us to change her name on the card with just the marriage certificate.

The drivers license problem has been resolved, though. I called the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and talked to about four people, including the Deputy Director of Driver Licenses (or something like that). They called the local DHSMV office and told them to issue my wife a license in her married name based on her I-797C, NOA for the EAD application. So we went back and got her license this afternoon. I guess it pays to be persistent! :-)

FYI......... I applied for my SSN a few weeks after arriving here, got married last week, 10 mins after getting married we walked down to the county clerks office to get marriage cert endorsed, then drove 5 mins to the social security office and gave them the form for my SSN card to be changed into my married name. Handed over our marriage cert and my passport and that was it. Done. Was told it will arrive in the post within a couple of weeks

My DIL has a SSN number in her maiden name. We went to SS twice, even with a print out about changing numident data. They will not even change her name in the system without an EAD or green card, let alone issue her a new one. They did give her a printout that says such-and-such SSN was issued to ________(maiden name).

To their credit, the staff were extremely nice.

Thai Mom

Thai Mom

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I think the problems we incur are because we are dealing with so many agencies and their varied employees in field offices. The state DMVs probably have little knowledge of the whole US immigration scene and the nice girl at smalltown DMV may not have been trained in the exceptions to what she sees day in and day out. Social Security offices in small towns are the same way. K1s and K3 are especially lost in the mix. Add a name change and it's a toss up what you will find is allowed at local offices. They probably all mean well and think they are doing their job correctly, but it does lead to alot of differing information and frustration. This too shall pass. We are temporarily in limbo-land.