Passport in Maiden Name, IR App in Married Name

[corinne from oz 0]

Hello,

I got married two years ago and never got around to changing my name in my passport for lots of reasons i.e. I was overseas alot of the time travelling and also my passport is valid or another 5 years - Also, in Australia it is ok to travel on your maiden name passport, there is no requiremet to change it. Then a couple of months ago I thought I would get it done. Then I found out I had to first official change my name with the Registrar of Birth, Deaths and Marraiges in NSW, Australia. Then when this was done, I would have to apply for a new passport. (They do not accept overseas marraige certificates in Australia to change name in passport!) What was annoying was the costs involved about $200 for name change and $208 for passport.

Anyway, I am just panicking now as I am not sure if this will cause a problem with my immigrant visa? If my passport is in my maiden name (but everything else is in my married name) but my married is name is on the I-130 etc - will this cause problems? We did include my maiden name on the I-130 as other names I am known by.

Appreciate any info ASAP. What is making me panic is that I have found out it is taking the Registrar of Birth, Deaths and Marraiges in NSW, Australia about 10weeks to process a name change. Then I can get an urgent passport (pay even more money) within 1 week.

HELP! I have already waited so bloody long to see my hubby, I don't want something as petty as this to delay it even further.

[trinket 30]

Your visa will be issued on your maiden name because that's the name you have on your passport. Subsequently your SSN and your Green card will have the same maiden name.

It is not a problem, you can change all these once you come to US as well, given you do want to take your husband's last name officially.

Edited March 12, 2009 by trinket

[pushbrk 12,894]

Your visa will be issued on your maiden name because that's the name you have on your passport. Subsequently your SSN and your Green card will have the same maiden name.

It is not a problem, you can change all these once you come to US as well, given you do want to take your husband's last name officially.

This is not necessarily true. With few exceptions, visas are issued in the passport name but green cards can be issued in the married name (current legal name) regardless of the passport name. However, tickets must be booked in the passport name or you don't get on a plane for an international flight. It's cleaner all around to complete the name change process including the passport, no matter what it takes to do so.

[Arun+Catie 1]

Hello,

I got married two years ago and never got around to changing my name in my passport for lots of reasons i.e. I was overseas alot of the time travelling and also my passport is valid or another 5 years - Also, in Australia it is ok to travel on your maiden name passport, there is no requiremet to change it. Then a couple of months ago I thought I would get it done. Then I found out I had to first official change my name with the Registrar of Birth, Deaths and Marraiges in NSW, Australia. Then when this was done, I would have to apply for a new passport. (They do not accept overseas marraige certificates in Australia to change name in passport!) What was annoying was the costs involved about $200 for name change and $208 for passport.

Anyway, I am just panicking now as I am not sure if this will cause a problem with my immigrant visa? If my passport is in my maiden name (but everything else is in my married name) but my married is name is on the I-130 etc - will this cause problems? We did include my maiden name on the I-130 as other names I am known by.

Appreciate any info ASAP. What is making me panic is that I have found out it is taking the Registrar of Birth, Deaths and Marraiges in NSW, Australia about 10weeks to process a name change. Then I can get an urgent passport (pay even more money) within 1 week.

HELP! I have already waited so bloody long to see my hubby, I don't want something as petty as this to delay it even further.

Don't fret - you are exactly right - there is no requirement to change your last name. It will not cause a problem with your visa. Your US docs will be issued with the name on your passport. I would wait until you have a green card (and have IR1, if you're going for CR1) in hand to change your name now...

My two cents...

Catie

[kaffy 2]

I disagree with the information that has been posted above... I was in a similar situation to yours and mine worked itself out pretty easily.

My Aussie passport was (and still is) in my maiden name and I had too little time left to change it but the Consulate was happy to process my visa application in my married name, putting my maiden name in the "also known as" field. All my correspondence with the Consulate was made in my married name and when it came time for the visa to be issued they issued it in my married name with an annotation to my maiden name. Simple as that. I had no issues boarding the flight or at POE whatsoever. I am legally using my married name here and that's what is issued on my Social security card, Green card, bank accounts, etc

[kaffy 2]

(They do not accept overseas marraige certificates in Australia to change name in passport!)

This is what they told me also (we have a Japanese marriage certificate) when I inquired. We were overseas at the time and since I am overseas born QLD BDM told me I would have to wait until after I had returned to Australia for a year before I would be allowed to register a name change. Okay I thought fine.. so I waited. Unfortunately I didn't quite make it to the 1 year mark as we decided to file for DCF 10 months after returning to Aus and I left for the US one day before my 1 year mark.

BUT there is a way to get around this. I found out recently from the Aussie Embassy here in Washington DC that instead of going through the BDM, you can simply apply for evidence of & change the name on your citizenship certificate (see: http://www.citizenship.gov.au/proof/) The cost is just $55 AND they accept overseas marriage licenses as proof of legal name change. Then take that piece of documentation & use it to update your passport with.

Like I said above my passport is still in my maiden name and I don't have immediate plans to change it (it's valid thru 2015) but when I do I will be following what the Embassy told me above.

[kaffy 2]

^ sorry I forgot to add.

Form 119 says on page 2 that "Overseas marriage certificates are not acceptable evidence of a change of name"

I emailed the Embassy specifically to ask about this as my Japanese marriage certificate is all I can provide and their official response was that they can accept overseas certificates with a certified official English translation (if required).

[pushbrk 12,894]

^ sorry I forgot to add.

Form 119 says on page 2 that "Overseas marriage certificates are not acceptable evidence of a change of name"

I emailed the Embassy specifically to ask about this as my Japanese marriage certificate is all I can provide and their official response was that they can accept overseas certificates with a certified official English translation (if required).

You're mixing governments. A US Consular officer may well accept something the Australian government will not.

Your current circumstances are only complicated by the fact your airline tickets are purchased in your passport name.

[kaffy 2]

My first post was about the US Consulate in Sydney

My next two are about the Australian Embassy in Washington DC

not mixed up