American English one's name

[Perry/Elena 0]

I am wondering what most are doing with Russian names?

My Fiance's English translation on her passport is Olena (which is the way all applications were turned in)... our closest way to pronounce it is Elena.

She is going for her interview, I would assume everything should be left as Olena for the visa.

Once she gets to the USA.... should she begin getting SSN, AOS, and drivers liciences in Elena or will this just make trouble in years to come.

My best bro is from Brazil and his name is Roque... pronounced Hockey... so I guess just leaving it is an option too.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

[Vegabond 0]

I am wondering what most are doing with Russian names?

My Fiance's English translation on her passport is Olena (which is the way all applications were turned in)... our closest way to pronounce it is Elena.

She is going for her interview, I would assume everything should be left as Olena for the visa.

Once she gets to the USA.... should she begin getting SSN, AOS, and drivers liciences in Elena or will this just make trouble in years to come.

My best bro is from Brazil and his name is Roque... pronounced Hockey... so I guess just leaving it is an option too.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

I have several friends that kept their spelling of Olena.. makes no difference.. people will adjust to anything.

[Joe_&_Nadiya 1]

here is a problem with Ukrainian and Russian names. I guess when she was born it was USSR time when all born children got their birth certificates in Russian language in Soviet time. But the time has changed. Now Ukraine is an independent country which means Ukrainian people has own national language ( Ukrainian ) but still speaks Russian and all official documents have to be in Ukrainian or to be translated from Ukrainian into English. I understand that Elena sounds much better and prittier than Olena. She will understand me. We had the same thought what name to use in documents, through I still have my birth certificate in Russian and the translation was made from Russian into English but according my Ukrainian passport and a foreign passport we didn't have any choice and put my Ukrainian name Nadiya to avoid less questions with documentation in future in the USA.

You can call her Olena, Lena, Elena, Lenochka.. whatever I guess you have to follow her main official document ( her foreign passport ) and put her Ukrainian name ( Olena ) in visa and into future documents which you are going to apply in the USA.

I also want to tell you that I didn't write my middle name or my father's name when we applied for marriage certificate, SSN, AOS. Because you don't use it here at all.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Joe & Nadya

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I am wondering what most are doing with Russian names?

My Fiance's English translation on her passport is Olena (which is the way all applications were turned in)... our closest way to pronounce it is Elena.

She is going for her interview, I would assume everything should be left as Olena for the visa.

Once she gets to the USA.... should she begin getting SSN, AOS, and drivers liciences in Elena or will this just make trouble in years to come.

My best bro is from Brazil and his name is Roque... pronounced Hockey... so I guess just leaving it is an option too.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

No problems. Alla does translations for Russian and Ukrainian documents and names get spelled various ways in transliterations. This is very common and she rarely gets 3-4 documents with the name spelled the same. Sometimes the name is spelled more than one way in the same document! The consulates of Ukraine and Russia will accept ANY reasonable spelling of her name on any documents, they do not all have to be the same. The visa will be issued in the name as transliterated in her passport.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I am wondering what most are doing with Russian names?

My Fiance's English translation on her passport is Olena (which is the way all applications were turned in)... our closest way to pronounce it is Elena.

She is going for her interview, I would assume everything should be left as Olena for the visa.

Once she gets to the USA.... should she begin getting SSN, AOS, and drivers liciences in Elena or will this just make trouble in years to come.

My best bro is from Brazil and his name is Roque... pronounced Hockey... so I guess just leaving it is an option too.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

When she gets to the US she will more or less need to get all documents (SSN drivers license, etc.) as her passport name specifies. If she does not like the spelling on her passport, she should go about getting that changed first. Whther SS or your states DMV will allow her to substitute another spelling of the name is doubtful, but you can try. The consulate will only issue the visa in the name on the passport, then you will have two official documents in that name and be trying to tell the SS adminstration and DMV to use something else.

[Perry/Elena 0]

OK thanks for the replies. So in summary just leave it as spelled. Not that big of deal actually... Only place it will matter is on immigration, taxes and DMV stuff.

When you think about it... there are men who Only want to be called Bob or Rob or Robby or Robert when their name is Robert and others that can not stand one of the "nicks"... In daily life use whatever you want...

[Inna 0]

The name on SSC, green card, EAD has to match official documents such as international passport. Especially, if you already used Olena in you I-129f process, you have to use the same name from now on on all other paperwork. You need to stay consistent, international passport is the document that proves your wife's name.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

OK thanks for the replies. So in summary just leave it as spelled. Not that big of deal actually... Only place it will matter is on immigration, taxes and DMV stuff.

When you think about it... there are men who Only want to be called Bob or Rob or Robby or Robert when their name is Robert and others that can not stand one of the "nicks"... In daily life use whatever you want...

Yes, and believe me, many Russian national Ukrainians (like my wife) are INCENSED that they transliterated her son's name "Sergii" and not "Sergey" It is a major socio/political scandal in Ukraine. Imagine if someone named "Roberto" was coming to the USA and the USA insisted his name be spelled "Robert" because we were trying to stamp out any reference to Spanish language or names! Americans have NO CLUE about the ethnic and national hatred that goes on in much of the world and is a matter of government policy and law. The "Ukrainians" are trying to eliminate anything Russian, much to the dismay of half their citizens. "Sergii" will get his passport changed when he retrns for school, then we will have to get his green card changed and drivers lisence, etc., major PITA but it is how determined he is NOT to be "Sergii" just because the anti-Russian Ukrainian government decided to change his name without permission.

As I said before, the consulate does not involve itself in this ethnic mess and any reasonable spelling is accepted on any document. The visa will be the same as her name in the passport.

If your fiancee wants her name spelled differently, she should change it now, other wise she is going to be going by "Olena" on everything. Of course that is only her "official" anme, she can "go by" whatever she wants.

[jimnlena 8]

I am glad you brought this up! My lena hates her Ukrainian variant Olena, but in turn of events wants to be called Helen when she gets to US. I was wondering how to pul that off, but now that I think of it al official documents show my name as James, but I have gone by Jim so long I usually do not eve look up if someone calls me James! So unless she just demands changing official documents, I will leave documents alone and just call her helen.

[Krikit 1,164]

Moving from K-1 Process to General Immigration Related Discussion.

[payxibka 10,045]

I am glad you brought this up! My lena hates her Ukrainian variant Olena, but in turn of events wants to be called Helen when she gets to US. I was wondering how to pul that off, but now that I think of it al official documents show my name as James, but I have gone by Jim so long I usually do not eve look up if someone calls me James! So unless she just demands changing official documents, I will leave documents alone and just call her helen.

Look at your states "name change" process...

My wife was able to change the spelling of her first name (Svitlana to Svetlana) adopt a middles name (her maiden) and changed her last name (former x husband's name to mine) all on the marriage certificate.... With one simple "swoop" she got what she wanted.

Not all states will do this on the marriage certificate so please check locally... a n if they don't then maybe a MN wedding should be considered

[Kathryn41 3,205]

As well, much later on in the process there is the option to have a name officially changed when applying for citizenship and the new citizenship documents are issued in the preferred name.

[Perry/Elena 0]

Not all states will do this on the marriage certificate so please check locally... a n if they don't then maybe a MN wedding should be considered

I am assuming you noticed we will be living in MN. I was aware this is the easy way to do this... but now the other comments have me all worried about if we should do this.

[payxibka 10,045]

Not all states will do this on the marriage certificate so please check locally... a n if they don't then maybe a MN wedding should be considered

I am assuming you noticed we will be living in MN. I was aware this is the easy way to do this... but now the other comments have me all worried about if we should do this.

My wife's name change was problem free as it related to the USCIS and SSA

[RS232 0]

My last name is funny, It's Asshabee that we pronounce it in our country like ####-hobey. I always just spell my last name when someone asks!