Traveling After CG

[Dashinka 23,238]

I suppose this question has been asked an answered, but it always helps to get a current perspective. My wife should see her 2 year GC in a few weeks and she is planning to head back to Russia for about a month to take care of some family business and see her family. I will be heading there as well for a week or so and come back with her (I don't have that much vacation time). Anyway, my question is this, since she will only be there a month is there any need to file a 131 (doesn't appear so from what I read)?

Also, since she will be entering Russia with her Russian PP we plan on putting the plane tickets in her maiden name. Will we have any issue re-entering the US with her GC (in her married name) and a copy of the marriage license?

Any advice is appreciated.

[AL+ ALENA FOREVER 1]

Get the Tickets in your wife's name that match's her US ID. Then when she enters Russia she shows them her Russian Passport this will allow her to enter Russia with no issues.

When she returns home she shows her US ID with her airline ticket and she will be able to reenter the US

This worked 100 percent for my wife in June 2013 - If you do this ALL WILL BE GOOD!!!

Good Luck

[vbtwo 54]

I would recommend getting tickets in the maiden name that matches the passport. As that is what they say everywhere when buying tickets (name must match passport), and it is the passport that the airline workers will look at when you check in (they might ask to see GC just to make sure she has a way to enter the US, but mainly they deal with the passport).

Bring your marriage certificate which proves the name change in case the US officer will ask about mismatch in name between passport and GC. This is what we did when my wife traveled on AP, and had no problems. They didn't even ask about name mismatch as you can see that it's the same person in photos on both documents.

[AL+ ALENA FOREVER 1]

Name must match US PassPort but your wife cannot get a US PassPort until she is a US Citizen until then She has her Green Card the name on her ticket must match her name on her Green Card or other US Government issued ID.

If she gets the documents in her maiden name then she will not have any US Documents to allow her to reentry the US

I can tell you that my Wife went to Russia using her Married Name on the tickets in June of 2013 and returned the same month doing it the way I suggested

*****

Get the Tickets in your wife's name that match's her US ID. Then when she enters Russia she shows them her Russian Passport this will allow her to enter Russia with no issues.

When she returns home she shows her US ID with her airline ticket and she will be able to reenter the US

This worked 100 percent for my wife in June 2013 - If you do this ALL WILL BE GOOD!!!

*****

We learned how to do it by calling Delta and they told us what we need to do. - You can call the airline to confirm what they want.

Understand All Russia wants to see when entering Russia is her Russian PassPort - That makes her good for Russia. Russia does not need to see her ticket - Her Russian PassPort opens the door in Russia for your wife.

What the US wants to see is the Green Card to match the Ticket - This will allow her to leave on the airplane in Russia to return to the US.

You wife cannot enter in US on a Russian PassPort - That is a Big NO NO - If they allowed it then anyone who wanted enter the US from Russia could purchase a plane ticket and come to the USA.

You need a document to enter the US that is issued by the US Government this is your Green Card - a Drivers' License is also good to have.

My Wife brought a copy of her Marriage Cert but I do not think she was ever asked to show it.

Again call the airline they will tell you what they want to see and what you need - It is possible that the rules have changed since June 2013.

It worked this way for my wife.

[Dashinka 23,238]

Thank you both for your advice. I have heard it both ways, and either seems to work. I couldn't remember if Russian immigration ever looked at my ticket when I went over, it seemed to me that they were more interested in my Russian visa in my US passport. However I had heard that re-entering the US with a ticket in the maiden name along with a GC and marriage license worked as well. I tend to agree it is better to use the married name on the ticket to avoid issues at the US POE.

My wife will head over in a few months so I will give an update once we go through the experience.

Thanks.

[Turboguy 6]

The question has been answered well but I will just add that my wife and I made a trip to Aruba (while she still had her green card) I booked the tickets with her married name and they would not let her board the plane. Fortunately they did re ticket her in her maiden name but everyone is correct. The ticket must match the name in the passport. Now she is a citizen and has a blue passport in her married name.

[baron555 934]

We're real glad she didn't change her name. (There's other more important reasons for that decision though.)