Help with Name on Brith Certificate!

[Gil1234 0]

Hiya!

We've just recently received our NOA2 from CSC - however just today I found out me name's different on the birth certificate. Truth be told I learnt of this today, when I was prepping my documents for the interview; I'm based in Pakistan so in many instances its the custom here when the name on birth certificate is different from your original. Whenever someone's born mostly - for record they put in a name in the birth certificate document and hold an 'official christening' later where they sometimes change the name (without amending the birth certificate). In my case for example its Ray Adam Bowie on the birth document (Adam Bowie being dad's name), but on me passport and everywhere else (including the USCIS K1 petition) its Sam Ray.

So my question, has anyone gone through something similar in Pakistan and what have they done to rectify it? Would a notarized affidavit signed by me parents explaining 'why' they changed my name suffice in this case, or do I need to do something else?

Cheers.

[Gil1234 0]

I posted this on the K1 forum as well - thought I'll try me luck, see if anyone knows anything about this in the South Asia forum.

We've just recently received our NOA2 from CSC - however today I found out me name's different on the birth certificate. Truth be told I learnt of this today, when I was prepping my documents for the interview; I'm based in Pakistan so in many instances its the custom here when the name on birth certificate is different from your original. Whenever someone's born mostly - for record they put in a name in the birth certificate document and hold an 'official christening' later where they sometimes change the name (without amending the birth certificate). In my case for example its Ray Adam Bowie on the birth document (Adam Bowie being dad's name), but on me passport and everywhere else (including the USCIS K1 petition) its Sam Ray.

So my question, has anyone gone through something similar in Pakistan and what have they done to rectify it? Would a notarized affidavit signed by me parents explaining 'why' they changed my name suffice in this case, or do I need to do something else?

Cheers.

[Otto 83]

** I've merged both topics into this one - seems very region-specific and may best be answered here.

[Gil1234 0]

Thanks! ^^

So any help anyone? It'd be very appreciated!

[Gil1234 0]

Nevermind! I found me answer on the country reciprocity schedule for Pakistan - if anyone else has this query they can rest easy after looking at the source.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_4881.html?cid=3644

And I quote;

"Pakistani names are subject to a variety of combinations with no established surname rule. Individuals may change their names by simply announcing name changes in the newspaper. For older persons and those born in rural areas, frequently only the year of birth is available. It is not unheard-of for birth dates to be changed. The essential element of identity is generally the name of the father and, in the case of married woman, the name of the husband though adherence to standards of proof of identification for these passport entries can be lax."

If you still wish to be cautious, get a notarized affidavit by your parents stating the customs and why they changed the name within a month's time of one's birth. Also read on a different source (some VJ thread) how as long as name is changed before 16 years of age its never a bother.