Name Change after our marriage

[dvensel1 5]

Hello all....

I have a couple of questions to ask the pros on here if I may. To begin with, the web sites I've checked, including the Philippine Consulate,, are not terribly clear on a couple of things. I would love some iron clad answers if I could find them. I'm hoping someone on here can help us.

Basic:

Female fiance: From the Philippines.

Me: USA CITIZEN, living in New York state about 450 miles north of New York City in a town named Malone

Visa method: K1

POE: San Francisco on April 2nd. (newbies here)

Marriage date: May 9th

Her passport is 1 year old last March 19th 2015.

Questions:

1) Do we have to go to NY city to notify the Philippine consulate of our marriage or can we do it by mail?

2) If by mail, what EXACTLY do we need? Their web site was scattered around with info all over the place and not well linked with some of the links not working at all.

3) Does she HAVE to take my last name?

4) If she does, what do we need to do to change her passport.

5) If we have to change her passport, what EXACTLY do we need for paperwork?

6) Does she have to appear at the consulate in person to change her name on her passport? (Ugh! The drive)

7) Can we wait and handle all of this when we return to the Philippines as a married couple in a year or so? Much easier in Cebu.

If anyone could answer all these questions with the right answers I'd appreciate the heck out of it. This has been hard enough for us as it is. Man oh man; do we have a story to tell. Took us 7 months to get her K1 visa.

Thank You to all who respond.

You can write me direct at: dvensel1(at)gmail(dot)com if you'd like.

Doug

[jhondhrey 4]

Hello all....

I have a couple of questions to ask the pros on here if I may. To begin with, the web sites I've checked, including the Philippine Consulate,, are not terribly clear on a couple of things. I would love some iron clad answers if I could find them. I'm hoping someone on here can help us.

Basic:

Female fiance: From the Philippines.

Me: USA CITIZEN, living in New York state about 450 miles north of New York City in a town named Malone

Visa method: K1

POE: San Francisco on April 2nd. (newbies here)

Marriage date: May 9th

Her passport is 1 year old last March 19th 2015.

Questions:

1) Do we have to go to NY city to notify the Philippine consulate of our marriage or can we do it by mail?

Answer: You can send in the forms together with supporting documents by mail.

2) If by mail, what EXACTLY do we need? Their web site was scattered around with info all over the place and not well linked with some of the links not working at all.

Answer: Her is the philippine consulate website: http://www.newyorkpcg.org/the-consulate/our-services/civil-registry/report-of-marriage

3) Does she HAVE to take my last name?

Answer: Its totally up to your wife if she want to change her name.

4) If she does, what do we need to do to change her passport.

Answer: To change her passport you have to Report the marriage first or you can both go to the Philippine consulate and submit the report of marriage and name change at the same time. It would be like renewing her passport.

5) If we have to change her passport, what EXACTLY do we need for paperwork?

Answer: with the E-passport you can't just apply for a name change. She have to apply for a new passport. I called them for that but they said I have to apply for a new one.

6) Does she have to appear at the consulate in person to change her name on her passport? (Ugh! The drive)

Answer: She have to appear in person to renew the passport.

7) Can we wait and handle all of this when we return to the Philippines as a married couple in a year or so? Much easier in Cebu.

If anyone could answer all these questions with the right answers I'd appreciate the heck out of it. This has been hard enough for us as it is. Man oh man; do we have a story to tell. Took us 7 months to get her K1 visa.

Thank You to all who respond.

You can write me direct at: dvensel1(at)gmail(dot)com if you'd like.

Doug

I hope it helps.

[dvensel1 5]

Thanks so much! This helps. Her passport is only 1 year old now.

Can we go ahead and report the marriage at the NY state Philippine consulate to satisfy this requirement and then wait until we go back to Bohol Philippines in a year and a half or so and then chage her name on the passport there, while we're in Cebu?

Would she be able to travel with her married name but with her maiden name on her passport?

Driving to and in New York city is a nightmare. I've only done it once many years ago. If we could wait to change her name later on in the Philippines it's soooo much easier and cheaper to do. I wish to hell the Philippines gave 10 year passports like the states.

I sure appreciate the help!

Doug

[baron555 934]

Questions:

1) Do we have to go to NY city to notify the Philippine consulate of our marriage or can we do it by mail?

No requirement to do that.

2) If by mail, what EXACTLY do we need? Their web site was scattered around with info all over the place and not well linked with some of the links not working at all.

Nothing

3) Does she HAVE to take my last name?

No

4) If she does, what do we need to do to change her passport.

Philippine related question, take that to the regional forum for better answer.

5) If we have to change her passport, what EXACTLY do we need for paperwork?

Same

6) Does she have to appear at the consulate in person to change her name on her passport? (Ugh! The drive)

Don't know.

7) Can we wait and handle all of this when we return to the Philippines as a married couple in a year or so? Much easier in Cebu.

Most likely, this is a regional question.

[jhondhrey 4]

Thanks so much! This helps. Her passport is only 1 year old now.

Can we go ahead and report the marriage at the NY state Philippine consulate to satisfy this requirement and then wait until we go back to Bohol Philippines in a year and a half or so and then chage her name on the passport there, while we're in Cebu?

*Yes, you can fill out the forms and send it by mail with the supporting docs. If your going to stay in Cebu for a few months then she can renew it in Philippines.

Im from Philippines, my husband is a USC. We got married almost 2 years ago. My name in my passport still on my maiden name. Coz I have to change everything if I want to change to my husband's name. Once were done with the visa process will just drive to NY to change it.

Would she be able to travel with her married name but with her maiden name on her passport?

*What I know is the name in the ticket must match with the name on the passport.

Driving to and in New York city is a nightmare. I've only done it once many years ago. If we could wait to change her name later on in the Philippines it's soooo much easier and cheaper to do. I wish to hell the Philippines gave 10 year passports like the states.

I sure appreciate the help!

Doug

Edited April 14, 2015 by jhondhrey

[dvensel1 5]

Thanks jhondhrey!

Now my question for everyone who might know for certain:

1) Can she simply leave her maiden name on her passport even if she takes my name after we're married?

2) Can she pass through immigration like this? By that I mean: using her married name <xxxx> for everything, but her passport name <yyyy> to travel? It would only be until we went back to Cebu and changed her name then. At this point it would be to renew the passport too. But it might be 2 years after we're married.

And to think, I thought we had the complicated parts behind us. I wish the Philippine consulate was closer too. I'm about as far as anyone can get from it.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Yes. Purchase tickets in name on passport. Bring copy of marriage certificate with you when you travel to go along with the AP or green card in married name, just in case they want to see it.

[Mike-eeh and Odie 193]

You are not required to register your marriage with the Philippines Consulate.

Registering your marriage with the Philippines Consulate is only required if your wife wishes to change her name on her Philippines Passport to continue using it in her married name. It is also required if your wife wishes to continue to be a Philippines Citizen (dual citizenship). If however, your wife could care less about Philippines Citizenship and you aren't going anywhere in 3 years, just wait until she is naturalized as a US Citizen and get a US Passport.

However, if you are still wanting to register the marriage, the following link will list what needs to be mailed:

http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/philippines-dc/consular-services-dc/faq-dc/#marriage

The form is found here:

http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/uploads/pdfs/Report%20of%20Marriage.pdf

Good luck!

[Mike-eeh and Odie 193]

Thanks jhondhrey!

Now my question for everyone who might know for certain:

1) Can she simply leave her maiden name on her passport even if she takes my name after we're married?

2) Can she pass through immigration like this? By that I mean: using her married name <xxxx> for everything, but her passport name <yyyy> to travel? It would only be until we went back to Cebu and changed her name then. At this point it would be to renew the passport too. But it might be 2 years after we're married.

And to think, I thought we had the complicated parts behind us. I wish the Philippine consulate was closer too. I'm about as far as anyone can get from it.

We just got back from the Philippines. My wife used her Philippines Passport (in her maiden name) and her EAD Card (in her married name). Just be sure to do the following:

1. Register your plane tickets using the name and information on her Passport.

2. Bring your Marriage License receipt and Marriage Certificate

3. Be sure your wife has Advanced Parole Permission marked on her EAD Combo Card or have Advanced parole papers. Or if she has a green card, no need for the latter.

We had no issues going into the Philippines. Leaving the Philippines however, we had at 4 check point stops where she was checked that her Advanced Parole was active. (3 in the Manila Airport [1 at check in, 1 at the terminal fee area, 1 at immigration] and 1 in Taiwan [our layover stop]).

Edited April 14, 2015 by Mike-eeh and Odie

[dvensel1 5]

New news!

My fiance asked me if we could do the following. Some of these have been asked and answered so forgive me if I''m redundant.

1) My fiance will now marry me and KEEP her maiden name. This will save the name change on her passport.

2) Question: Can we file her AOS (at the USA consulate) with her maiden name?

3) Do we tell the Philippine consulate that she will use her maiden name when we register the marriage with them within the 30 days?

4) Will her green card have her maiden name on it?

5) In 2 years we will travel back to Bohol Philippines and at that point, in Cebu, we will change her passport to my last name. Her green card will have her maiden name but her passport will have my last name. Is this OK to do?

6) Do we notify the USA consulate of the name change so they can change her green card when we get back?

In a nut shell: She will retain her maiden name when we marry. At a later date we will change her name on the passport. Perhaps 2 years later. Can we do this? Can we also change her name with the USA consulate later on and get a new green card with the new name on it?

Oh My God! I wish this was easier to do.

Doug

[Mike&Lin 39]

My wife is Filipina also. In researching the various things related to Report of Marriage and Passports I have found that the Embassies and Consulates in the US have outreach programs where you can do all of the things you need without going to the consulate/embassy. Which is great for us because we live in Texas and must use the Embassy in Los Angeles. We were married in Florida however and had to mail the Report of Marriage application to the Embassy in D.C. because Florida is their jurisdiction.

Anyway, from the NY consulate website here is the link to their consular outreach program for 2015 http://www.newyorkpcg.org/files/OutreachFlyer2015.pdf

[dvensel1 5]

My wife is Filipina also. In researching the various things related to Report of Marriage and Passports I have found that the Embassies and Consulates in the US have outreach programs where you can do all of the things you need without going to the consulate/embassy. Which is great for us because we live in Texas and must use the Embassy in Los Angeles. We were married in Florida however and had to mail the Report of Marriage application to the Embassy in D.C. because Florida is their jurisdiction.

Anyway, from the NY consulate website here is the link to their consular outreach program for 2015 http://www.newyorkpcg.org/files/OutreachFlyer2015.pdf

<reply>

HI, and thanks for responding.

Did you have to go to LA to change her name though? I'm told we have to go personally to do this. It's like 450 miles away from us in the city of New York. Yuch!

We want to file her AOS in the married name but leave her passport name as her maiden name. Is this feasible? Will they allow us to do this? We'd like her GREEN CARD in her married name but we want to wait to change her PASSPORT until we get to the Philippines where it would be so much easier and the fact that it's only a boat ride away for us there. Will this cause a problem? At least if we did it this way, her GREEN CARD and PASSPORT would match.

[Mike&Lin 39]

No we won't have to go to LA. It's 1100 miles away from us. The next date on the schedule for a Dallas outreach is in July. They take applications for passports, reports of marriage and dual citizenship at the consular outreaches. We just need to make sure and register as soon as they announce registrations are being accepted for the Dallas outreach because they fill quickly.

No problem filing AOS in married name, you should do that anyway. Yes you can update the passport whenever is most convenient. It does mean you'll probably need to carry around your marriage certificate when traveling until everything matches.