Changing Surname on Thai Passport

[rick313 5]

Hello all. I'd like some general perspectives and thoughts from anyone on the topic of changing one's last name on a Thai passport. My (Thai) wife and I are currently living in the US. She arrived on a K-1 visa and we are waiting for the GC interview. She has taken my last name on her US based documents (driver's license, social security, etc) and also on her EAD and AP card. However, her Thai passport is still in her maiden name. We are thinking about having it changed on her passport for consistency's sake, something that would require a trip to the nearest Thai embassy here in the states. Can anyone speak to the implications of changing her name on her Thai passport? Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts in general? Thank you.

[AaronLV 12]

Hello all. I'd like some general perspectives and thoughts from anyone on the topic of changing one's last name on a Thai passport. My (Thai) wife and I are currently living in the US. She arrived on a K-1 visa and we are waiting for the GC interview. She has taken my last name on her US based documents (driver's license, social security, etc) and also on her EAD and AP card. However, her Thai passport is still in her maiden name. We are thinking about having it changed on her passport for consistency's sake, something that would require a trip to the nearest Thai embassy here in the states. Can anyone speak to the implications of changing her name on her Thai passport? Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts in general? Thank you.

Not sure if it is good or bad. We used my last name on all US documents, and my wife has kept her last name in Thailand. I think changing the name in the Passport, will also require changing it in the National ID, and Housebook, but not sure. There is no advantage to changing the name on the passport, there could be lots of disadvantages in Thailand.

The only time my wife uses her passport is when we travel. This last trip I booked the ticket in her GC lastname, and when we got to the airport we showed the ticket agent the Passport, GC (Which she has to show anyways to prove she get back into the US), and then our Marriage certificate. No problems at all.

This will all be a moot point once the citizenship is finished and she gets her US passport.

One more interesting point, is when we filed for CRBA for our son at the US Consulate, the Consular suggested we put both last names hyphenated on the US Birth Certificate.

[rick313 5]

Not sure if it is good or bad. We used my last name on all US documents, and my wife has kept her last name in Thailand. I think changing the name in the Passport, will also require changing it in the National ID, and Housebook, but not sure. There is no advantage to changing the name on the passport, there could be lots of disadvantages in Thailand.

The only time my wife uses her passport is when we travel. This last trip I booked the ticket in her GC lastname, and when we got to the airport we showed the ticket agent the Passport, GC (Which she has to show anyways to prove she get back into the US), and then our Marriage certificate. No problems at all.

This will all be a moot point once the citizenship is finished and she gets her US passport.

One more interesting point, is when we filed for CRBA for our son at the US Consulate, the Consular suggested we put both last names hyphenated on the US Birth Certificate.

We are headed in the same direction generally, with all her US documents under her new married name (i.e. my surname), and she just keeps her Thai passport under her maiden name. I'm trying to encourage my wife to contact one of the Thai embassies here and get more information on the matter. I have heard that re-entry isn't a problem so long as we have a marriage certificate copy. I also have her AP as well, though she still hasn't received her GC yet. We've been waiting 6 months for that and not a peep from the feds since getting our NOA. Argh.

[AaronLV 12]

We are headed in the same direction generally, with all her US documents under her new married name (i.e. my surname), and she just keeps her Thai passport under her maiden name. I'm trying to encourage my wife to contact one of the Thai embassies here and get more information on the matter. I have heard that re-entry isn't a problem so long as we have a marriage certificate copy. I also have her AP as well, though she still hasn't received her GC yet. We've been waiting 6 months for that and not a peep from the feds since getting our NOA. Argh.

The only thing CBP cares about is the Green Card name. We have been in and out of the US a lot and have never been asked for the marriage certificate. The only time we have been asked was by the airline when I made the bonehead mistake and booked her airline ticket in my surname. The airline required the marriage certificate.

On the NOA have you done the bio-metrics yet? I would call and check on it. We got our AP, but never heard a word about the bio-metrics, and I saw people who filed after us getting the bio, so I called and they set the bio appointment a week later, and then the GC interview a month after that. I would be pro-active, in-case they sent you something, and it got lost in the mail. 6 months sounds like a long long time for AOS.

[rick313 5]

The only thing CBP cares about is the Green Card name. We have been in and out of the US a lot and have never been asked for the marriage certificate. The only time we have been asked was by the airline when I made the bonehead mistake and booked her airline ticket in my surname. The airline required the marriage certificate.

On the NOA have you done the bio-metrics yet? I would call and check on it. We got our AP, but never heard a word about the bio-metrics, and I saw people who filed after us getting the bio, so I called and they set the bio appointment a week later, and then the GC interview a month after that. I would be pro-active, in-case they sent you something, and it got lost in the mail. 6 months sounds like a long long time for AOS.

We actually got her biometrics appointment notice about a month after submitting the I-485 application, and the EAD and AP were approved about a month after that, on a "combined" EAD/AP card. I was hoping things were moving along fast, but now we are nearing the 6 month time frame. There are actually a bunch of us who got our cases transferred to the cali service center who have been waiting close to 6 months now. Who did you call and how did you call them? I've tried the general line (1-800-375-5283) but can't seem to get past recorded messages.

[AaronLV 12]

We actually got her biometrics appointment notice about a month after submitting the I-485 application, and the EAD and AP were approved about a month after that, on a "combined" EAD/AP card. I was hoping things were moving along fast, but now we are nearing the 6 month time frame. There are actually a bunch of us who got our cases transferred to the cali service center who have been waiting close to 6 months now. Who did you call and how did you call them? I've tried the general line (1-800-375-5283) but can't seem to get past recorded messages.

I called the main line. If I remember correctly when cases were transferred to California service center you normally just get the card with no interview.

[rick313 5]

I called the main line. If I remember correctly when cases were transferred to California service center you normally just get the card with no interview.

Yes, that is what I have heard too. I am hoping it is true, but apparently nothing is guaranteed until we actually get the card. Its been 5 months since the notice date of transfer to the Cali service center, so I figure I'll wait another month and if nothing, I'll try to call the main line again and see how I can expedite things.

[Tom and Teaw 1]

My wife changed her last name on all her Thai stuff in March this year, going over a few weeks before I went over. You cannot change it at a Thai embassy. She has to go back to Thailand and change it an the local Amphur office first, change the name on the housebook and get new ID card with new last name and take the new ID to get the new passport. Some Amphur offices can be a pain in the #### and won't do the name changes. You need to go to a large Amphur, not a small one, where they are better equipped to make the changes to the housebook and ID card. It is somewhat time consuming but my wife got it all done before I got over there except we went in to get the new passport right after I got there. It is nice to have her last name the same on everything.

[rick313 5]

My wife changed her last name on all her Thai stuff in March this year, going over a few weeks before I went over. You cannot change it at a Thai embassy. She has to go back to Thailand and change it an the local Amphur office first, change the name on the housebook and get new ID card with new last name and take the new ID to get the new passport. Some Amphur offices can be a pain in the #### and won't do the name changes. You need to go to a large Amphur, not a small one, where they are better equipped to make the changes to the housebook and ID card. It is somewhat time consuming but my wife got it all done before I got over there except we went in to get the new passport right after I got there. It is nice to have her last name the same on everything.

Glad that seemed to work out for you Tom.

For us, I think we'll just keep her Thai passport in her maiden name for the time being. I don't really see any significant reasons to change it for now, since the only thing she will be doing is using it for travel. We do have her GC now in my last name, so our bases are covered hopefully.

[Karee 4,189]

Personally I think it's a mistake to change an of the Thai documents to the married name. That could bring up issues with her owning land in Thailand etc. in the future. They seem to change the rules on that every 6 months. I wish my wife didn't do it, but she did before I knew any better.

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

My wife changed all her documents to reflect my last name after we were married (house book, passport, and ID card). Owning land just because she took my last name is not going to be an issue. Regardless of what her last name is, she's Thai, and that's the requirement to own land. Now, were she to become a U.S. citizen, I could see where she might run into issues since the Thai government prefers its citizens retain one citizenship rather than two. To my knowledge, dual citizenship is only frowned upon, and not illegal.

The problem I can see with having two passports with different last names is this...

You're passing through immigration and customs and they decide to search your items. They find a Thai passport with one name and an American passport in another name.

"Why do you have different names on two different passports?"

"I'm married to an American and took his surname."

"Then way doesn't your Thai passport reflect that?"

"Ummm..."

"What's your legal name? This one or this one?"

"Ummm..."

"Do you have your original or certified copy of your marriage certificate along with the English translation with you?"

"Ummm...no, I don't have that with me."

With the way the authorities are behaving about air travel and immigration, I don't think that conversation is too far off point. Just easier, in my opinion, to have the same name on all official documents. But, "up to you," as the saying goes.

Edited November 10, 2012 by ThailandToFlorida

[Karee 4,189]

My wife changed all her documents to reflect my last name after we were married (house book, passport, and ID card). Owning land just because she took my last name is not going to be an issue. Regardless of what her last name is, she's Thai, and that's the requirement to own land. Now, were she to become a U.S. citizen, I could see where she might run into issues since the Thai government prefers its citizens retain one citizenship rather than two. To my knowledge, dual citizenship is only frowned upon, and not illegal.

The problem I can see with having two passports with different last names is this...

You're passing through immigration and customs and they decide to search your items. They find a Thai passport with one name and an American passport in another name.

"Why do you have different names on two different passports?"

"I'm married to an American and took his surname."

"Then way doesn't your Thai passport reflect that?"

"Ummm..."

"What's your legal name? This one or this one?"

"Ummm..."

"Do you have your original or certified copy of your marriage certificate along with the English translation with you?"

"Ummm...no, I don't have that with me."

With the way the authorities are behaving about air travel and immigration, I don't think that conversation is too far off point. Just easier, in my opinion, to have the same name on all official documents. But, "up to you," as the saying goes.

Might not be an issue today. I know there were rumblings about it being an issue a few years back. Something to the effect that the Thai wife had to prove that no farang money was used to purchase the land. And if they could prove it, something about the govt. taking the land. How they would I enforce something like that, I have no idea. I did a quick search on ThaiVisa about it. Didn't find what I was looking for, but didn't spend much time looking.

Personally, I would never invest any of my money on land in Thailand (especially anything that could be considered farm land) the way the laws change on a whim there. But that's just me.

[ThailandToIndiana 11]

Might not be an issue today. I know there were rumblings about it being an issue a few years back. Something to the effect that the Thai wife had to prove that no farang money was used to purchase the land. And if they could prove it, something about the govt. taking the land. How they would I enforce something like that, I have no idea. I did a quick search on ThaiVisa about it. Didn't find what I was looking for, but didn't spend much time looking.

Personally, I would never invest any of my money on land in Thailand (especially anything that could be considered farm land) the way the laws change on a whim there. But that's just me.

Hi Karee. Falang money is often used to purchase land, which isn't an issue. However, I've heard that a letter must be signed by the parties involved stating the money given from a falang to their Thai spouse is a "gift" and the money therefore belongs to the Thai spouse to do as they wish. I found this out via my own research a while back. Whether that is absolute, I don't know because getting "absolutes" is difficult in Thailand, as you well know.

[Danger Fire 1]

With the way the authorities are behaving about air travel and immigration, I don't think that conversation is too far off point. Just easier, in my opinion, to have the same name on all official documents. But, "up to you," as the saying goes.

I tend to agree with this view. If different names are used it could arouse suspicion.

[ToddT 1]

Mine went and changed her name on her own about two weeks after we filed the marriage papers in Bangkok. She assures me it will be a non-issue and she's in the government so I tend to believe her.