Today we went to the courthouse to get our marriage license and run into a very unusual problem which hopefully some of you came across before... Both Elena and I are Russians, and she wants to take my last name. In Russian language the female last name has a letter "a" added to the end, for example Ivanov - Ivanova. So we need to take my last name, add "a" to the end, and that will be her last name. I wonder if anyone came across this issue before and how was it handled? Because technically the U.S. officials can only change the wife's last name to her husband's last name which does not have an "a" on the end... What do you think?

The names won't be exactly the same in both countries, you'll just have to live with that anomally if you want to change it.

That's not necessarily true. Depending on where you are, you can change her name to whatever you want. You may have to do some research as to where you can do it, but as far as I know, all she needs to do is apply for the AOS and her updated SSN card in her "new" name.

Your marriage license may or may not have her "new" name on it (ours doesn't) and what the guy at USCIS told me (shortly after we were married and in the process of starting the AOS) is you can fill out the I-485 with whatever you want her new name to be as long as you provide the old name as "other names used" and when she goes through the AOS process, she'll now be known as the "new" name. Once she gets EAD or Green Card or whatever she gets, it will be in the "new" name and you can take that on over to the SSA office and get her an updated SSN card. Simply fill out the paper in the "new" name, provide her EAD or Green Card as "proof" (along with your marriage license/certificate) and in a few weeks, her new SSN card will arrive.

Technically, until you change her name via some govt. agency, her name is still her "old" name and will be until you get a document or ID from a governmental authority. But, once she files that I-485, her "new" name is whatever you put down on that paper.

Now, that's all for the Federal government. If you live in a location where the city, county, state, or other government is strict about marriage laws (somewhere NOT like Las Vegas) simply fly somewhere (like Las Vegas) and get married there. Or, do a little research, drive somewhere, get hitched, and then apply for your next set of documents in her "new" name.

Or, as Chris Parker said.... just use the "American" form here and the "Russian" form in Russia.

This is America, we can change our names to just about anything. Personally, if I had a Russian last name I'd want my wife to have the "a" at the end too, as it is proper. If you can't find a simple solution, just have her name legally changed, in Ohio you do it at the probate court.

That's what we probably will end up doing. After some research yesterday it appears that DMV or Social Security Administration will only use my last name as her new last name, they are not willing to add "a" to the end. So we will have to file for a legal name change for her after we get married. Does anyone know how long it takes in Florida? We want to file for AOS shortly after we get married, but I guess we will have to wait until the name change paperwork goes through...

When you guys get married, ask the person to put the a on the marriage certificate. Explain why. It really shouldn't be a big deal and it makes it legal without paying probate court fees.

Definitly "ask" them to. You may get lucky! There is always the rare few goverment pencil pushers who have common sense.

Russ? NeonRed?......

Well, all we have on the marriage certificate here in Florida is my name and her maiden name. The certificate itself does not say something like "wife's name after marriage is such and such". There is only my last name on the certificate and it becomes her last name when we go to DMV or SSA. Maybe in some other states the marriage certificate explicitly states wife's new last name, but in Florida it does not....

Sorry, I don't know. We went with the standard wife taking the American male's (English) last name.

I forgot you can change it through the CIS when you apply for green card or citizenship for free

Exactly. File your AOS paperwork in the form you wish the "new" name to be.