Just got married - name change confusion though!

[wantmybaby 4]

Hi, we got married yesterday in New Hampshire. I turned in the marriage certificate today and just got two shiny new certified copies of it... with her old name. We want her name to change (Last becomes Middle, mine becomes her last... the usual Filipino way). However, NH does not have a way to change names on the marriage certificate. The town clerk suggested I see a lawyer... we have no time or money for that, we need to apply for her SSN tomorrow as well as I have to put her on my health insurance and beneficiary at work, and we have to file for AOS... like right away! So, what name do I put for all of this? How can we change the name and still do all these things? Work isn't going to like it if I try to change the name sometime later since that's not a "life event"... I have one shot at getting the name right, and I have to start updating everything today or tomorrow.

And the whole point of us waiting for the SSN until after we were married is so we don't have to update it twice. But, now we have to update it twice anyway?

And what about her passport? Is a trip to consulate in NYC necessary or can we leave that alone? We can't really make that trip anytime soon, certainly not before 90 days are up on the visa.

What do we do?

[wantmybaby 4]

And just so that there is no confusion about what my issue is here, other states let you change your name using the marriage certificate... the certificate says the new married name right on it. NH does not do this, no way to indicate that there's any different name going to be in use. It only lists our pre-marriage legal names.

[Caryh 5,206]

Hi, we got married yesterday in New Hampshire. I turned in the marriage certificate today and just got two shiny new certified copies of it... with her old name. We want her name to change (Last becomes Middle, mine becomes her last... the usual Filipino way). However, NH does not have a way to change names on the marriage certificate. The town clerk suggested I see a lawyer... we have no time or money for that, we need to apply for her SSN tomorrow as well as I have to put her on my health insurance and beneficiary at work, and we have to file for AOS... like right away! So, what name do I put for all of this? How can we change the name and still do all these things? Work isn't going to like it if I try to change the name sometime later since that's not a "life event"... I have one shot at getting the name right, and I have to start updating everything today or tomorrow.

And the whole point of us waiting for the SSN until after we were married is so we don't have to update it twice. But, now we have to update it twice anyway?

And what about her passport? Is a trip to consulate in NYC necessary or can we leave that alone? We can't really make that trip anytime soon, certainly not before 90 days are up on the visa.

What do we do?

New Hampshire has you just tell people what the new name is, they do not make an official record of the name change. I like my states method better, you enter what you want the name to be when you apply for the marriage license.

http://www.ci.concord.nh.us/CITYCLERK/concordv2.asp?siteindx=L0a,13

How do I change my name after marriage? Is it taken care of for me when I complete the license application?

Name changes are done by the couple and usually require presenting a certified copy of the marriage certificate, which is available after the officiant [person performing the ceremony] files the marriage license with the city clerk. The certificate is presented to any agency where the name change would be recorded; social security, driver's licenses, creditors, etc.

You can register your marriage at the Philippines Consulate handling your area by mail. There's no rush in this, and you can get the form from their web site. She cannot change the name on her passport until she registers the marriage, and I believe the passport needs to be done in person. Might be exceptions if you have the new style passport already though. I just know my wife has the old style and we would have to travel to Chicago, about 8 hours way. We just found out they're coming to our city this August though, so we'll make the passport name change and renewal then. We've already been through the registration of marriage through the mail. If you're divorced, send a copy of your divorce certificate. Its not in the instructions, but they requested that from us after we sent in the report of marriage abroad. I'm glad we didn't drive 8 hours to Chicago to find out we did not have something!

[wantmybaby 4]

So, does this mean we can just take this marriage certificate (and whatever else we are bringing) and say "here this shows that its okay for her name to be different than what her passport shows", and file for whatever we need to file for with the name we state? Does it apply to the middle name too or just the last name?

I need to be absolutely certain when I fill out the stuff at work... I'd like to tell them her new name with middle/last changed and not have to worry about correcting it later (not even sure it is allowed). Plus the beneficiary stuff. Now, work won't actually ask for any documentation and will take my word for whatever name I give. But, if I give a name that isn't "legal" then she may have trouble getting benefits from what I told to my employer.

[MikelanNida 28]

you will have to go back to the SS office either way because your card will have the valid for work only with DHS authorization on it if you got it before your green card, also we were told at SS office they dont recognize the Filipino way of changing the middle name after marriage, only the last name, for AOS use the name on your paper work that you want to be put on your green card.

[MikelanNida 28]

New Hampshire has you just tell people what the new name is, they do not make an official record of the name change. I like my states method better, you enter what you want the name to be when you apply for the marriage license.

http://www.ci.concor...siteindx=L0a,13

How do I change my name after marriage? Is it taken care of for me when I complete the license application?

Name changes are done by the couple and usually require presenting a certified copy of the marriage certificate, which is available after the officiant [person performing the ceremony] files the marriage license with the city clerk. The certificate is presented to any agency where the name change would be recorded; social security, driver's licenses, creditors, etc.

You can register your marriage at the Philippines Consulate handling your area by mail. There's no rush in this, and you can get the form from their web site. She cannot change the name on her passport until she registers the marriage, and I believe the passport needs to be done in person. Might be exceptions if you have the new style passport already though. I just know my wife has the old style and we would have to travel to Chicago, about 8 hours way. We just found out they're coming to our city this August though, so we'll make the passport name change and renewal then. We've already been through the registration of marriage through the mail. If you're divorced, send a copy of your divorce certificate. Its not in the instructions, but they requested that from us after we sent in the report of marriage abroad. I'm glad we didn't drive 8 hours to Chicago to find out we did not have something!

I was wondering if what you are saying is the social security office let you change your wifes middle name on her card? They told us we couldnt do it, that they could only change the last name, they said they had to go by what was on the birth certificate and passport for the middle name...

[DaveE 178]

you will have to go back to the SS office either way because your card will have the valid for work only with DHS authorization on it if you got it before your green card, also we were told at SS office they dont recognize the Filipino way of changing the middle name after marriage, only the last name, for AOS use the name on your paper work that you want to be put on your green card.

Every state is different on how they handle the name change issue. In Georgia, the desired married name is specified on the "marriage license". The actual "marriage certificate" is issued in your single name after you are married.

Our Social Security office looked at the "marriage license", and issued her card in the name she wanted (filipino style). First name - old last name - new last name.

Even though it says DHS work authorization required, it is not necessary to change it. When you apply for work, your green card or EAD is your work authorization.

[wantmybaby 4]

you will have to go back to the SS office either way because your card will have the valid for work only with DHS authorization on it if you got it before your green card, also we were told at SS office they dont recognize the Filipino way of changing the middle name after marriage, only the last name, for AOS use the name on your paper work that you want to be put on your green card.

Since I've been unfortunately married once before, I can confirm that it is not necessary to return to SS office just to update the work status. My ex-wife had "not valid for work" thing on it even after she was a US citizen. Only the EAD card or green card mattered when it came to working.

[MikelanNida 28]

Since I've been unfortunately married once before, I can confirm that it is not necessary to return to SS office just to update the work status. My ex-wife had "not valid for work" thing on it even after she was a US citizen. Only the EAD card or green card mattered when it came to working.

yes you are correct, I should not have said have to go back, we just choose to go back to have it removed to remove confusion from employers that may read more into that phrase than they should. Since you were married before did the SS office let you change the middle name at that time? Iask because we want to do it also and i am confused by what they said versus what Dave said, his timeline is not filled in so i am not sure if he is in the AOS process since it says K1 visa on his profile, i guess we will check it out more when we go back...

[wantmybaby 4]

yes you are correct, I should not have said have to go back, we just choose to go back to have it removed to remove confusion from employers that may read more into that phrase than they should. Since you were married before did the SS office let you change the middle name at that time? Iask because we want to do it also and i am confused by what they said versus what Dave said, his timeline is not filled in so i am not sure if he is in the AOS process since it says K1 visa on his profile, i guess we will check it out more when we go back...

That was in a different state, and the state's form had a place to put the new name. Not being well accustomed to Filipinos at that time, it didn't occur to me to try to write in a new middle name to see what happens... I only wrote in a new last name. So, I'm not entirely sure if I could have changed the middle name using the marriage certificate. Since the SSN just took what the marriage certificate said and I wasn't trying to do anything different, I don't have a data point for you there about dealing with the SSN and middle name change.

[Caryh 5,206]

I was wondering if what you are saying is the social security office let you change your wifes middle name on her card? They told us we couldnt do it, that they could only change the last name, they said they had to go by what was on the birth certificate and passport for the middle name...

We had no problem getting the SS card with my wife's paternal name (former last name) as her new middle name. But in my state, the marriage certificate showed that as her new name. There is no reason they cannot set the name the way you want it, other than the bias of the person you're dealing with at the SS office. Moving the Paternal name to the middle name is an established tradition in many places in the world.

The Philippines also has legal restrictions on what she can change her name to after marriage. The USA has no laws on how your name is formatted after marriage. I know two of the legal names a woman can have after marriage are her original name as before marriage, and the traditional change with the Paternal name moving to the middle and the husbands name being at the end. There are either one or two others, although I forget what they are. But choose a name change that is not legal, and she will never be allowed to change her passport name to it. Changing it to anything else requires a court order in the Philippines.

Until you get some documents showing her name is now FirstName FormerLastName HusbandsLastName you may never get the people in your local Social Security office to accept that as her middle name. If you forgo the SS number now, and get her EAD or Green Card in the name you desire, then they would accept that. But its a delay in being able to work to. And it could be trouble with your work insurance. My work insurance did not want to accept her with no SSN, but I made the insurance company look up their policies and they were able to do it. But out of the gate it was no you can't insure her without it.

[RickJovi 81]

So, does this mean we can just take this marriage certificate (and whatever else we are bringing) and say "here this shows that its okay for her name to be different than what her passport shows", and file for whatever we need to file for with the name we state? Does it apply to the middle name too or just the last name?

I need to be absolutely certain when I fill out the stuff at work... I'd like to tell them her new name with middle/last changed and not have to worry about correcting it later (not even sure it is allowed). Plus the beneficiary stuff. Now, work won't actually ask for any documentation and will take my word for whatever name I give. But, if I give a name that isn't "legal" then she may have trouble getting benefits from what I told to my employer.

I married a Filipina on a K1 before. In my state her maiden name is listed on the marriage registration and official certificate. I took her to the SS office and got her th SS card in the name on the marriage certificate which was her maiden name. I went to my employer and put her on my medical insurance showing my marriage certificate, filled the paperwork out with the way the Philippines does married name, her first name, her last name as her middle name and them my last name. They accepted it without any issues. I then filed AOS with her name the same way so it matched when she got her GC. When we got her GC, we went back to the SS office and did the name change that was on her GC and then they verified her in the SAVE system and issued her. New SS card that matched her GC, which in turn matched what I had filled out for her name on my companies insurance, so everything now matched perfectly. Easy, leash, no problems. It is simple.

[Tahoma 2,292]

Oops...

Edited April 27, 2012 by Tahoma

[DaveE 178]

yes you are correct, I should not have said have to go back, we just choose to go back to have it removed to remove confusion from employers that may read more into that phrase than they should. Since you were married before did the SS office let you change the middle name at that time? Iask because we want to do it also and i am confused by what they said versus what Dave said, his timeline is not filled in so i am not sure if he is in the AOS process since it says K1 visa on his profile, i guess we will check it out more when we go back...

My wife arrived on July 26, 2010. We were married on July 30, 2010. In two or three days our marriage certificate arrived in the mail. Immediately we went to the local SS office and applied for the SS card in her filipino style married name. It was issued as such.

Now AOS was a different animal. My wife had her military dependant ID card in her married name, her SS card in her married name, her healthcare documents in her married name, her biometrics in her married name.

When we went for the interview, the interviewer (without our knowing it), changed the green card back to her original middle name. When it arrived like that we immediately sent it back with all our supporting documents. USCIS issued a free new green card with the correct name. We start ROC in September.

[Tahoma 2,292]

Chinook applied for her SSN about one week after she arrived in the U.S. She received her SS card about one week later. The card was in her maiden name.

Chinook and I got married six weeks after she arrived in the U.S. The following week, we went to the county clerk's office, got a copy of our marriage certificate, and then went to the SS office where Chinook applied for a name change to her married name. Her married name follows the Filipino tradition (first name/maiden surname/husband's surname). Chinook received her SS card about one week later. It was in her married name.

Our marriage certificate does not have Chinook's married name on it. It has her maiden name on it, as well as my name. However, it's not necessary to have her married name on it because the marriage certificate is proof that she got married to me, and the marriage allows her to change her name, including changing her middle name. Chinook simply started using her married name.

Using our marriage certificate, Chinook had no problem with the SS office, and no problem getting her a State ID card in her married name, and no problem with AOSing with her married name.

Next month Chinook and I are going on an Alaska cruise which includes a stop in Canada. Cruise lines are strict with their document requirements. Since Chinook's Filipino passport is still in her maiden name, that's the name used on her boarding pass. She will also take her green card (which is in her married name), and she will take a copy of our marriage certificate. The marriage certificate will account for the difference in names between the passport and the green card.