Global Entry Application - Different Last Names

[visaquestion1234 34]

Hi All,

 

I'm in the process of applying for Global Entry for my wife who is a LPR. She took my last name when she gained her status but her current passport (from her home country) still shows her maiden name.

 

On the "Profile Info" section, it states:

 

Please use your full name as it appears on your passport (if you have one). If a second or middle name is included in the Given/first name on your passport, it must also be included here.

 

This is fine, but in the application it asks for your permanent resident card information as well. Her last name on her card is different as she took my name when we married. After inputting that information, we receive this message:

 

The name or date of birth entered on your U.S. Passport or Permanent Resident Card, does not match the Profile on this account.

 

Does anyone have experience exiting this loop? It specifically states that the information given must be exactly as it appears on the document so I'm not sure what to do here.

 

Thank you in advance!
 

 

[TBoneTX 46,016]

*** Thread is moved from General Immigration Discussion to the Working & Traveling forum. ***

31 minutes ago, visaquestion1234 said:

Does anyone have experience exiting this loop?

I didn't encounter this specifically, but try this:

     "For Trusted Traveler Programs (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST), we will respond to your inquiry as efficiently as possible.  If your concern is urgent and you have not received a response within 7-10 business days, contact us by phone at 1-202-325-8000 or 1-877-227-5511 for immediate assistance and please have your case number available so that we may pull your information up as quickly as possible.  Please note that we cannot provide account information to third parties, including family members and representatives of any adult applicant or member."

 

Or, actually, try calling here first:

   Brownsville, TX Port of Entry, (956) 983-5800.

The CBP agents are knowledgeable and helpful, and you'll get personal attention once one is available.

[SalishSea 18,117]

I would guess that she will need to get her passport updated prior to being eligible to apply for GE.  I can't imagine they would accept mismatched documents.

[W199 353]

I recently went through this with my Wife.  Her green card is in her married name while her passport is in her maiden name.

 

We signed her up in GE with her married name, which matches her green card name.

 

At the GE interview the officer was complaining that her passport didn't match, but after leaving to the back room and coming back, he said, "he can still approve it but will use her married name, and therefore, she must her her green card for GE instead of her passport when arriving to the USA.

 

We then realized this is a bad idea because her plane ticket must be in her maiden name to match her passport. This would prevent her from getting TSA pre-check.

 

We just emailed them, and they changed her GE name to her passport name. So now she will get TSA pre-check and simply use her passport for GE.

 

We're flying back for a visit at end of February .. so we'll see if it goes smoothly with it.

Edited Saturday at 04:34 AM by W199

[W199 353]

Also, keep in mind, if her green card is a 2-year one, then the GE will automatically end when the 2-year card expires.   I'm not sure yet if you can use an extension letter to re-activate it or need to "wait" for the 10-year green card.

[visaquestion1234 34]

10 hours ago, W199 said:

I recently went through this with my Wife.  Her green card is in her married name while her passport is in her maiden name.

 

We signed her up in GE with her married name, which matches her green card name.

 

At the GE interview the officer was complaining that her passport didn't match, but after leaving to the back room and coming back, he said, "he can still approve it but will use her married name, and therefore, she must her her green card for GE instead of her passport when arriving to the USA.

 

We then realized this is a bad idea because her plane ticket must be in her maiden name to match her passport. This would prevent her from getting TSA pre-check.

 

We just emailed them, and they changed her GE name to her passport name. So now she will get TSA pre-check and simply use her passport for GE.

 

We're flying back for a visit at end of February .. so we'll see if it goes smoothly with it.

Very helpful, thank you so much. So when you signed her up initially, did you just put her maiden name in the passport field in order to bypass the error message? We can’t go to the next page unless the names match.

 

She has her 10 year green card by the way. I guess we’ll have another mess with this when she becomes a citizen later this year (hopefully).

[W199 353]

Hi,

 

Looking at her account, I see that we signed up with GE as as follows:

   - GE profile/account - Maiden name

   - Passport - Maiden name

   - Green Card - Married name

   - Driver's license - Married name

 

After she gets her citizenship, you just need to make an appointment with GE to update her info. Or maybe you can update them through the support/email system, I'm not sure.  But in either case, it should be pretty easy.

[visaquestion1234 34]

9 minutes ago, W199 said:

Hi,

 

Looking at her account, I see that we signed up with GE as as follows:

   - GE profile/account - Maiden name

   - Passport - Maiden name

   - Green Card - Married name

   - Driver's license - Married name

 

After she gets her citizenship, you just need to make an appointment with GE to update her info. Or maybe you can update them through the support/email system, I'm not sure.  But in either case, it should be pretty easy.

Hm. I wonder how you were able to advance to the next page. Do you remember if you ever received an error message saying the names don’t match?

[OldUser 7,401]

21 hours ago, W199 said:

Also, keep in mind, if her green card is a 2-year one, then the GE will automatically end when the 2-year card expires.   I'm not sure yet if you can use an extension letter to re-activate it or need to "wait" for the 10-year green card.

Not true. I was a conditional resident. I got GE when I was on work visa, prior to getting 2 year GC. I successfully travelled on conditional GC using GE and since then I got 10 year GC and travelled on GE without issue. My membership remained active all this time. I renewed it once (without interview) when I was a conditional resident just because the 5th year of membership.

Edited Sunday at 01:45 AM by OldUser

[OldUser 7,401]

1 hour ago, W199 said:

Hi,

 

Looking at her account, I see that we signed up with GE as as follows:

   - GE profile/account - Maiden name

   - Passport - Maiden name

   - Green Card - Married name

   - Driver's license - Married name

 

After she gets her citizenship, you just need to make an appointment with GE to update her info. Or maybe you can update them through the support/email system, I'm not sure.  But in either case, it should be pretty easy.

I bet in person visit is needed.

[W199 353]

1 hour ago, visaquestion1234 said:

Hm. I wonder how you were able to advance to the next page. Do you remember if you ever received an error message saying the names don’t match?

No, no issue with moving to the next page. It went smoothly without issues.   The only thing to note, is they never sent the approval notice until a long time afterwards. But checking the GE web page just about 1-2 weeks later, it said it was approved and was able to make an interview appointment. Moral is don't wait for the email approval notice.

[W199 353]

44 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Not true. I was a conditional resident. I got GE when I was on work visa, prior to getting 2 year GC. I successfully travelled on conditional GC using GE and since then I got 10 year GC and travelled on GE without issue. My membership remained active all this time. I renewed it once (without interview) when I was a conditional resident just because the 5th year of membership.

Although it shouldn't matter, that's a different situation since you got GE initially on a work visa and sounds like that happened a long time ago.   I'm just starting what others have reported, and what the interviewing officers have stated.   I'll let you know in 3 years if its true or not.

[Lemonslice 4,961]

4 minutes ago, W199 said:

Although it shouldn't matter, that's a different situation since you got GE initially on a work visa and sounds like that happened a long time ago.   I'm just starting what others have reported, and what the interviewing officers have stated.   I'll let you know in 3 years if its true or not.

I entered the US on a CR1 and I had the exact same experience as @OldUser.  They only checked my extension letter the first time I entered (after the expiration date of my card), and I guess updated it to the extension date.  No question on later entries. 

[OldUser 7,401]

Just now, Lemonslice said:

I entered the US on a CR1 and I had the exact same experience as @OldUser.  They only checked my extension letter the first time I entered (after the expiration date of my card), and I guess updated it to the extension date.  No question on later entries. 

I don't see a basis for GE ending when conditional GC expires. You remain LPR and you have extension letter. Yes, you may need to see human when reentering on these docs. But it doesn't mean you cannot use GE line which is shorter than regular line.

[ghostinthemachine 76]

On 1/17/2025 at 6:32 PM, visaquestion1234 said:

Hi All,

 

I'm in the process of applying for Global Entry for my wife who is a LPR. She took my last name when she gained her status but her current passport (from her home country) still shows her maiden name.

 

On the "Profile Info" section, it states:

 

Please use your full name as it appears on your passport (if you have one). If a second or middle name is included in the Given/first name on your passport, it must also be included here.

 

This is fine, but in the application it asks for your permanent resident card information as well. Her last name on her card is different as she took my name when we married. After inputting that information, we receive this message:

 

The name or date of birth entered on your U.S. Passport or Permanent Resident Card, does not match the Profile on this account.

 

Does anyone have experience exiting this loop? It specifically states that the information given must be exactly as it appears on the document so I'm not sure what to do here.

 

Thank you in advance!
 

 

 

You need to apply for GE using the name as per the GC. If you use her maiden name as per the passport it won't work. I went through the same. Had to go back, change the name of the account and then continue adding documents. You will have to input both the GC and the passport data anyway as well as then fill out the line that asks for any other names she's known as (her maiden name, in this case).

 

No issues getting approved at all. Officer didn't even mention it at the interview (or ever during any border crossing to be honest). I'm finally just getting around to replacing my passport as it's expiring this year and will update my name in the process. Downside is you won't get PreCheck for those international flights since they have to be booked with the passport name, but apart from that it's not an issue at all.