Returning to America WITH GC

[Aloe 10]

Hi,

I am married to an American Citizen and received my GC in September of 2009. On the 31st of May I traveled to Australia to visit family and am scheduled to return on May 6th.

ON the way to Australia I ran into some issues because my passport has a different name than what is on my plane tickets, GC and most other forms of I.D. The immigrations said they did not see me as any kind of threat and let me through. When I arrived to L.A. and tried to check-in for my flight they again gave me problems because my ticket was in a different name to my passport. This WAS a stupid mistake on my behalf however, what's done is done. I called to ensure that I would be able to get on the plane from Sydney back to L.A. with the two different names and they have said whilst normally they don't allow it because someone allowed me to do it in the first place they would have to allow me to do it again.

Now what I would like to know is When I arrive back in L.A. and need to pass through immigration do I HAVE to give them my Australian Passport? Or Do I only need to give them my GC? If I only need to give them my GC then everything will be fine and dandy but if I have to give them my Passport AND GC which have two different names I am worried they would give me a hard time and I don't think my nerves could handle that.

Just to make it clear my First and Middle name remain the same, it is only my last name that is different from maiden to married.

[Bernie C 24]

I would think a Certified Copy of your marriage certificate would help to tie the passport and green card differences together. Any chance you can get one sent to you.

Not sure, but its a suggestion.

[canadian_wife 1,823]

Yes, to enter the US you must have a valid passport, you will likely encounter issues when you return unless you have a copy of your marriage liecence

Good luck

[JuneFirst 1]

May I ask why you did not apply for a new passport after having all those problems?

[Krikit 1,164]

Not to worry, Aloe. I regularly travel with my passport in one name and my GC in my married name. (I always get my tickets in my passport name, though. lol) I have never once encountered a problem upon reentry. It was never even commented on. I used to carry a copy of my marriage certificate but haven't done so the last few times because I was never asked for it. The GC carries all the info from your passport, anyway. One swipe and all the connecting information is there.

I would like to know how you managed to travel on the 31st of May and come back on the 6th of May, though.

Edited April 16, 2010 by Krikit

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Yes, to enter the US you must have a valid passport, you will likely encounter issues when you return unless you have a copy of your marriage liecence

Good luck

LPR's do not require a passport to enter the US, they can still use only their GC for entry into the US.

However, some airlines require a passport to allow you to board the airplane (if your out of CONUS, or travelling to a country that requires a passport to enter).

Source

Agree on the name difference solution - best bet is to update all documents to be the same.

[Aloe 10]

I am going to have my hubby send me a copy of the marriage certificate (notarised) and also fax one just in case. So hopefully that will deal with any issues I may have.

JuneFirst: Unfortunately unlike some I don't have the ability to pull hundreds of dollars out of nowhere so changing the document was something I was trying to avoid. Not to mention the mixed and incorrect information I have been receiving over the past week and a half of not needing to change it.

KriKit: I'm just a bit of a goose like that I meant the 31st of March.

I am flying V-Australia and they required me to have a passport to board in L.A. to ensure the information matched my ticket. When I told the man it didn't he said that I would not be able to board the plane that day and would not be flying... That was until he discovered that he was the same star sign as me and let me through anyway... When I called them today they also stated that I would need my passport for my return flight.

I have been reading and apparently the cost of replacing the passport is waived if I can get it in before my first wedding anniversary which is in a week so I am going to try. I should have looked this up sooner Ohwell I'm not perfect and I am the first to admit to it.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I have been reading and apparently the cost of replacing the passport is waived if I can get it in before my first wedding anniversary which is in a week so I am going to try. I should have looked this up sooner Ohwell I'm not perfect and I am the first to admit to it.

Yep you can indeed. Here is the thread on Aussie name change relating to passports: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/248400-australian-passport-name-change-process/

I just re-read and noticed your wedding anniversary is in a week. You can of course try but if you were married in the US, and are a Aussie by birth then you will need to change your name with Births Deaths and Marriages and THEN your passport... it's likely going to take longer than a week but perhaps if you sent it in without the name change first it will still count as you having tried before the date so they won't charge you? You will need to pay for the name change certificate.

Edited April 16, 2010 by Vanessa&Tony

[Septembergold 0]

I had the same problem coming back from Russia yesterday! But the main problem was the different names in the ticket and the GC, they couldn`t print out a boarding pass, so they hand wrote it for me! My God! I almost missed my flight. And with the volcano it was the last flight that day! Whoever says that Buying tickets in your maiden name and traveling with a GC in your married name causes no problems... are lucky. But I`m not doing it again.

anyway, at JFK I had no problems what so ever. The Lady at the Customs/Immigration looked at my GC and put a stamp in my passport (admitted to US, alien #), No problems there. I had a stamp in my passport that I had got at the Russian Embassy explaining the name change and I also had a copy of my marriage certificate. She didn`t look at either of those.