Name change questions

[~Nini~ 2]

Hehe, I'm basically in the same boat as liz_legend that we won't be telling my family about the civil ceremony either (not for religious reasons, just to prevent the apocalypse). I guess I'll just need to keep my IDs and credit cards tucked away, then.

On top of that, what are the regulations for name changes? I've been thinking about keeping my maiden name but compounding my fiance's name to mine, but I'm not sure whether that's allowed. I love his name, but I like mine too.

[Carlawarla 1]

Ok, here's where I am:

I'm assuming that our K1 will be approved around Dec 2007 (Mtl). So, I'll be entering the US in January 2008 sometime. THen we'll have a quickie civil ceremony to get the paperwork rolling.. BUT won't be having the church wedding til August 2008! And because we really don't want to mention the civil ceremony to either of our parents b/c they're both pretty "catholic", we thought we'd wait til the Church ceremony to change my last name..

Comments? Suggestions?

Is this going to end up costing us more cuz we'll have to get replacement cards for my green card etc?

I guess if we just did it after the civil ceremony, no one would actually know.. (it's not like our parents look at our id or anything as we walk into the house)

hmmm.....

If you're going to be filling out the paperwork after your civil ceremony, and you want to use your new married name, you'll have to start using it then. That being said, if you don't think your parents will be looking at your "ID", then they won't know that you've started to use your new married name.

I'm kind of confused about a few things though. Will your Church know in August that you were already married in January? I know they won't really "recognize" the civil ceremony, however, the church will have to know you were married in January for the paperwork won't they? What will you be signing at your wedding? If you're not going to be signing anything, and it's just the "ceremony" the church will be performing, than your parents will know, won't they?

Do your parents know anything of the visa process? If they do, they'll know you have to marry within 90 days of activating your visa when you cross the border, which if you plan to come down in January, will mean you will have to marry no later than April.

If you don't want your parents to "know" because they're "pretty Catholic", I don't know what that means since you'll be living with your then husband (only they won't know it), and presumably sleeping with him, but you're not married....

Carla

Edited June 11, 2007 by cartoboy123

[Allie 5]

Does the Marriage Certificate come with the Marriage License or is that gotten seperately

First you acquire a marriage license, you get married, the license is sent back to the office where it was originally filed for, and they will then send out the Cert.

Thanks Does the Clergy performing the ceremony and the witnesses attending have to sign the Marriage Certificate. If so that's going to be a tough one those standing are from Montana

For AOS do they require the License or Certificate being forwarded to em

Thanks Allie

[Krikit 1,164]

In a civil marriage the certificate is processed at the courthouse while you wait (following the ceremony). You receive that one immediately and order additional certified copies to be sent on later.

WRT the church wedding.... you can still sign a certificate. Just don't send it in. (Sometimes the officiant will send it in.... sometimes the certificate is given to the couple and they are responsible for sending it in.) You can either visit a Christian bookstore and pick one up there, or the church will provide one. You will need to discuss this with your priest/minister ahead of time to find out what their process is.

From another perspective, would your families not feel better knowing you weren't "living in sin" by taking care of the immigration legalities until you can do a proper spiritual ceremony?

For AOS do they require the License or Certificate being forwarded to em

The certificate is required for the AOS. The license just gives you a license to marry. The certificate shows that you are married.

[neiks 19]

On top of that, what are the regulations for name changes? I've been thinking about keeping my maiden name but compounding my fiance's name to mine, but I'm not sure whether that's allowed. I love his name, but I like mine too.

I hyphenated my name.... "maiden name"-"husbands surname" I wasn't going to change my name and looking back now it truthfully would have been a lot easier not to, but.... I decided on the hyphenated version as most people down here don't know my maided name and where going to call me by my husbands name anyways, plus it's nice for having kids and having it as a family name. I just found it weird to change my name and drop the name that I have associated myself with for the past 30 years. I'm happy with my decision to hyphenate. It's on my legal docs as hyphenated but if someone wants to just call me by my husbands name that's fine too. And at work - I usually refer to myself as my maiden name.

So, yes- it's fine to add your fiance's name to yours with or without a hyphen.

[Melyssa 0]

I'm confused

I would just explain the truth!

Actually though, I've been having similar issues...not the same, but some people don't really consider a 'courthouse' wedding a real wedding I guess...but personally, I don't get it! Why wouldn't/couldn't it be a real wedding? It's just a different way of doing it... unless they're afraid it looks too much like what people who elope do or something...

Anyway, I have simply told my friends and family the truth. I don't think they think we're just sneaking off and getting married by considering doing the courthouse thing and then a celebration/another wedding later.

I do know that some people want us to do the 'bigger' wedding... just don't know how practical it would be without a timeline, plus we have no interest in spending too much money on the day... the visa fees are 4 or 5 times as much as we thought we were going to pay!

[thermophile 0]

on the passport name issue, I'd suggest changing it as soon as you can live without the passport for a few weeks. I got seriously scolded for flying with my passport in my maiden name and DL in married name and the plane ticket in my married name. it's not a new passport they just print a statement with the new name in the back. At least thats what the US does.

We got married in a little court house ceremony in Oct. with just my sister there-the baliff was our other witness. We had a family and friends ceremony the next May officiated by my uncle the preacher-but with none of the legal stuff. Even through we told the fam that we got married in Oct. they all think of our fake wedding as the real thing. Have some type of party even if it's a potluck or some other type of cost minimizing thing. we had sandwichs from Costco which no one remembers, but they all seemed to have a great time. This is basically your one chance to have everyone celebrating the two of you. don't pass it up

[~Nini~ 2]

Unfortunately for Canadian passports they have to be re-issued if there's a name change. They used to do observations to the original passport, but they've changed it since then.

At least for me my passport expires next year, but with the current regulations and delays, it'll take forever and a day for it to be renewed. *sigh*

[Jeremy + Kristy 0]

At least for me my passport expires next year, but with the current regulations and delays, it'll take forever and a day for it to be renewed. *sigh*

Doesn't help you, but it may help friends and family that need to renew their passport in order to visit you.

From: http://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/news.aspx?la.../20070608c.aspx

June 8, 2007

Simplified Passport Renewal Program

The Simplified Passport Renewal Program will be available as of August 15, 2007, and is part of a broader effort to modernize Canadian passport services.

It will allow Canadian citizens who meet certain eligibility criteria to renew their passport using a shorter form and without submitting documentary evidence of citizenship, supplementary identification and a guarantor declaration. Under the renewal program, passport applicants will only be required to submit the shorter form along with two new photos, the application fee and their last passport.

Canadians who meet the following eligibility criteria will be able to benefit from this program:

* They must be residing in Canada at the time they apply.

* They must have resided in Canada at the time of their previous application.

* They were 16 years old or over at the time of their previous application.

* Their previous passport:

o Must have been valid for five years,

o Must have been issued after January 31, 2002,

o Was never damaged or reported as lost or stolen, and

o Must have been issued under their current name.

This program will yield benefits to both passport applicants and Passport Canada. Applicants will save time and will not have to surrender important documents such as their birth certificates or citizenship cards for an extended period of time. Passport Canada's productivity will increase, as fewer steps will be required for the entitlement and screening of each file. Renewal applications are still subject to all current security verifications.

The new Simplified Passport Renewal Program application form will be available at all Passport Canada service points and through Passport Canada's Web site, and it will be accepted at all of Passport Canada offices, through receiving agents and by mail.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Jeremy + Kristy

[Marilyn. 340]

on the passport name issue, I'd suggest changing it as soon as you can live without the passport for a few weeks. I got seriously scolded for flying with my passport in my maiden name and DL in married name and the plane ticket in my married name. it's not a new passport they just print a statement with the new name in the back. At least thats what the US does.

We got married in a little court house ceremony in Oct. with just my sister there-the baliff was our other witness. We had a family and friends ceremony the next May officiated by my uncle the preacher-but with none of the legal stuff. Even through we told the fam that we got married in Oct. they all think of our fake wedding as the real thing. Have some type of party even if it's a potluck or some other type of cost minimizing thing. we had sandwichs from Costco which no one remembers, but they all seemed to have a great time. This is basically your one chance to have everyone celebrating the two of you. don't pass it up

you should have had the tickets in your maiden name... that is why they scolded you... the name in the passport has to match the name on your plane tickets...

[thermophile 0]

but I had changed my name on all other documents, bank accounts, credit cards, etc. it's an ackward time, changing your name. I really don't think that it would be easier dragging it out for months or years. sure I may have gotten through customs without getting yelled at had I booked my ticket in my maiden name but then if I were stopped for something else I would have had to explain why I had documents in a different name. Change your name or don't-that's the choice, but if you do decide to change your name do it all in one fell sweep.

[Marilyn. 340]

a lot of people don't change their name in their passport for whatever reason.... you just need to book the tickets in the name in your passport and then take along your marriage certificate for verification...

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Ok, here's where I am:

I'm assuming that our K1 will be approved around Dec 2007 (Mtl). So, I'll be entering the US in January 2008 sometime. THen we'll have a quickie civil ceremony to get the paperwork rolling.. BUT won't be having the church wedding til August 2008! And because we really don't want to mention the civil ceremony to either of our parents b/c they're both pretty "catholic", we thought we'd wait til the Church ceremony to change my last name..

Comments? Suggestions?

Is this going to end up costing us more cuz we'll have to get replacement cards for my green card etc?

I guess if we just did it after the civil ceremony, no one would actually know.. (it's not like our parents look at our id or anything as we walk into the house)

hmmm.....

I was about to ask the question about whether your parents rifle through your id...but you answered that already Honestly...you're getting married in a civil ceremony for a practical reason, right? I'd be honest with them and explain the technicalities and issues and be done with it.

on another thought...so if they didn't think you were officially married til Aug 2008, don't they care that you'd be living in SIN for 6 months Just playing devil's advocate.

In this whole process, I've found that other people's expectations are a pain in my behind.....I'm an adult and how we wish to get things done is how it will be done.

[L_n_O 3]

=) we talked more about it last night :

him: "I don't care what people think, it's our business but I don't see why we should have to discuss it with anyone"

me: "if we told, then we don't have to hide it and if for some reason it comes out, then what do we say? It makes us look bad cuz we lied"

him: if they know that we're already married, then it'll be like less excitement about the whole thing and i want them to be genuinely excited for us

me: yes, but don't you think they'd respect the fact that we still want a church wedding even though we're already married? like at that point we wouldn't really have to do it but if we're going through the expense of it all and the planning, that shows that it is important to us.. and I think they would be happy that we were honest with them and we can tell them that we don't really look at it like we're married til the church..

in the end, he said if I really want to, he's fine with telling them..

[Melyssa 0]

but I had changed my name on all other documents, bank accounts, credit cards, etc. it's an ackward time, changing your name. I really don't think that it would be easier dragging it out for months or years. sure I may have gotten through customs without getting yelled at had I booked my ticket in my maiden name but then if I were stopped for something else I would have had to explain why I had documents in a different name. Change your name or don't-that's the choice, but if you do decide to change your name do it all in one fell sweep.

Seems like carrying a copy of ones marriage certificate should solve that problem!