Would this be a bad idea?

[SapphireDreams 71]

So I was planning to keep my maiden name until I have my church wedding in September 2010. I know that I 100% want to change my last name, but wanted to kind of keep my courthouse wedding on the downlow for now.

However, I'm debating doing my AOS in my married name, so that I will get my greencard in my married name and not have to worry about changing it later.

Can I do that, and keep my SSN # and driver's licence in my maiden name until next year? Or, would that make things too complicated?

Should i just change everything now while I can and just go with my married name?

Name changes aren't really a big deal in my career but usually people are more well established in their career before they change their name. I keep regular contact with reporters and industry contacts, so I don't want to lose my name just yet because I'd like to establish myself in NYC first. However, on the other side of things, I don't really have a lot of contacts yet, so it might be easier just to go by my married name right off the bat....

I'm also debating hyphenating my name - although that would make it really long. The more I think about it, the more I think it will be easier to just change everything now.... Hmmm

What do you think?

[JillA 2]

So I was planning to keep my maiden name until I have my church wedding in September 2010. I know that I 100% want to change my last name, but wanted to kind of keep my courthouse wedding on the downlow for now.

However, I'm debating doing my AOS in my married name, so that I will get my greencard in my married name and not have to worry about changing it later.

Can I do that, and keep my SSN # and driver's licence in my maiden name until next year? Or, would that make things too complicated?

Should i just change everything now while I can and just go with my married name?

Name changes aren't really a big deal in my career but usually people are more well established in their career before they change their name. I keep regular contact with reporters and industry contacts, so I don't want to lose my name just yet because I'd like to establish myself in NYC first. However, on the other side of things, I don't really have a lot of contacts yet, so it might be easier just to go by my married name right off the bat....

I'm also debating hyphenating my name - although that would make it really long. The more I think about it, the more I think it will be easier to just change everything now.... Hmmm

What do you think?

I agree with the bolded part; if you're going to do it, do it all the way not half way then change the rest later. Since you're already going through the trouble of getting all these new things (SSN, DL, GC, etc). it will save you alot of hassle down the road. You'll basically be doing double the work. DEFINITELY get your GC in your married name, because I think to change it you have to pay for a new one which is expensive.

Also it may be better to get your new name "out there" before you become established in your career in NYC. But, all of this is simply my opinion LOL as I didn't change my name and am not even after our wedding next year

[Sprailenes 47]

You could always just hyphenate it. That way the familiarity of your last name at birth is still there.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Thanks guys.

I am considering hyphenating, but it would be quite the mouthful if I ever had to introduce myself to someone!

I think I'm just going to change it right off the bat. I think it will just be easier overall.

Knowing me, if its going to be hassle to change it down the road, I'll just never change it and then I'll regret not changing it right off the bat!

[chadlaure 2]

Seems to be the topic of the day

We're all talking about SSN and GC and maiden/married names

Edited May 25, 2009 by chadlaure

[Moosker 7]

Your greencard will be whatever name is in your passport (that's what the embassy in Montreal told me!) so maybe you could only change your passport to your married name, that way your greencard would be in the married name.

[JillA 2]

Your greencard will be whatever name is in your passport (that's what the embassy in Montreal told me!) so maybe you could only change your passport to your married name, that way your greencard would be in the married name.

That's interesting, as it contradicts what I've read on here. Others have put their new married name on their AOS application and then received their GC with their married name on it. It won't match your passport, but you carry your marriage cert when going thru customs to prove the name change. Then, when it's time to apply for a new passport you change your name at the same time. This is because Passport Canada no longer offers a simple name change, you have to re-apply for a new passport

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Yes, you change your name with the AOS by using the marriage certificate to indicate the name change. You change your passport later. It may be that those applying for a green card through CR-1 receive the green card in the passport name as they would expect you to have changed your name already since you are married before the immigration process starts. If you do immigration before marriage, then adjust your status after marriage then you would change your name based on the AOS application.

If you are planning on changing your name, do it with your AOS - it will save you a lot of time, hassle and money trying to do it all later.

Edited May 25, 2009 by Kathryn41

[moni_calla 0]

I think it would be easier to change your name over on all of your ID, my passport is expiring this year and I am going to renew it in my married name so that everything matches and I won't have to send a thousand amendments off after the fact.

[antda 13]

Hi SapphireDreams,

Yes, change everything now to your married last name if you want to keep and be known with such a name.

The first thing to do is definitely change it on the green card, as that would be one of your first pieces of identification here in the USA and you will be doing your AOS soon anyways. Besides, you want all of your identification to "match", so that it doesn't create any other problems later on.

For example, here is how I did my "married last name change":

-Got married (April 2006) Received marriage certificate right away.

-2yr Green Card (November 2006) On the application I simply filled the "last name" part with my "married last name", and enclosed a copy of my marriage certificate, as required, for my application. Got my green card in my married last name

-SSN (January 2007) On the application I simply filled the "last name" part with my "married last name", and showed them a copy of my marriage certificate, and green card, as required, for my application. Got my SSN in my married last name

-NYS Driver's License (January 2007). Fillled out 1 application form...But....They wanted two separate ones: 1) For a new driver's license with my "married last name". 2) For a direct Canadian license (which had my maiden name on it and was still valid) to a USA one. Enclosed a copy of my marriage certificate, green card, and old driver's license, as required, for my applications.

Lol...10 minutes later, I got 2 paper temporary driver's licenses reciepts, one with my married name and one with my maiden name. And a week later, in the mail, I got my NYS driver's license card, with my married last name.

-Canadian Passport (May 2007). Did the "married name paper notation" (which they don't do anymore by the way) in my maiden name valid passport. Enclosed a copy of my marriage certificate, showed driver's license, paid $20, as required. Got my passport back (note: they took my passport away while getting this done) when I went to pick it up in-person 1-2 weeks later.

-Canadian Passport (February 2009). Renewed/Applied for a new passport in my married name. Enclosed a copy of my marriage certificate (though they didn't really want to see that again, as they had that in their records already from my last update with them), showed Canadian naturalization certificate and driver's license, paid $87, as required. Got my new Canadian Passport in the mail, with my married name, about 2 weeks later.

-Other: I just show my driver's license with my married last name, and I'm ok here in the USA. For travel purposes I just show my driver's license, Canadian passport, and green card, all in my married name, and I'm ok internationally.

The bottom line: Change your all your documents to your married name, asap! Do it now, so it will be easier for you later on!

Hope this helps. Good luck for the rest of your immigration journey too.

Ant

So I was planning to keep my maiden name until I have my church wedding in September 2010. I know that I 100% want to change my last name, but wanted to kind of keep my courthouse wedding on the downlow for now.

However, I'm debating doing my AOS in my married name, so that I will get my greencard in my married name and not have to worry about changing it later.

Can I do that, and keep my SSN # and driver's licence in my maiden name until next year? Or, would that make things too complicated?

Should i just change everything now while I can and just go with my married name?

Name changes aren't really a big deal in my career but usually people are more well established in their career before they change their name. I keep regular contact with reporters and industry contacts, so I don't want to lose my name just yet because I'd like to establish myself in NYC first. However, on the other side of things, I don't really have a lot of contacts yet, so it might be easier just to go by my married name right off the bat....

I'm also debating hyphenating my name - although that would make it really long. The more I think about it, the more I think it will be easier to just change everything now.... Hmmm

What do you think?

[antda 13]

P.S. -10yr Green Card (Hopefully by June 2009, after 9+ months of waiting...grrr...) On the application I simply filled the "last name" part with my "married last name", and enclosed a copy of my marriage certificate, and 2yr green card, for my application. Will hopefully get my new 10yr green card in the mail with my married last name.

P.P.S. As for hyphenated last names....Personally, I wouldn't go for it, as it is too confusing and complicated to go with such. For example, what if one person uses one part of your last name, but forgets the other part, especially if both names are long....Lol..so in that sense you would be "incomplete in name" if that were to happen....

But then again, that's a matter of personal opinion, and it's your choice really as to what you want to do here.....

Edited May 25, 2009 by AntandD

[Hugglebuggles 60]

My plan is to get my SSN right away, since I won't be getting married until I've been in the US for about 6 weeks. I'll file my AOS paperwork in my married name, and then after I receive my GC, I will go back to the SSN office and have my name changed and have the "not valid for work" stamp removed at the same time. As for the DL, I can't get it until I have my EAD in the state of Colorado, so I will get it in my married name when I have the opportunity. Then of course, I will change the name on my passport when it expires in 2014. I find it easier to think of things in steps! It would definitely be easier to do it now, then to wait and change everything over after you've been married for a while, but not impossible. I know you wanted to keep your maiden name until after your formal ceremony in Canada, and if that's really important then I would stick to the plan. The big thing is the GC. I'd get that in my married name and wait and change the rest later. I think it would be worth the extra couple trips you'd need to take to the SSN office and the DMV.

[lgg 2]

Hey Sapphire Dreams...

Funny, I have been spending today figuring this out for myself today! We're doing different visas though, so I'm not sure if this will be the same process but...

I think I'm going to do it. I'm from ontario if you need any help with that okay?

Best of luck... .

LGG

So I was planning to keep my maiden name until I have my church wedding in September 2010. I know that I 100% want to change my last name, but wanted to kind of keep my courthouse wedding on the downlow for now.

However, I'm debating doing my AOS in my married name, so that I will get my greencard in my married name and not have to worry about changing it later.

Can I do that, and keep my SSN # and driver's licence in my maiden name until next year? Or, would that make things too complicated?

Should i just change everything now while I can and just go with my married name?

Name changes aren't really a big deal in my career but usually people are more well established in their career before they change their name. I keep regular contact with reporters and industry contacts, so I don't want to lose my name just yet because I'd like to establish myself in NYC first. However, on the other side of things, I don't really have a lot of contacts yet, so it might be easier just to go by my married name right off the bat....

I'm also debating hyphenating my name - although that would make it really long. The more I think about it, the more I think it will be easier to just change everything now.... Hmmm

What do you think?

[SapphireDreams 71]

^Thanks guys!

The more I think about the more I think I'm just going to change it all when I get there. I'm just going to put my maiden name on my resume in brackets. The reason being is that if they want to search me online for the work I've done (although it's not that much, but you can find my name on press releases and such) then it's there. Then they won't be confused when I show them my degree, etc. My co-worker says that is common practice. Then if they call people for a reference, they know I had a different name etc.

I'm sure it will take a bit of getting used to, but at the end of the day I do 100% want to change my name, so a year is not going to make a difference in the end.

We're getting married within 3 days of me getting there, so I'm guessing I can just get my SSN in my married name with my marriage certificate. I'll see what they say. If they won't do it, I'll just get a new one once the EAD/GC comes.

And then I'm not sure if NY State will take my marriage certificate for a driver's licence switch. I'll have to research it tonight.

My passport expires in 2011, so I'll get a new passport then.

Anyways, crisis averted!

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

You could hyphenate it, so your GC will some what match your passport. This way transition will be easier. Your ID's may show both names, but you could always just go by one. So professionally you could change over anytime (bus cards etc...) and introduce yourself by one last name...without having to through hassles of changes etc...

I plan in doing that, and then just introducing myself in married name, but will always have ID's that will cover me either way. So your not walking around using a name that looks like the alphabet! Lol'!