Finally got our adjustment of status behind us, greencard in hand and now my wife can finally travel home to see her family. She is concerned about whether to use her married name or her maiden name on the flight tickets. Shes worried that when leaving Russia they will stop her at passport check because her Russian passport shows her maiden name, her greencard shows her married name and her ticket shows her married name. Shes probably right they will give her a hard time. Anyway, anybody that has gone through this already - I would really value any input. I already got her ticket in her married name but I'm not sure if I should change it. The last problem I need is my wife not being able to return home because of some jack*** in passport control. Thanks!

The name on the ticket should be the name on her passport, since that's the document she'll be traveling on. You should also bring your marriage license and any other supporting documentation you think would be helpful, just in case.

Can you go to the Russian embassy and get a new passport for her? We did that for Claudeth.

Always put the ticket in the married name, like you did.

If passport has pre-married name, bring the marriage certificate with you in case it is questioned, but know that it never has been for us. This most recent time, she's carrying a U.S. passport and a Russian passport with different names (pre-married in Russian passport, married in U.S. passport), ticket in married name, check-in was performed as usual without any questions about the name differences and no need to show the marriage certificate. This discrepancy is very common and the airlines must be used to it.

The photo and signature prove the passport belongs to the bearer, and you still have the permanent resident card as proof of identity in the marriage name.

Hmmm....being that you've got actual travel experience doing this, I'll defer to you. But everything I've read previously says the tickets should be in the name of the travel document, i.e. the passport.

I would recommend this. All the 'horror stories' I have heard have been using Aeroflot, btw. Got to love that Russian customer service...

Just curious....Chris Parker mentioned traveling with Russian passport and U.S. passport. When can an immigrant apply for a U.S. passport? Was just wondering, that's all.

You can apply 3 years after you have a greencard (assuming you are married). Otherwise, 5 years. (Actually, you are getting a certificate of naturalization. After you have this, you can apply for a passport.

Parker's wife was naturalized and the recent questions he's been asking have been about his MIL. The questions he's answering are from first-hand experience with his wife.

And that's good. Those are the "good" stories. There have been other posters on here who have said they had issues at exit control because she was travelling on the "American" name and it wasn't the same name in her passport (intl. and/or domestic) and they wouldn't recognize the "foreign" documents (marriage cert, GC, etc.)

But, as stated above, this is just typical Russian customer service and/or shake-down by exit control. You may encounter no problems at all or you may be required to pay a "fine" in order to exit.

Since you've already purchased the tickets, it'll probably cost you more to change them than whatever the "fine" would be at exit control. Plus, she's Russian so she'll be able to negotiate with them about what is an "acceptable fine" to be paid.

All in all, I wouldn't stress out too much about it. Russian women are pretty good at handling this sort of thing all by themselves. I know we as men need to make sure everything is all in order and lined-out before we send them on their way but they usually fare better on their home turf without us there wearing the big "kick me" sign of a foreigner on our backs.

You can use either name and it will probably be accepted just fine.

However, the advice for me and from just any travel agent you ask will be that you should be the married name because the marriage certificate can be used to clarify the name change on the spot if there is a complaint about the discrepancies. You can't do it as easily the other way (where is your divorce certificate?)

We've renewed the Russian passport at the U.S. embassy and had to show the marriage certificate with an apostille as part of that process. They still used the pre-married name on the new passport. Furthermore, if you have an interior Russian passport, it would be an especially big mistake to change the name at the embassy, because the embassy can't touch the interior passport and the names will no longer match! Actually not worth the trouble of changing it is the bottom line.

After 3 or 5 years immigrant may apply for naturalization, upon approval and swearing in, they revoke the permanent resident card and any travel documents issued (permit to re-enter) and take them away from you, and give you a certificate of naturalization instead (which is now your only proof of status for the rest of the your life). However, you can then apply for a U.S. passport with that, and in fact U.S. citizens are required to exit and enter the U.S. with a U.S. passport.

Precisely the reason not to change the name in the Russian passport, and keep it in the pre-married name! Don't show Russian passport control your permanent resident card unless they ask for it, but do show your marriage certficate if there is a complaint about the name mismatch (though this has never happened to us). Usually, they just ask "why are you going to USA," and there are a variety of right answers, like "work" or "school" that will get you through routinely. However, be sure there is at least 1 year of remaining validity on the Russian passport at the time you leave (they've been known to turn people back to renew it first)!

Foreign documents will be accepted if they have an apostille, which you should get from the state's Secretary of State for your marriage certificate because Russia will not consider it be a legal document of any kind without it! (in fact, for adoption cases, I've read that the Russian judges make a big deal at the hearing to examine the apostille of the proposed parent's marriage certificate, in order to determine its admissibility into evidence supporting the petition)

Russia is very bureaucratic, and stupid documents like the apostille (and international driving permits for that matter) are a big deal to them.

The name on the ticket should match her name on the passport!!!! That's the rule.

I travelled to Russia two times and I didn't have any problems. Just take a copy of your marriage certificate and the green card.

My wife has twice traveled to Russia using her maiden name on tickets because that is the name in her Russian passport. She also has an amendment in her Russian passport saying that this passport holder also goes by this married name. That married name is found on her green card. She has had no problems flying this way.

As for the marriage certificate, getting that apostilled, professionally translated, and certified at the Russian consulate, before it can legally be used in Russia is a huge hassle and costs quite a bit too.

As for changing the Russian passport to show a married name that can only be done in Russia by first changing the internal passport, which will require the marriage certificate procedure mentioned above.

As for the amendment that can be done as soon as you get a document with a married name that the Russian consulate will accept. No translations required.

Just to give you one interesting problem we have encountered.
Transaero, a Russian airline refused to process (online) my wife's ticket in her maiden name, because all of her credit cards were in her married name! They insisted that the traveler must be the same person as the credit card holder. We finally bought a ticket via email through an agent. But it just goes to show you. Transaero tickets were not available for sale here in the US at a travel agent.

You could get an additional card with the pre-married name to get the order processed.

Similar problems I've had to deal with:

1) The baby legally has 2 last names. The interior Russian airlines aren't sure whether to use the last last name or the first last name, but they know they must put 3 names on the ticket and cannot put all 4 names on the ticket. It's a toss.

2) I have no middle name. The interior Russian airlines have to put a bogus character for my middle name because they can't support no middle name.

Names can be like playdough when cultural differences clash.

The Russian embassy in New York requires apostilles on U.S. civil documents before they will render any services requiring them.

Translations can be done while in Russia with a notary for much less money.

Ikobo.com is your friend. Open an account (free) and have a Visa card made out to any name you care to enter. It works like a pre-paid phone card, but you can add funds on their website from your bank account or another credit card, and the transfer is instant. I had one sent to Nadya. She can use it as a Visa card (which makes her feel very cosmopolitan at the few places that take credit cards lol) or in a Bankomat. The fee is $0.99/month. We no longer deal with Western Union. Don't see why it couldn't work for you to buy plane tickets.

My wife returned to Moscow in Sept., her first trip home since arriving here a year ago. I arranged for her ticket using FF miles I had w/Lufthansa using her married name, as that is the name on her Green Card.

When we arrived to check in, the Lufthansa clerk told us the ticket needed to match her passport and she simply re-booked her and gave her new tix. The clerk also advised her that she should have a copy of her marriage license with her, just in case. Once she had her new tix she went Newark-Frankfurt-Moscow and back and had no problems and no one asked her for a copy of her marriage license.