Name change after the marriage

[vanillamocha 0]

Hello Vjyer's,

We got married last Dec.23 and got our marriage certificate right after the ceremony. Our question is,>> how do we do the name change and what office to go to??? We got confused because we thought, after we got married, I'll have my husband's family name automatically. Btw, we didn't receive the SSN card yet and we are still waiting for it. We applied for it together with the K1 application.

Thank you in advance

[unique135 0]

"If the man seeks to have his name changed, reflecting his married name, he

would need to take a certified copy of his birth certificate and marriage license with

him to the Department of Public Safety and the Social Security Administration."

- from some texas marriage handbook.

double check with others please and it would be better if you can mention where you got your marriage license from.

[Zen Den 18]

Hello Vjyer's,

We got married last Dec.23 and got our marriage certificate right after the ceremony. Our question is,>> how do we do the name change and what office to go to??? We got confused because we thought, after we got married, I'll have my husband's family name automatically. Btw, we didn't receive the SSN card yet and we are still waiting for it. We applied for it together with the K1 application.

Thank you in advance

are you sure you're a K1? i don't remember K1 petitionees being given an SSN automatically (like K3s do),

anyway, your marriage certificate only shows who the 2 parties are who got married are and, otherwise no one would know what your maiden name was before you married your husband...so you will start with the name change when you apply for AOS by putting in the application your new last name, and then by going to your local SSA office to tell them that you got married and would like your name changed (bring your marriage cert)

and then when you apply for bank account, credit card, driver's license or a job later on you use your new name too

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Only change your name if you enjoy communicating with Government and State agencies and don't mind waiting and spending money on the whole thing. New SS card, new driver license, new car title(s), registration(s), insurance policies, passport, bank card(s), credit cards . . . mean lots of trouble, cost, and things that can go wrong, and often it does.

[vanillamocha 0]

"If the man seeks to have his name changed, reflecting his married name, he

would need to take a certified copy of his birth certificate and marriage license with

him to the Department of Public Safety and the Social Security Administration."

- from some texas marriage handbook.

double check with others please and it would be better if you can mention where you got your marriage license from.

oh thanks a lot

[vanillamocha 0]

are you sure you're a K1? i don't remember K1 petitionees being given an SSN automatically (like K3s do),

anyway, your marriage certificate only shows who the 2 parties are who got married are and, otherwise no one would know what your maiden name was before you married your husband...so you will start with the name change when you apply for AOS by putting in the application your new last name, and then by going to your local SSA office to tell them that you got married and would like your name changed (bring your marriage cert)

and then when you apply for bank account, credit card, driver's license or a job later on you use your new name too

thanks Zen Den It's a big help for us. thanks for the infos again btw, my fiance (now my husband) filed a K1 for me, the atty who prepared the docs checked the bottom box for the SSn card. Anyhow, will double check it with the SSA ofc this Monday.

thanks a lot

[Elghazi2008 4]

Hello Vjyer's,

We got married last Dec.23 and got our marriage certificate right after the ceremony. Our question is,>> how do we do the name change and what office to go to??? We got confused because we thought, after we got married, I'll have my husband's family name automatically. Btw, we didn't receive the SSN card yet and we are still waiting for it. We applied for it together with the K1 application.

Thank you in advance

If you want your husband's last name, it needs to be written as your last name on the marriage certificate. If it's not, then you can not change your name on the SS card once it comes in. I would wait for it to come in and then go back down to the SS office again with your marriage certificate and your ss card to show that the record needs to be changed. When you file your AOS, there will be a space where it asks for your maiden name/other aliases/etc. I am under the impression that you should not have to go through too much more trouble than that...then again, my husband was the beneficiary in my case and it may not be quite as big of a deal for a USC's last name to change....

[Elghazi2008 4]

Only change your name if you enjoy communicating with Government and State agencies and don't mind waiting and spending money on the whole thing. New SS card, new driver license, new car title(s), registration(s), insurance policies, passport, bank card(s), credit cards . . . mean lots of trouble, cost, and things that can go wrong, and often it does.

It is definitely easier to change your name before you go about adding all these accounts and so on to your maiden name...but it's worth the trouble if you want to share your spouse's last name. It all depends on your own preferences..

[NatPatBen 3]

Only change your name if you enjoy communicating with Government and State agencies and don't mind waiting and spending money on the whole thing. New SS card, new driver license, new car title(s), registration(s), insurance policies, passport, bank card(s), credit cards . . . mean lots of trouble, cost, and things that can go wrong, and often it does.

I'd forgotten about those. Thanks!

OP, I read somewhere on here that even if you check that SSN box on the application, they disregard it for K1. We applied in person about 2 weeks after my then-fiance arrived.

Here's an idea of places I changed mine & how long it took:

To change it on SSN took about 45 minutes on a Friday morning (free in Texas).

To change it on driver's license took about an hour on that same Friday morning ($10 in Texas).

To change it at work took 3 minutes (online).

To change at the bank took the longest out of all of these, but that was because we also added my husband to the account & opened a new one. But the bank contacted my credit card companies for me & had them change my name & mail me new cards. That saved a few calls.

Changing it with my car insurance (& adding my husband) took about 20 minutes on the phone (mostly me on hold). Finally she offered to call me back instead of keeping me on hold.

I still need to do the passport, car title, & car registration. For many of the rest, I'll just change it as they come up for renewal.

[payxibka 10,045]

are you sure you're a K1? i don't remember K1 petitionees being given an SSN automatically (like K3s do),

K-3's do NOT get a SSN automatically... a K-3 must first receive EAD before they are eligible

A K-1 is eligible to apply for SSN upon arrival up until day 76 of entry... SSN's are not automatic and must be applied for after arriving. The 'checkbox' on the DS-230 Part II is for immigrant visas holders only

[vanillamocha 0]

This is such a wonderful site!!! Thanks for all the helpful replies Went to the the office where we got our marriage lic., and asked for 2 additional tru-copies of marriage certs(it cost us $50 ) btw, ZEn DEn you were right about the SSN thing not valid for K1's. When I went there last Monday to verify, I ws told it's not in there database. So right there and then I applied for the SSN and they encoded my husband's family name and had my new signature on it it took me less than 10mins to do it. So have to wait for the card within 2weeks. Gotta start now my AOS paperwork.... Again thanks to Elgahzi,NatPatBen(tnx sooo much) and pavxibka..

[Zen Den 18]

K-3's do NOT get a SSN automatically... a K-3 must first receive EAD before they are eligible

A K-1 is eligible to apply for SSN upon arrival up until day 76 of entry... SSN's are not automatic and must be applied for after arriving. The 'checkbox' on the DS-230 Part II is for immigrant visas holders only

yes they are, my K3 friend got hers 2 weeks after she arrived here in the US, around the same time her GC arrived.

how is that? because K3s, unlike K1s, are ALREADY married to a USC before they apply for a visa, whereas K1s must fulfill the marriage req w/in 90 days YET, so they have to apply for the SSN themselves, like i did

[payxibka 10,045]

yes they are, my K3 friend got hers 2 weeks after she arrived here in the US, around the same time her GC arrived.

how is that? because K3s, unlike K1s, are ALREADY married to a USC before they apply for a visa, whereas K1s must fulfill the marriage req w/in 90 days YET, so they have to apply for the SSN themselves, like i did

You are confused... A K-3 is a non-immigrant spousal visa that requires adjustment of status (just like a K-1 does). No way a GC arrives two weeks after entry... your friend must have come on a CR/IR1 visa... In addition, a K-3 is NOT SSN eligible until EAD/GC which requires either an I-485 or I-765 be filed AFTER arrival into the USA....

Edited December 30, 2009 by payxibka

[Dakine 26]

You are confused... A K-3 is a non-immigrant spousal visa that requires adjustment of status (just like a K-1 does). No way a GC arrives two weeks after entry... your friend must have come on a CR/IR1 visa... In addition, a K-3 is NOT SSN eligible until EAD/GC which requires either an I-485 or I-765 be filed AFTER arrival into the USA....

DITTO!

[Zen Den 18]

You are confused... A K-3 is a non-immigrant spousal visa that requires adjustment of status (just like a K-1 does). No way a GC arrives two weeks after entry... your friend must have come on a CR/IR1 visa... In addition, a K-3 is NOT SSN eligible until EAD/GC which requires either an I-485 or I-765 be filed AFTER arrival into the USA....

i stand corrected, my apologies, yes it's the CR/IR1 holders that are automatic SSn eligible, my friend was originally a K3 but since this option automatically applies the applicant for a CR/IR1 visa too, once their I-130 was approved they abandoned the K3 and went w/the CR/IR1