Help w/ Name Change

[cwespalmore 0]

I need help figuring out what to do with my wife's name. She is from the Philippines. When we met, she had two first names 1 2, her moms last name has her middle name 3, and her fathers last name 4. When we got married, she took my last name 5 and changed her middle to her previous last name. 

 

The issue is the different ways they have her name. After we got married, ss let her change her name to F12 M4 L5. Drivers license wanted it F12 M3 L4. During green card process they wanted it F12 M4 L5. Wife got her citizenship and certificate today, but they said it had to me F12 M3 L5. 

 

So she has all these different names on card, certificates, etc bc each seemed to have their own way how they wanted to do the name and we are lost at what to do. Thanks and sorry for the long post!

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

Since she now has citizenship she can change her name to whatever she wants.. the gc is no longer applicable to her, so it’s really just getting the citizenship certificate, ssn and DL to align

[millefleur 5,046]

Was she not able to change it during the Citizenship process?

[Ayrton 965]

7 hours ago, cwespalmore said:

I need help figuring out what to do with my wife's name. She is from the Philippines. When we met, she had two first names 1 2, her moms last name has her middle name 3, and her fathers last name 4. When we got married, she took my last name 5 and changed her middle to her previous last name. 

 

The issue is the different ways they have her name. After we got married, ss let her change her name to F12 M4 L5. Drivers license wanted it F12 M3 L4. During green card process they wanted it F12 M4 L5. Wife got her citizenship and certificate today, but they said it had to me F12 M3 L5. 

 

So she has all these different names on card, certificates, etc bc each seemed to have their own way how they wanted to do the name and we are lost at what to do. Thanks and sorry for the long post!

You posted all the different ways but didn't say what she wants to do. Does she want to remove any name? Does she want to include a new name? 

 

I have 5 names (2 firsts, 3 last, in brazil we don't have middle names). If I included my spouse's name it would be 6, so I decided not to do it. I then had the same issues as her. All my IDs, cards have different variations of my name because they can never fit the whole thing in their systems. I went to court and changed my name to just one first and one last name.

[cwespalmore 0]

1 hour ago, Ayrton said:

You posted all the different ways but didn't say what she wants to do. Does she want to remove any name? Does she want to include a new name? 

 

I have 5 names (2 firsts, 3 last, in brazil we don't have middle names). If I included my spouse's name it would be 6, so I decided not to do it. I then had the same issues as her. All my IDs, cards have different variations of my name because they can never fit the whole thing in their systems. I went to court and changed my name to just one first and one last name.

She would like to keep her name 12 4 5. Her original first two names, her maiden name as her middle, and my last name as her last. We had it changed this way at social security when we got married. When she had her citizenship interview two days ago and today at the oath ceremony, they said she couldn't change her middle name to her previous last name because that's not how it read on her birth certificate, despite social security changing it when we got married. 

 

Now that the green cards aren't an issue since they took them, I was wondering what the best way to get the certificate changed is. Or should she just keep it and get used to it.  Thanks!

[millefleur 5,046]

12 minutes ago, cwespalmore said:

When she had her citizenship interview two days ago and today at the oath ceremony, they said she couldn't change her middle name to her previous last name because that's not how it read on her birth certificate, despite social security changing it when we got married. 

I just thought there was an option to do an official name change during citizenship, and I assumed that would result in the certificate having the preferred, changed name. Was that not an option?

[Ayrton 965]

4 minutes ago, cwespalmore said:

She would like to keep her name 12 4 5. Her original first two names, her maiden name as her middle, and my last name as her last. We had it changed this way at social security when we got married. When she had her citizenship interview two days ago and today at the oath ceremony, they said she couldn't change her middle name to her previous last name because that's not how it read on her birth certificate, despite social security changing it when we got married. 

 

Now that the green cards aren't an issue since they took them, I was wondering what the best way to get the certificate changed is. Or should she just keep it and get used to it.  Thanks!

I don't think you can change the name on the certificate. When you do naturalization, you have the option to change the name to anything you want. 

 

I think her only option now is getting it changed in the court. She will use the court order to get a passport with the new name, DL with the new name.

[cwespalmore 0]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

I just thought there was an option to do an official name change during citizenship, and I assumed that would result in the certificate having the preferred, changed name. Was that not an option?

Maybe for last name. She wanted her middle name to match our marriage certificate and her social security card. They specifically said during her citizenship interview and then again after she took her oath that her name first and middle name had to match her original birth certificate. I guess $500 to the court for a name change it is. Thanks everyone!

[cwespalmore 0]

I know when we filled out the application it had a section if she wanted to change her name. She chose No because her green card and social security card had the name correct as she wanted it. But the one who interviewed her said it needed to match her birth certificate and said she couldn't change it. Ugh maybe they were being quick with everything going on. She was in and out in 15 mins, didn't even ask her 5 questions.