Russia - prove name change after marriage

[Opie 0]

My wife is a Russian citizen and has been in the U.S. for about 4 years.

She wants to get her Russian passports changed to her married name. She went to the appropriate office in Moscow (while visiting family), but the office would not accept a certified copy of our marriage certificate as proof of the name change.

Does anyone know what legal document works to get her name changed on her Russian passports?

Thanks,

Rick

[Rob_Lesya 4]

My wife is a Russian citizen and has been in the U.S. for about 4 years.

She wants to get her Russian passports changed to her married name. She went to the appropriate office in Moscow (while visiting family), but the office would not accept a certified copy of our marriage certificate as proof of the name change.

Does anyone know what legal document works to get her name changed on her Russian passports?

Thanks,

Rick

This is one of those issues where I often see a wide variety of answers. In typical Russian fashion, it probably depends more on the particular person you are dealing with and the amount of $ you are willing to pay.

In our particular case, my first wife simply sent her Russian passport and a notarized copy (no.. not an Apostilled (which is a term you'll probably see in the course of this discussion) .. it was a simple notarized copy) of the marriage certificate to an officer at the Russian Consulate in Houston. They didn't actually change the name on the passport but added an official notation that this person also goes by the name of XXXXX XXXXXX.

[mox 298]

Opie, what did the office in Moscow tell her she needs?

As Rob says, you'll hear some different answers. An apostilized marriage certificate seems to be the most common requirement mentioned, but as Rob notes, sometimes not.

[Opie 0]

Opie, what did the office in Moscow tell her she needs?

I believe they did not have a suggestion for her other than saying they needed an official document that specifically said she changed her name.

I think we'll see what we can do with the embassy, as they are usually better to work with.

[SMR 368]

Opie, what did the office in Moscow tell her she needs?

I believe they did not have a suggestion for her other than saying they needed an official document that specifically said she changed her name.

I think we'll see what we can do with the embassy, as they are usually better to work with.

In some counties, (including mine) a marriage certificate does not explicitly specify that you are changing your name. Russian marriage certificates do. Although most US places will consider her marriage certificate as valid evidence that she changed her name without explicit notice (the bank, social security, USCIS), some places won't. What you can do is go to your county courthouse (call ahead) and pay for a name-change from a judge (which you can request for any number of reasons not limited to marriage). My understanding is that this is actually what is needed to convince the embassy of name change. It isn't that your marriage certificate wasn't recognized as an official document, it's just that your marriage certificate probably doesn't explicitly say that the bride takes the groom's surname.

Further, if you read the last item on this page:

http://www.netconsul.org/passportquest/#14

It gives a step-by-step process for changing surname through the consulate. This is a process which is pretty complicated and actually, in my opinion, prohibitively expensive. Apostilles are also required on all documents from American authorities as well as translations into Russian. Also, you have to pay $40 per page so that they can "verify" the translation.

Also, your wife has to be registered in the consulate, which means she can't be registered in Russia which has it's own problems.

[Neonred 3,609]

We had the same problem. As I understand it, to change the name in the international passport you must first change the name in the internal passport, and that can only be done in Russia. We tried to do just that but ran into the problem that our translated and apostilled marriage document did not indicate her new married name, just that we were married. We decided it just wasn't worth the time and effort to make the change. The following year when her international passport needed to be renewed we had the embassy add the official notation that she also goes by name XXXX. Much simpler and has never been a problem even when traveling internationally using airline tickets purchased with her new married name.

This was all done without being registered at the embassy as residing in the US. She is still registered in Russia.

[Opie 0]

Thanks, Neon. That sounds like a plan for us to do.

[Kailey 3]

Rick

In our particular case, my first wife simply sent her Russian passport and a notarized copy (no.. not an Apostilled (which is a term you'll probably see in the course of this discussion) .. it was a simple notarized copy) of the marriage certificate to an officer at the Russian Consulate in Houston.

Opie, what did the office in Moscow tell her she needs?

As Rob says, you'll hear some different answers. An apostilized marriage certificate seems to be the most common requirement mentioned, but as Rob notes, sometimes not.

Houston (USA) is the key-word, I (K.) believe. Marriage certificate was issued in the USA and was used as a proof/reason for a name-change also in the USA.

Apostile is needed when a document is to be presented in a different country (providing that country joined Haag convention of 1961. USA,RF, Ukraine did).

[akdiver 3]

My wife is a Russian citizen and has been in the U.S. for about 4 years.

She wants to get her Russian passports changed to her married name. She went to the appropriate office in Moscow (while visiting family), but the office would not accept a certified copy of our marriage certificate as proof of the name change.

Does anyone know what legal document works to get her name changed on her Russian passports?

Thanks,

Rick

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24549

Covers changing name in her passport, getting U.S. marriage cert "legalized" for Russia, etc.