So Luis and I were legally married last September, but just had the ceremony this weekend and I was in the process of starting to change my name.

Back in September, the county clerk doing the marriage told him he had to sign the marriage certificate with his full name as it appeared on his birth certificate, Luis Antonio Quinones Sanchez. So he did.

Usually, to change your name for marriage all you have to do is take your marriage certificate to the DMV and get a new license and you're done. So I did that yesterday, but they changed my name to Amy Quinones Sanchez. Problem is, Sanchez is my mother in law's maiden name (that's how they name their kids in Mexico), and of course I don't want to take that one, I just want to be Amy Quinones. I argued with the manager at the DMV, he said, sorry but we have to follow the marriage certificate exactly. So they sent me downtown to talk with the civil courts folks to do a legal name change and come back.

So this morning I went downtown and found out that in order to drop the "Sanchez," I have to go through this HUGE process of getting fingerprinted, a 3 month FBI check and go to court, all of which will run me a little over 200 bucks and take up to 6 months.

Now, the rabble rouser in me wants a lawyer... if I had married a John Smith, all I'd have to do is go to the DMV, they'd change my last name to Smith and I'd be done with it. But because I married a Latino with two last names, I have this huge process, have to pay a ton of money, and get fingerprinted like a freakin criminal.

I'm kinda frustrated and not sure what to do. I know no one can give me legal advice here, but has ANYONE had this problem or have any ideas?

Thanks...

Amy

I think you just had the back luck to run into some MORON who is just looking to give you a hard time. I am a hispanic, with two last names, and when I got my SS card, the guy asked me how I wanted my name, and even asked me if I wanted both last names with a dash between them. I said make it simplest (for immigration purposes, didnt want THEM to be confused), so he took just my dad's last name.

I dont really have any advice, but I would think people in goverment positions are aware of this, and this guy seems to be giving you a hard time...

Just my two cents...

Umm... afaik if the person you're marrying has two last names you're supposed to be able to choose which one you want to use. Sounds like the person at the DMV was an idiot - rather like the person I dealt with in the bank who said that I 'HAD' to use my maiden name as my middle name because 'that's what the DMV would do'. I told her she didn't know what she was talking about... and when I went to the DMV there was no hassle at all.