Marriage name change?

[jeffandmariya 0]

Hello everybody!

Me and my fiance got married on a K1 visa. We are working on the AOS forms now. I need to know what I'm supposed to do if I want to change my family name and have it on the Green Card.

Thank you in advance for the responses

[NancyNguyen 1,657]

You have to request to change the last name with your local court, social security office... You need your certified marriage license to do so... Once you finish the name change request, then you can fill your AOS paper with new name.

[jeffandmariya 0]

Do I need to go to the court and SSO or just the SSO?

[Inky 1,110]

If you are a woman your name changes by marriage, you just fill out the forms with married name, put your marriage certificate in the packet and thats it.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

You have to request to change the last name with your local court, social security office... You need your certified marriage license to do so... Once you finish the name change request, then you can fill your AOS paper with new name.

WRONG! She can change her name thanks to the marriage. She simply write her new name on the AOS forms. No need to go anywhere or do anything.

[jeffandmariya 0]

This sounds so much easier! I will put the duplicate of our marriage certificate with the forms... Actually the lady in the court told me when I got the marriage license that I will need to go back there after we get married if I want to change my name but I think she didn't know how it works for family based visas holders...

I want to thank you for all the valuable informative answers you post for me!!!

[VanessaTony 3,567]

This sounds so much easier! I will put the duplicate of our marriage certificate with the forms... Actually the lady in the court told me when I got the marriage license that I will need to go back there after we get married if I want to change my name but I think she didn't know how it works for family based visas holders...

I want to thank you for all the valuable informative answers you post for me!!!

Okay now I'm confused. Is your state a state where you were supposed to tell them if you wanted your name changed and if you didn't they put your maiden name on the forms?

[jeffandmariya 0]

I'm not sure... But they putted my maiden name on the marriage certificate if it makes any sense....

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I'm not sure... But they putted my maiden name on the marriage certificate if it makes any sense....

Ah given that information I would double check with your county whether you have actually changed your name. Some states require you to advise them that you want your name changed and they write that on your marriage certificate. My state has a section for name before and name after marriage. Failure to write my married name in the "name after" section would mean I wouldn't be able to change my name via marriage.

[Inky 1,110]

It should not matter if the certificate has your maiden name on it.

You can still collect all ID in married name using the marriage certificate.

- My marriage certificate has maiden name on it and this is what I used to get all of my ID and such in married name. No issues what so ever.

Ah given that information I would double check with your county whether you have actually changed your name. Some states require you to advise them that you want your name changed and they write that on your marriage certificate. My state has a section for name before and name after marriage. Failure to write my married name in the "name after" section would mean I wouldn't be able to change my name via marriage.

ours has no section like this at all.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

ours has no section like this at all.

There are three different kinds of marriage cerificates. Those that list name before and after marriage, those that list name AFTER marriage only (you have to nominate whether to change your name when applying for the licence), and those that list name BEFORE marriage (can still change your name).

I am inclined to think that it doesn't matter what your marriage cert says (as long as it's not like mine) but given they were TOLD by the county clerk that they'd have to go back to change it, I would ask just to be sure.

[ceadsearc 516]

OP, what state were you married in?

[jeffandmariya 0]

We got married in Kansas and as I said the lady in the court told me when I got the marriage license that I will need to go back there after we get married if I want to change my name but I think she didn't know how it works for family based visas holders...

Thank you all for the help... I'm confused and I don't want to mess the applications...

[VanessaTony 3,567]

We got married in Kansas and as I said the lady in the court told me when I got the marriage license that I will need to go back there after we get married if I want to change my name but I think she didn't know how it works for family based visas holders...

Thank you all for the help... I'm confused and I don't want to mess the applications...

Okay. I had a quick look. Just write the married name on the forms. You should have no problem with that

[jeffandmariya 0]

Thank you so much for the help! I'm always so confused and so scared to don't mess up something when I work on papers... I'm gonna ask one last question - do I need new Social Security Card (I have one from previous visit) or it comes after the GC?