Name Change After Marriage

[MJAK 28]

Hi everyone. I arrived in San Diego, CA under a K-1 visa on March 5, and we just got married two days ago. I also added my husband's last name to mine on the marriage license.

I understand that for GC/filing AOS I will need to fill the form with my married name.

 

But within the waiting period between now and getting my GC, am I already allowed to put my married name on other documents/paperwork, such as Driver's License, Medical Card, insurance, bills, etc. even though my existing ID's (passport, SSN, unexpired I-94) are still under my maiden name? Will I encounter a problem when they ask for proof of identity that matches my married name? Is marriage certificate a sufficient for a proof?

 

I appreciate all the answers.

[Lil bear 4,320]

5 minutes ago, MJAK said:

Hi everyone. I arrived in San Diego, CA under a K-1 visa on March 5, and we just got married two days ago. I also added my husband's last name to mine on the marriage license.

I understand that for GC/filing AOS I will need to fill the form with my married name.

 

But within the waiting period between now and getting my GC, am I already allowed to put my married name on other documents/paperwork, such as Driver's License, Medical Card, insurance, bills, etc. even though my existing ID's (passport, SSN, unexpired I-94) are still under my maiden name? Will I encounter a problem when they ask for proof of identity that matches my married name? Is marriage certificate a sufficient for a proof?

 

I appreciate all the answers.

Yes you can use your married name. Your marriage certificate is always the legal link between your previous and present name 

[K1visaHopeful 2,878]

Some places will take your MC as proof of legal name change. Others will require a piece of ID or an immigration document in that name too.

Especially to change the name on your DL. That wil vary by state and something you will have to investigate by googling the DMV in your state.

[payxibka 10,047]

1 hour ago, MJAK said:

Hi everyone. I arrived in San Diego, CA under a K-1 visa on March 5, and we just got married two days ago. I also added my husband's last name to mine on the marriage license.

I understand that for GC/filing AOS I will need to fill the form with my married name.

 

But within the waiting period between now and getting my GC, am I already allowed to put my married name on other documents/paperwork, such as Driver's License, Medical Card, insurance, bills, etc. even though my existing ID's (passport, SSN, unexpired I-94) are still under my maiden name? Will I encounter a problem when they ask for proof of identity that matches my married name? Is marriage certificate a sufficient for a proof?

 

I appreciate all the answers.

One of the ways to perfect a name change is to start using it everywhere in life 

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,096]

2 hours ago, MJAK said:

But within the waiting period between now and getting my GC, am I already allowed to put my married name on other documents/paperwork, such as Driver's License, Medical Card, insurance, bills, etc. even though my existing ID's (passport, SSN, unexpired I-94) are still under my maiden name? Will I encounter a problem when they ask for proof of identity that matches my married name? Is marriage certificate a sufficient for a proof?

Unfortunately, the CA DMV will need a social security card in your married name to get a RealID-compliant license or state ID (we ran into this the first time we tried to get a learner's permit for my wife; she had her EAD/AP combo card in her married name and a copy of our marriage certificate, but we hadn't updated her social security card yet; ended up trying again after she got her green card and we updated her social security card), but with most other things you should be fine.

[MJAK 28]

On 4/2/2020 at 3:08 PM, DaveAndAnastasia said:

Unfortunately, the CA DMV will need a social security card in your married name to get a RealID-compliant license or state ID (we ran into this the first time we tried to get a learner's permit for my wife; she had her EAD/AP combo card in her married name and a copy of our marriage certificate, but we hadn't updated her social security card yet; ended up trying again after she got her green card and we updated her social security card), but with most other things you should be fine.

Thank you so much! According to the answers here I do need to sort things out with the Social Security card first for the name change before my I-94 expires. After that I’ll try do the DMV that way I have another legal ID that I can bring around with my married name.