Issues at the border (with card)

[bigdog 376]

My wife travels domestic on GC name (married) and internationally on passport name with her marriage certificate, not a peep from anyone, maybe a change of policy is in the works.

[Italian Mom 1]

Thank you guys for the info I am finding here. I travelled to Italy with my password in the maiden name, my ticket has the maiden name and on the GC I have my husband's last name added to mine. I was hoping to get a new passport in Italy and register my marriage (and the new name), but at the municipal office they told me I need to register my marriage at the consular office in US. So I will be traveling back with my old passport, but I also have a copy of the marriage certificate.

I have another question though: Since Italy is in the vw program and usually people before leaving have to complete the ESTA online authorization, am I required to ask for that authorization or my PR condition should do?

Thank you!

[HelenBradley 28]

Thank you guys for the info I am finding here. I travelled to Italy with my password in the maiden name, my ticket has the maiden name and on the GC I have my husband's last name added to mine. I was hoping to get a new passport in Italy and register my marriage (and the new name), but at the municipal office they told me I need to register my marriage at the consular office in US. So I will be traveling back with my old passport, but I also have a copy of the marriage certificate.

I have another question though: Since Italy is in the vw program and usually people before leaving have to complete the ESTA online authorization, am I required to ask for that authorization or my PR condition should do?

Thank you!

No, ESTA is for people who are visiting the US. You have a GC.

[Shiobhan 235]

Have U tried hyphenating your name on the forms example Jane Doe-Smith

[dm559 34]

You don't need a new passport. You send it in with the documentation proving the name change. Then they print on the inside of the back cover with something like "The Bearers name has been changed to:"

The alternative is to deal with the delays until everythig is verified.

[Pabe 2]

Great, I'm about to fly to Europe in a few weeks with my maiden name passport, married name GC and tickets in married name, I wonder how that will go... Bringing marriage certificate and whatever other evidence I can think of, I guess... I wonder if it makes a difference that my tickets are in my married name so GC and luggage tags will match?!

I hope your trip will go ok, I was told that your passport much match with the name on tickets. I did that few months ago, so I had maiden name on my tickets and passport, and married name on my green card. No one said anything and they didn´t ask for the marriage certificate but I would still carry it with me. Good luck!

[Italian Mom 1]

Have U tried hyphenating your name on the forms example Jane Doe-Smith

i am not sure if this question is for me or for the person of the original post.

However, my US documents (GC, DL, SS and everything else) have my hyphenated name. I was only concerned about my passport, which still has my maiden name and I am not able to change or add my new name since I first need to register my marriage at the consular office. I am currently in Italy and the municipal office can't do anything before I register my marriage and my name on the living abroad Italians database.

[Krikit 1,163]

Starburst, your experience was probably just an anomaly. As the others have said, I never had a problem returning from Europe, either, with my ticket and passport in my former name and my GC in my married name. In fact, I have never had a problem, ever, using the passport and GC in different names. I don't know of anyone in this same scenario who has done anything different. Perhaps if you change your luggage tags to match your GC? That's probably what made them suspicious in the first place. You kind of have to think like an agent to see it from their perspective. In any event, I am not changing my passport name. lol

You don't need a new passport. You send it in with the documentation proving the name change. Then they print on the inside of the back cover with something like "The Bearers name has been changed to:"

If you are speaking to the OP... Canada requires a completely new passport with a name change. They won't update an existing passport.

Moving from General Immigration to the Travel section.

[pddp 240]

I hope your trip will go ok, I was told that your passport much match with the name on tickets. I did that few months ago, so I had maiden name on my tickets and passport, and married name on my green card. No one said anything and they didn´t ask for the marriage certificate but I would still carry it with me. Good luck!

Good to know, kiitos!

Edited July 8, 2012 by pddp

[Mudasirk 1]

When I traveled internationally, the ticket is always as it appears on the Green card. I don't know why would you get a ticket differently. The passport and the greencard will be checked at check-in.

My passport name and green-card name are also completely different in structure.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Mudasirk

[Sophinette 1]

Hi Guys,

In May, I took a trip to Europe, and upon my departure I got pulled into secondary customs, and had all sorts of issues at other points in security.

My greencard is in my married name, and my passport is in my maiden. I've never had an issue before (I even went to Europe last Fall and it was fine).

Apparently because Greencard + Tags on my luggage don't match, they pulled me. It was this 2.5 hour ordeal before the top customs official released me.

Is there a work around this to prevent the issues in the future? I don't want to change my passport because it's fairly new (and would require an entire new one).

I always carry a copy of our marriage licence when we travel to show the name transfer, and they've never questioned it before.

Has anyone had this problem (and solved it outside of getting an entire new passport?)

I have to book my tickets in my maiden name since it has to match the passport.

thanks!

/starburst

Hello,

Sorry to hear ab yr issue.

The easy way for you will be to change yr passport but It all depends of yr country law.

Some countries required you to change yr passport when you get married and for some it is not mandatory (the uk for example). Whatever immigration officers can always stop you if they have a doubt ab yr identy and yr papers do not match but they cannot request y to change yr passport. Carrying yr marriage cert is yr best option but it will not stop officers questionning you.

Hope it helps.

X, so

[Starburst 4]

Starburst, your experience was probably just an anomaly. As the others have said, I never had a problem returning from Europe, either, with my ticket and passport in my former name and my GC in my married name. In fact, I have never had a problem, ever, using the passport and GC in different names. I don't know of anyone in this same scenario who has done anything different. Perhaps if you change your luggage tags to match your GC? That's probably what made them suspicious in the first place. You kind of have to think like an agent to see it from their perspective. In any event, I am not changing my passport name. lol

If you are speaking to the OP... Canada requires a completely new passport with a name change. They won't update an existing passport.

Moving from General Immigration to the Travel section.

Thanks Everyone.

I've flown many times since getting my GC years ago and never had an issue before.

The issue they had is that the tags the airlines put on the luggage(for where to send your bags to) didn't match my GC. (and they show you your luggage at customs). So since the name was under my maiden, they said they "weren't sure it was mine". I have a huge sticker on the back of my luggage that is also stuck on my cover for my passport (well, the plastic cover I have). The guy in secondary said "oh it matches!". He told me that as long as I'm identifying my luggage, it should be fine.

US customs coming from Canada never even look at my marriage licence (and I've flown back and forth tons).

I'll see what happens when I go back to Toronto in December. If it happens again, I'll be changing my name on either my GC or Passport. I just didn't want to because once I move back to Canada permanently with my husband in a few years, I would just change it back.

Thanks again everyone

/starburst