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jxn

Add note to amend foreign passport with married name?

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My wife is from El Salvador and she took my surname when we married here in the U.S. Thus, moving forward her married name is what she will use for everything except international travel and anything back home in El Salvador.

El Salvador, like many Latin American countries, makes it difficult to change a last name, and after inquiring with her local consulate she learned it was next to impossible to change her name in El Salvador to match it exactly as it is here in the U.S. on her work permit and driver license (and green card later this year and U.S. passport in three years).

With that said, we plan on booking all international travel in her maiden name in order to match her passport and then just travel with her green card (after we get interviewed for it) and a copy of our marriage certificate to explain the name difference any time it comes up at a U.S. border or abroad when presenting her U.S. driver license in a foreign country (since her Salvadoran one has expired), using her U.S. credit card, et cetera.

I'm guessing this is fairly common, so my question is--is it common for countries to add a note (via their consulate, obviously) to the Amendments/Endorsements page in their citizen's passport acknowledging her married name as she is known here in the U.S., in her country of residence?

Obviously we have to get in touch with the consulate, but with this being such a common issue I wanted to see what other VisaJourney forum-goers in the Latin America regional group have done themselves. Thanks!

Edited by jxn
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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Colombia
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My wife is from El Salvador and she took my surname when we married here in the U.S. Thus, moving forward her married name is what she will use for everything except international travel and anything back home in El Salvador.

El Salvador, like many Latin American countries, makes it difficult to change a last name, and after inquiring with her local consulate she learned it was next to impossible to change her name in El Salvador to match it exactly as it is here in the U.S. on her work permit and driver license (and green card later this year and U.S. passport in three years).

With that said, we plan on booking all international travel in her maiden name in order to match her passport and then just travel with her green card (after we get interviewed for it) and a copy of our marriage certificate to explain the name difference any time it comes up at a U.S. border or abroad when presenting her U.S. driver license in a foreign country (since her Salvadoran one has expired), using her U.S. credit card, et cetera.

I'm guessing this is fairly common, so my question is--is it common for countries to add a note (via their consulate, obviously) to the Amendments/Endorsements page in their citizen's passport acknowledging her married name as she is known here in the U.S., in her country of residence?

Obviously we have to get in touch with the consulate, but with this being such a common issue I wanted to see what other VisaJourney forum-goers in the Latin America regional group have done themselves. Thanks!

It's very common. So she needs to get all her boarding passes with the name she has on her passport in order to be able to fly in and out of the US or the airline won't let her board the plane. The only people verifying her permanent residency to get back in the US are immigration officials and they are fully aware that most Latin American women will have two names, one on her passport and boarding pass and another on her green card.

If you want, you can travel with a copy of your marriage certificate in case someone has questions about it, but it's not necessary.

Diana

CR-1

02/05/07 - I-130 sent to NSC

05/03/07 - NOA2

05/10/07 - NVC receives petition, case # assigned

08/08/07 - Case Complete

09/27/07 - Interview, visa granted

10/02/07 - POE

11/16/07 - Received green card and Welcome to America letter in the mail

Removing Conditions

07/06/09 - I-751 sent to CSC

08/14/09 - Biometrics

09/27/09 - Approved

10/01/09 - Received 10 year green card

U.S. Citizenship

03/30/11 - N-400 sent via Priority Mail w/ delivery confirmation

05/12/11 - Biometrics

07/20/11 - Interview - passed

07/20/11 - Oath ceremony - same day as interview

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