Married name on marriage certificate

[arakawa 0]

Here's a question I haven't seen addressed exactly in this way: When we were married in the States, my wife took my last name and made her maiden name her middle name. But she has a career in Japan, and she has continued to use her maiden name here. She hasn't changed her passport or koseki (family registration) because she would be required to report that to her office and change her name at the company as well.

Will this be a problem at any point in the process? We're planning on filing for the paperwork under her married name, to match what she legally is in the US, but this of course won't match her Japanese passport. And even if the passport is OK (it looks as though many people wait for the passport renewal date to change the name), will it be a problem if NOTHING in Japan has her married name on it? Should we change the family registration, perhaps?

Any thoughts on this? Anyone with personal experience in this?

[txladykat 1]

You need to check with your embassy. It differs from each embassy. I am in Denmark, and the embassy here requires that my passport and application name match identically. However, other embassies do not have this requirement. Again, you need to check directly with the embassy where you will file.

[redglasses 1]

She can put in parenthesis the married name on her Japanese passport.

Supposedly her name is Hanako Yamada on her family registration and Hanako Yamada Smith in the US,

the name on her passport will be Hanako Yamada (Smith).

The process should go smoothly now because her official document (passport) shows her married name.

[Justin and Masako 0]

She can put in parenthesis the married name on her Japanese passport.

Supposedly her name is Hanako Yamada on her family registration and Hanako Yamada Smith in the US,

the name on her passport will be Hanako Yamada (Smith).

The process should go smoothly now because her official document (passport) shows her married name.

This is what we did and it has worked well. My wife's official name in Japan is still her maiden name and her official name in the US is her married name. Its all kosher with USCIS and the Dept. of State, I asked and was told that it wasn't a problem and is done frequently.

[arakawa 0]

That's very interesting--who knew? But how long does it take? We only have a month; I don't want anyone to get their hands on either of our passports before our interview unless we're absolutely sure we can get them back in time ...

Edited February 25, 2009 by arakawa

[kaffy 2]

We had a similar situation with our application.

My passport is still in my maiden name and I wrote a letter explaining the discrepancy, brought it to them when we lodged out I-130 (In Australia you do this in person). The consular officer reviewed it, said yep no problems we can put your application in your married name and stick my maiden name under the "Also known as" box. When it came time to issuing my visa, they issued it in my married name with an annotation to my maiden name down the bottom. Checked into my flight, boarded the plane, got through POE no problems.

And since arriving here I now use my married name as my legal name on everything.

[redglasses 1]

That's very interesting--who knew? But how long does it take? We only have a month; I don't want anyone to get their hands on either of our passports before our interview unless we're absolutely sure we can get them back in time ...

It takes only two hours if you walk in a passport center between 9am and 2:30pm in Tokyo.

Take a look at this site for your reference (Japanese only though).

http://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.jp/guide/name/index.html

Edited February 26, 2009 by redglasses