Question about spelling her name on K1 papers

[Dave & Alyona 9]

I have a quick question about how to spell my fiancee's name on the K1 papers. She's Russian so on her birth records everything is Cyrillic. When using the Roman alphabet she always uses a direct translation of her name, Alyona. She lives in Moldova and just got her passport which is in Romanian. They spelled her name Aliona. They also chnged the spelling of her last name, also by one letter. Should I change all the k1 paper so they match her name on her passport or should I countinue to use the translation that she has always gone by?

[Loveissweet 0]

I have a quick question about how to spell my fiancee's name on the K1 papers. She's Russian so on her birth records everything is Cyrillic. When using the Roman alphabet she always uses a direct translation of her name, Alyona. She lives in Moldova and just got her passport which is in Romanian. They spelled her name Aliona. They also chnged the spelling of her last name, also by one letter. Should I change all the k1 paper so they match her name on her passport or should I countinue to use the translation that she has always gone by?

You need to spell it as it's spelled in her passport cause it's an official document!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have a quick question about how to spell my fiancee's name on the K1 papers. She's Russian so on her birth records everything is Cyrillic. When using the Roman alphabet she always uses a direct translation of her name, Alyona. She lives in Moldova and just got her passport which is in Romanian. They spelled her name Aliona. They also chnged the spelling of her last name, also by one letter. Should I change all the k1 paper so they match her name on her passport or should I countinue to use the translation that she has always gone by?

It is not critical but the visa will be issued in the name exactly as in the passport. This is common in FSU countries. The consulates that deal with people from these countries are aware of the multiple translitertations and will accept any reasonable transliteration of the name. They will then issue the visa exactly in the name as in the passport.

"Alla" was not a problem but our sons had at least two spelling of their names on all documents. Sergey (Sergei, Sergii) had three different spellings. Not a problem.

Alla does translations from Russian and Ukrainian and asks the people the preferred name spelling.

[Dave & Alyona 9]

So two responses and two different answers. Any other opinions. The guys over at Rapid Visa suggested to use whatever translation spelling she uses regardless of what her passport says. It makes sense to me, but I would hate to have such a simple thing to fix be a problem down the road. She spells her name Alyona Gotko and on her passport its spelled Aliona Gotco. So I'm still not sure how to handle this.

[Loveissweet 0]

So two responses and two different answers. Any other opinions. The guys over at Rapid Visa suggested to use whatever translation spelling she uses regardless of what her passport says. It makes sense to me, but I would hate to have such a simple thing to fix be a problem down the road. She spells her name Alyona Gotko and on her passport its spelled Aliona Gotco. So I'm still not sure how to handle this.

You can't use "whatever translation spelling" as they said. She's got a Moldovan passport that has her name on it spelled in Romanian and this is exactly how it needs to be spelled in your petition. This is what I suggest you do, but it's up to you. Not to mention that you are supposed to include the copy of her passport page along with your petition so why confuse them by spelling her name in different ways. Good luck!

[Dave & Alyona 9]

Don't get me wrong it makes sense that we should fill out the paper work with whatever is on her passport. However, isn't the bulk of the processing a background check, and so they'll do a background check on her with a spelling of her first and last name that she's never used? I just see more problems there too.

[googled 13]

I have a quick question about how to spell my fiancee's name on the K1 papers. She's Russian so on her birth records everything is Cyrillic. When using the Roman alphabet she always uses a direct translation of her name, Alyona. She lives in Moldova and just got her passport which is in Romanian. They spelled her name Aliona. They also chnged the spelling of her last name, also by one letter. Should I change all the k1 paper so they match her name on her passport or should I countinue to use the translation that she has always gone by?

Use the name that is on the passport. I have spoken to someone who did not do this and it caused him problems.

[Loveissweet 0]

Don't get me wrong it makes sense that we should fill out the paper work with whatever is on her passport. However, isn't the bulk of the processing a background check, and so they'll do a background check on her with a spelling of her first and last name that she's never used? I just see more problems there too.

Hi Dave! If she has never been to the U.S., they won't have any records about her, so the only background check that they would be able to perform would be the one in Moldova (by Moldovan Police dept. and this is why she will have to provide this background check certificate for her interview) and the Moldovan Police dept. would then use her legal Moldovan name as it appears in her Moldovan passport to run this check on her. If she has been to the U.S. before, then they would do a background check in the name she used when she was here and if she really has been here in the States before then she would go by her legal Moldovan name (Aliona Gotco) anyways cause her visa and all the paperwork would have been issued in her legal Moldovan name (as in her passport). Where has she ever used it spelled as "Alyona Gotko"?? This is not her legal name, I don't imagine her being able to use this name ANYWHERE legally. Good luck!

[pushbrk 12,883]

She can go through the process to change the spelling in the passport or use the spelling in the passport. Be aware that between alphabets, there can be more than one way to "transliterate", not "translate". For some alphabet transliterations, there's only one correct result. For others, there can be multiple. The "official" papers should all match.

One example is Chinese. A Chinese family in the USA prior to there being any official mainland Chinese transliteration method to the Roman alphabet would have transliterated the same character to Wong, as is now properly translated to Wang or Tong for Tang. You get the picture. Or, my wife's name requires three Chinese characters to write but is only two names, so the correct transliteration would be Wang, Tangjin, not Wang, Tang Jin but you'll see Chines people doing it either way. Even her paychecks and W2 use the Tang Jin Wang, transliteration because her Chinese employers are not properly educated in the use of "Pinyin". (Not her real name) Point is, her immigration documents, passport and green card all have the same transliteration. The Chinese do NOT have middle names, whether their given name takes one or two characters to write in Chinese. All family names are single characters. Chinese characters represent (generally) syllables, not letters.

Cyrillic has its own peculiarities.

[Dave & Alyona 9]

I guess we'll go with the name that's on her passport, but I might make a few calls and see if I can find out any additional information. What makes it all the more complicated is that she is from the Transnistria region in Moldova, so every and all of her documents is in Cyrillic, the one and only "Moldovan" document she has is her passport, which she just got this week. I know this can be a little confusing if you are not familar with the region and its conflicts over the last 20 years.

[payxibka 10,045]

I guess we'll go with the name that's on her passport, but I might make a few calls and see if I can find out any additional information. What makes it all the more complicated is that she is from the Transnistria region in Moldova, so every and all of her documents is in Cyrillic, the one and only "Moldovan" document she has is her passport, which she just got this week. I know this can be a little confusing if you are not familar with the region and its conflicts over the last 20 years.

I filed the petition in the "normal" transliteration of my wife & son's name (Svetlana & Vladimir). When it came time for the visa application I saw the Ukrainian transliteration of the names (Svitlana & Volodymyr). The visas were issued in the name in the passport. I had no issues with the Consulate or the USCIS on the name spelling differences.

All dealings with the USCIS after arrival will in the passport transliteration until or if you change it.

FWIW, I have no idea why you feel that the autonomous region of Pridnistrovia is a complicating factor as it is not. My wife was married and my son was born in Tiraspol. We had a mixture of Moldovan, Pridnistrovian, Russian and Ukrainian documents.

Edited March 31, 2011 by payxibka

[payxibka 10,045]

Not to mention that you are supposed to include the copy of her passport page along with your petition so why confuse them by spelling her name in different ways.

Are you sure about this?

[baron555 934]

I have a quick question about how to spell my fiancee's name on the K1 papers. She's Russian so on her birth records everything is Cyrillic. When using the Roman alphabet she always uses a direct translation of her name, Alyona. She lives in Moldova and just got her passport which is in Romanian. They spelled her name Aliona. They also chnged the spelling of her last name, also by one letter. Should I change all the k1 paper so they match her name on her passport or should I countinue to use the translation that she has always gone by?

Match the passport....but don't sweat the different spellings....trust me, those Embassies deal with this all the time.

[Dave & Alyona 9]

Thanks for all the advice, still not 100% sure which way to go.

And the only reason I mention the Transnistria issue is because most of my family and friends had no idea what it was about before I meet her. They ask what it's like to date a Moldovan girl, and I always have to say she is Russian! You better not call her Moldovan or you'll be in big trouble!

[the governor 0]

Embassies deal with transliterations all the time. If you are really worried about it, can't you use the passport spelling for her official name so the passport and documents match, and then write the other spelling on the form in the "other names used" blank?