NAME CHANGE CONFUSION.. PLS HELP.

[islandnook23 3]

hi everyone. i am just confused about one thing here. we got married in chicago, and i can't actually remember filling up a form with a question of whether i want to change my last name to my husband's or just retain my maiden name. so i guess, they don't have it mandatory in illinois that after marriage, the wife must use the husband's last name as her new, official last name...

moving on, when i filed for AOS, i hyphenated my name, JANE DOE-SMITH, as smith being my husband's last name. a few days later, i went to social security to get a name change but then they told me there's no way they can alter any information on my profile without my green card so they told me to come back once i have my green card on hand.

all my other documents such as bank accounts, passport, my nursing applications are all under my maiden name, it's only with the USCIS and the medical insurance card that i have my husband's last name on... so assuming we will be getting an interview, which i understand we have to present evidence of bona fide marriage, will it cause any problem if the paper works we show them (e.g. joint bank account, letters or mails with our address on, etc...) have my MAIDEN name on it and not my husband's last name??? i hope my question isn't that hard to understand...

[islandnook23 3]

any idea will be greatly appreciated.

[Moomin 292]

Since you sent(for AOS) and you're probably bringing your marriage cert. to your interview I'm fairly sure it takes ever so little for them to see what your maiden name was and put the pieces together. As long as you have some with both your names on, whether it's maiden or married.

What name is your EAD in? Sometimes they'll(DMV/BMV) accept that as proof, depends on the state. If that has your preferred last name(hyphenated), then take it to get a state ID and go to change name at the SSA. It's worth a try IMO.

[islandnook23 3]

Since you sent(for AOS) and you're probably bringing your marriage cert. to your interview I'm fairly sure it takes ever so little for them to see what your maiden name was and put the pieces together. As long as you have some with both your names on, whether it's maiden or married.

What name is your EAD in? Sometimes they'll(DMV/BMV) accept that as proof, depends on the state. If that has your preferred last name(hyphenated), then take it to get a state ID and go to change name at the SSA. It's worth a try IMO.

thanks for your reply. i have my husband's last name on my ead.. i am just worried about those documents such as bank accounts, mails with our home address on, etc... those have my maiden name on...

[Moomin 292]

I understand your concern however USCIS probably also understands how many go through the hassle of getting things in married name before having a legal document(green card) in hand. Just getting a state ID or learner's permit/driver's license in some states is impossible before getting green card, and then they can't use the married name before receiving the green card.

As long as you have some common things already, adding to insurance, lease, bank account etc.

So the EAD is in your husband's last name, is it hyphenated the way you want to? Either way, I'd try to use my sneak skills and use EAD to get state ID at this point. With the state ID you might be able to change all the documents you're worried about. If not, don't worry too much about it.

[islandnook23 3]

I understand your concern however USCIS probably also understands how many go through the hassle of getting things in married name before having a legal document(green card) in hand. Just getting a state ID or learner's permit/driver's license in some states is impossible before getting green card, and then they can't use the married name before receiving the green card.

As long as you have some common things already, adding to insurance, lease, bank account etc.

So the EAD is in your husband's last name, is it hyphenated the way you want to? Either way, I'd try to use my sneak skills and use EAD to get state ID at this point. With the state ID you might be able to change all the documents you're worried about. If not, don't worry too much about it.

hi there! and thank you so much for your reply. yes my name on my EAD is hyphenated. well, do i really need to change my name on social security? since i used a hyphenated name on USCIS documents, do i have to change my name to a hyphenated one on social security too?

[VanessaTony 3,567]

hi there! and thank you so much for your reply. yes my name on my EAD is hyphenated. well, do i really need to change my name on social security? since i used a hyphenated name on USCIS documents, do i have to change my name to a hyphenated one on social security too?

Yes. It should all match to avoid confusion later. It's possible to go through life with mismatched documents but it can get pretty confusing.