Name change question

[Johnny Spangle 0]

I'm posting here because my wife and I have an AoS interview in 10 days time, but my question is fairly general.

I am the immigrant and my wife is the US citizen. We have been married for 18 months, but she has only recently changed her last name to mine on her official documents - passport, driving licence etc.

We assume that USCIS records will also need to be updated. Does anyone know the correct method for doing so?

Thanks in advance.

[sjoefl01 1]

I think this can be taken care of at the interview.

[chuckandkim 0]

Your wife, the USC needs to have a Court Order to change her name. Nothing special! She will change her name just like an american couple would change theirs when they get married.

I think sjoefl01 may be mixed up with you being a USC, in this case you are the Husband and an immigrant. You don't change your name, only your USC wife changes her!

Good luck!

[Mrs_S 0]

If your wife's name was changed as part of the marriage (i.e. on your marriage certificate), you do not need a court order to have her name changed. I would imagine that as long as you took her passport, driver's license, birth certificate and your marriage certificate, USCIS would update it during the interview.

If your marriage certificate has your wife's maiden name listed as her married name, you would need a court order to change it.

Edited October 17, 2006 by Mrs_S

[Yodrak 7]

chuckandkim,

You're confusing me with this paragraph - your 1st and 3rd sentences seem to be contradictory.

In an event, my wife changed her name when we got married (just like an american couple would do) and no "Court Order" was needed.

Yodrak

Your wife, the USC needs to have a Court Order to change her name. Nothing special! She will change her name just like an american couple would change theirs when they get married.

.....

Mrs_S,

My marriage certificate has my wife's name in only one place, and it's her maiden name that is shown. Yet no entity, government or non-government, has yet asked to see a court order when she gives her surname as mine.

Yodrak

....

If your marriage certificate has your wife's maiden name listed as her married name, you would need a court order to change it.

[Mrs_S 0]

Yodrak, perhaps the info on the marriage certificate varies from state to state. While filling out our marriage license application we had to list our names after marriage. I believe our marriage certificate has my married name, but it's at home and I can't check right now. I also think the additional "certified copy" we obtained to take to our interview next week has both my maiden name and my married name.

Anyhow, my point was, that marriage certificates are used as proof of name change. I've had to provide that as proof to change my name on our bank account, car loan, etc.

[Yodrak 7]

Mrs_S,

Yes, I expect that the information on a marriage license or marriage certificate can vary from one jurisdiction to another. I have never seen a marriage certificate that showed names other than as given on the license - i.e. the names of the people prior to marriage - but I have not seen all that many marriage certificates so I expect that you are correct about yours.

I agree that marriage certificates are suitable as proof of name change, whether or not they explicitly show a change.

Yodrak

Yodrak, perhaps the info on the marriage certificate varies from state to state. While filling out our marriage license application we had to list our names after marriage. I believe our marriage certificate has my married name, but it's at home and I can't check right now. I also think the additional "certified copy" we obtained to take to our interview next week has both my maiden name and my married name.

Anyhow, my point was, that marriage certificates are used as proof of name change. I've had to provide that as proof to change my name on our bank account, car loan, etc.