question about maiden name

[steevo 0]

I have a question that I think will be easy for some of you to answer. On the forms I am filling out right now I am not 100% sure what they want regarding my wife´s names. When they ask for her "Family Name". Is that her new family name... my last name? Or, (and here is where it gets a little confusing) do they want both of her last names (I do not know about all of Latin America, but here in Peru she has both her Dad´s and her Mom´s last names)? I am filling out the I-130 and the G-325A.

[Terca 6]

Maiden name is her name before marriage to you.

When she married did she change her name to take your last name? in Latin America women usually keep their last names so that her family name is the same as maiden name

Yes they want both last names by the way, because this is how it is shown on the birth certificate and other important docs

Edited June 14, 2011 by Terca

[El Cachalote 12]

Your wife's name depends upon wether or not she adopted your name after marriage. In my case, my wife chose to add my surname to her own. My surname is added to the end of her full name following a "de".

Read the following....

"For example: María Martínez López when married to Josué Vásquez Hernández would then be María Martínez de Vásquez. However, this usage is falling into disuse. In Peru...women normally conserve all family names after getting married. For example, if Rosa María Pérez Martínez marries Juan Martín de la Cruz Gómez, she will be called Rosa María Pérez Martínez de la Cruz.

The law in Peru changed some years ago, and all married women can keep their maiden last names or if they want, they can use also their husband's last name after their own maiden name, adding the "de" before their husband's last name."

The above is cited from wapedia.com.

You can read more about this at this link: http://wapedia.mobi/en/Family_name#3.

After we got married, my wife changed her name on her DNI to: her surname + de + my surname. Therefore; all documents filed regarding my wife's family name will have the form (her surname + de + my surname). Her maiden name is the original name she had before our marriage.

My wife has updated her passport and peruvian records with her new name. Documents filed to USCIS have her family name which is wife's surname (ex. Torres lopez) + de + husband's surname (MacDonald) formula = Torres Lopez de MacDonald is Family name.

Hope this helps a little.

[El Cachalote 12]

Almost forgot.....Also.....marriage does not automatically change her name. She has to go to RENIEC with marriage certificate to add or take your Surname and get a new DNI. Then her family name will be her married name (new name and/or combined names eg. Torres Noriega de MacDonald or even MacDonald).

Entiendes??? Buena suerte!!

[pushbrk 12,249]

I have a question that I think will be easy for some of you to answer. On the forms I am filling out right now I am not 100% sure what they want regarding my wife´s names. When they ask for her "Family Name". Is that her new family name... my last name? Or, (and here is where it gets a little confusing) do they want both of her last names (I do not know about all of Latin America, but here in Peru she has both her Dad´s and her Mom´s last names)? I am filling out the I-130 and the G-325A.

When asked for family name, use current legal name. When asked for maiden name, use the name at birth. Newly married women can use their "married name" on petitions and their own G325a even if they haven't completed the legal name change on their ID but they should complete the legal name change on all documentation including passport prior to submitting a passport copy to NVC during that stage of the process.

Edited June 15, 2011 by pushbrk

[JoLingcm 0]

Hi, I am so glad that I decided to check VJ cause I was having the same questions.

My current passport and visa are in my maiden name; however since I got married, I have yet to change my surname in my passport. The rule of thumb in my country is that once you're married a woman automatically assumes the husband's last name. Unless you want to show hyphenated such as Sand-Blog, a document known as a change of surname (deed poll) has to be completed and filed with the registrar.

So my question is: should I have my visa and passport changed prior to the filing of my I-130 Application?

I ask because I'm thinking ahead to the embassy stage and everything goes alright (assuming it will); exactly what do they do when issuing the final documents and they take my current passport?

Thanks.

[OBX 51]

Hi, I am so glad that I decided to check VJ cause I was having the same questions.

My current passport and visa are in my maiden name; however since I got married, I have yet to change my surname in my passport. The rule of thumb in my country is that once you're married a woman automatically assumes the husband's last name. Unless you want to show hyphenated such as Sand-Blog, a document known as a change of surname (deed poll) has to be completed and filed with the registrar.

So my question is: should I have my visa and passport changed prior to the filing of my I-130 Application?

I ask because I'm thinking ahead to the embassy stage and everything goes alright (assuming it will); exactly what do they do when issuing the final documents and they take my current passport?

Thanks.

Your green card will be issued in the name on your passport. If you wish to have it issued in your married name then you should change your passport prior to the NVC stage. I submitted our I-130 petition in my married name and then proceeded to use the time waiting for approval to change my documents from my maiden name to married. Good luck.

[pushbrk 12,249]

Hi, I am so glad that I decided to check VJ cause I was having the same questions.

My current passport and visa are in my maiden name; however since I got married, I have yet to change my surname in my passport. The rule of thumb in my country is that once you're married a woman automatically assumes the husband's last name. Unless you want to show hyphenated such as Sand-Blog, a document known as a change of surname (deed poll) has to be completed and filed with the registrar.

So my question is: should I have my visa and passport changed prior to the filing of my I-130 Application?

I ask because I'm thinking ahead to the embassy stage and everything goes alright (assuming it will); exactly what do they do when issuing the final documents and they take my current passport?

Thanks.

If you read my answer above, I addressed your exact questions. Is there some part of my answer you don't understand?

[steevo 0]

Thank you all who wrote on this. It has been a few days since I have been able to check this, so this discussion might be so old that no one will read my thanks... but thanks anyway.