Name Change After Marriage

[purplestuff 2]

Hello All!

 

I'm a U.S. citizen living in the U.S. who recently traveled to Taiwan and married my wife. We plan to bring her to the U.S. through the CR-1 visa process. I haven't submitted the I-130 petition yet. Our marriage certificate shows her maiden name. On her current passport, it lists her maiden name and "Also known as" name. We've been considering/debating whether she should change her name to my last name. It would be nice to change but seems like a lot involved, especially for her because of all the document and institution updating involved. Anyways, some advice on this forum suggests it's best to get a new passport with her married name first.

 

With that said, can I use her married name on the I-130 and I-130a and submit them before she gets a new passport to potentially save time?

 

How and when should she update her US social security card? She actually worked temporarily in the US via J1-visa program and already have her SSN in her maiden name.

 

[milimelo 4,466]

Yes, you can use her new married name on the I-130. Passport won't come into play until NVC time some 12-14 months down the line which gives her plenty of time to update her documents (in my home country it took less than 2 weeks to get everything updated). 

 

For SSN - she'll need to handle that upon arrival to the US with her immigrant visa. Number stays for life. I also had SSN from when I was on J-1 and there were no issues updating it after arrival. Come DS-260 time, she should mark NO on the question if she wants the SSN to be automatically issued. 

[purplestuff 2]

5 minutes ago, milimelo said:

Yes, you can use her new married name on the I-130. Passport won't come into play until NVC time some 12-14 months down the line which gives her plenty of time to update her documents (in my home country it took less than 2 weeks to get everything updated). 

 

For SSN - she'll need to handle that upon arrival to the US with her immigrant visa. Number stays for life. I also had SSN from when I was on J-1 and there were no issues updating it after arrival. Come DS-260 time, she should mark NO on the question if she wants the SSN to be automatically issued. 

 

Ok this is very helpful and less than 2 weeks sounds more than reasonable!

 

So if she keeps her same SSN and only need to update her name, I'm assuming she would do this through the SS-5 form?

[milimelo 4,466]

Just now, purplestuff said:

 

Ok this is very helpful and less than 2 weeks sounds more than reasonable!

 

So if she keeps her same SSN and only need to update her name, I'm assuming she would do this through the SS-5 form?

Yes, once she gets to the US on the immigrant visa she just takes her passport with visa, marriage certificate and completed SS-5 form. 

 

 

[purplestuff 2]

3 minutes ago, milimelo said:

Yes, once she gets to the US on the immigrant visa she just takes her passport with visa, marriage certificate and completed SS-5 form. 

 

 

 

Ok, I understand. Appreciate your help!

[Crazy Cat 41,636]

1 hour ago, purplestuff said:

We've been considering/debating whether she should change her name to my last name.

Just a personal perspective from a Taiwan marriage:  My wife elected not to change her name.  It has made her entire immigration process much easier on both sides of the Ocean.  Good luck on your immigration journey. 

Edited August 5 by Crazy Cat

[purplestuff 2]

37 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Just a personal perspective from a Taiwan marriage:  My wife elected not to change her name.  It has made her entire immigration process much easier on both sides of the Ocean.  Good luck on your immigration journey. 

 

That's very interesting to hear. It seems like the name change after marriage is more of a western cultural thing compared to Taiwan but that's just my opinion. Have you experienced any post marriage/immigration administrative issues due to different last names? (i.e. traveling, legal documents, banking, people questioning, etc)

[Crazy Cat 41,636]

10 minutes ago, purplestuff said:

Have you experienced any post marriage/immigration administrative issues due to different last names?

None at all.  I think changing her name would have possibly caused a lot of problems with wife's pension, investments, banks, insurance, etc. in Taiwan.   Keeping her name has not caused any issues in the US (Taxes, Military ID, Military Health Care, Social Security benefits, Medicare, etc).   As far as passports, it has never been a problem since everything has been in her Taiwan name.  As a dual citizen, both her Taiwanese and US passports are in her original name. 

Edited August 5 by Crazy Cat

[purplestuff 2]

54 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

None at all.  I think changing her name would have possibly caused a lot of problems with wife's pension, investments, banks, insurance, etc. in Taiwan.   Keeping her name has not caused any issues in the US (Taxes, Military ID, Military Health Care, Social Security benefits, Medicare, etc).   As far as passports, it has never been a problem since everything has been in her Taiwan name.  As a dual citizen, both her Taiwanese and US passports are in her original name. 

 

That's awesome to hear. I'm going to discuss this with her but I'm really leaning towards just leaving the name alone now

[Crazy Cat 41,636]

19 hours ago, purplestuff said:

 

That's awesome to hear. I'm going to discuss this with her but I'm really leaning towards just leaving the name alone now

I speak just from my personal experience.  In our case, we just found it easier to just keep her last name.  After 9 years of marriage, it has not an issue in any way, including joint taxes.   I think Shakespeare wrote "A rose by any other name would be just as sweet".  

Edited August 6 by Crazy Cat

[purplestuff 2]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

I speak just from my personal experience.  In our case, we just found it easier to just keep her last name.  After 9 years of marriage, it has not an issue in any way, including joint taxes.   I think Shakespeare wrote "A rose by any other name would be just as sweet".  

 

I'll take your word for it. I discussed this with her yesterday and she's fine keeping her last name! Now, I just have to finish wrapping up the I-130/I-130A and submit it. Plus, I see keeping her last name as an added benefit should I decided to move to Taiwan instead.

[Crazy Cat 41,636]

2 minutes ago, purplestuff said:

 

I'll take your word for it. I discussed this with her yesterday and she's fine keeping her last name! Now, I just have to finish wrapping up the I-130/I-130A and submit it. Plus, I see keeping her last name as an added benefit should I decided to move to Taiwan instead.

I had a Taiwan ARC......and a Chinese name...It was difficult to learn to write it. LOL.

[purplestuff 2]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

I had a Taiwan ARC......and a Chinese name...It was difficult to learn to write it. LOL.

Oh I see...I'm in the process of trying to apply for the ARC as well. Any key advice or big gotchas I should keep in mind applying for this? This is the source I'm currently going off of: https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-166-281-b948e-2.html

 

One of the last items I need is an authenticated background check which is a real pain to get. I had to mail a copy to the US Department of State to request an authentication. Still waiting to hear back but once I receive it, I have to then mail it out to the TECRO office in DC for another authentication...

 

I got a Chinese name too but I just let my wife decide the name for me. Good thing is, it's very short and easy to write lol

Edited August 6 by purplestuff

[Crazy Cat 41,636]

5 minutes ago, purplestuff said:

Oh I see...I'm in the process of trying to apply for the ARC as well. Any key advice or big gotchas I should keep in mind applying for this? This is the source I'm currently going off of: https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-166-281-b948e-2.html

 

One of the last items I need is an authenticated background check which is a real pain to get. I had to mail a copy to the US Department of State to request an authentication. Still waiting to hear back but once I receive it, I have to then mail it out to the TECRO office in DC for another authentication...

 

I got a Chinese name too but I just let my wife decide the name for me. Good thing is, it's very short and easy to write lol

I got my ARC back in 2015.  I went through an agency to get that FBI background check.  An agency also took it to the TECRO office in DC for the authentication as part of their service.  I also had to get a tourist visa from the "consulate" in Houston in order to change my status.  I seem to remember using a variety of sources for the process.  After I submitted all my paperwork in Taipei, it took about 2 weeks to get the actual card.

[purplestuff 2]

38 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

I got my ARC back in 2015.  I went through an agency to get that FBI background check.  An agency also took it to the TECRO office in DC for the authentication as part of their service.  I also had to get a tourist visa from the "consulate" in Houston in order to change my status.  I seem to remember using a variety of sources for the process.  After I submitted all my paperwork in Taipei, it took about 2 weeks to get the actual card.

 

Alright good to know. Wish my agency handled all that for me but oh well. Appreciate your support and insight.