Husband taking wifes family name, any issues ?....

[fcat 79]

So, I'm going to be doing the unusual (but not uncommon) step of taking my wifes name now that we are married and have discussed it, no reason other than she likes her family name (i like it too!) and its a brand new start and kinda like a new life for me when i get to the US, she and her family are delighted.I have little family here so its of no issue to them.

Ive spoke to the UK passport office and all they require is a copy of the marriage certificate to issue me a new passport with my new surname. I intend on doing this after the NVC stage.

From what I've read on here, the green card is issued in the name of your passport when you had it into the Embassy at your interview, is this correct ?

Will it matter that all our forms for our petition and application are in my old surname ?

Will this cause any problems at the POE if the forms in the sealed envelope are in my old surname or will it all just make sense after looking at them and an explanation from me ?

Are there any negatives on doing this once im in the USA ? ie: credit checks, background checks etc

Many thanks for any info/clarification.

[AJG & ESD 6]

So, I'm going to be doing the unusual (but not uncommon) step of taking my wifes name now that we are married and have discussed it, no reason other than she likes her family name (i like it too!) and its a brand new start and kinda like a new life for me when i get to the US, she and her family are delighted.I have little family here so its of no issue to them.

Ive spoke to the UK passport office and all they require is a copy of the marriage certificate to issue me a new passport with my new surname. I intend on doing this after the NVC stage.

From what I've read on here, the green card is issued in the name of your passport when you had it into the Embassy at your interview, is this correct ?

Will it matter that all our forms for our petition and application are in my old surname ?

Will this cause any problems at the POE if the forms in the sealed envelope are in my old surname or will it all just make sense after looking at them and an explanation from me ?

Are there any negatives on doing this once im in the USA ? ie: credit checks, background checks etc

Many thanks for any info/clarification.

I did it for my 2nd marriage. I did not intend on ever getting divorced...but I am a much wiser man now than I was then. I would never do it again personally because it is a royal pain in the #######. I did it a little different, I got the legal name change first, and sent my documentation into USCIS to make them aware of everything through the remainder of the process. I had no problems, but I was bringing her here, not going there, and she was the applicant. So a little different boat, but my basic advise is to make them aware. Or that's my 2 cents anyways. Good luck!

[fcat 79]

I did it for my 2nd marriage. I did not intend on ever getting divorced...but I am a much wiser man now than I was then. I would never do it again personally because it is a royal pain in the #######. I did it a little different, I got the legal name change first, and sent my documentation into USCIS to make them aware of everything through the remainder of the process. I had no problems, but I was bringing her here, not going there, and she was the applicant. So a little different boat, but my basic advise is to make them aware. Or that's my 2 cents anyways. Good luck!

Thanks for the info appreciate it, it is a bit different though and to be honest, knowing the UK if it were the other way around and i was staying here i probably wouldn't do it!

[Darnell 8,478]

i would suggest, instead, doing it before the NVC stage, so you have actual proof of name change to submit into the NVC.

WHY? It's much less hassle when the PASSPORT name matches the VISA name matching the GREEN CARD Name, all the way round.

[fcat 79]

i would suggest, instead, doing it before the NVC stage, so you have actual proof of name change to submit into the NVC.

WHY? It's much less hassle when the PASSPORT name matches the VISA name matching the GREEN CARD Name, all the way round.

Thanks for the input:) I did think that, but then i thought all the i130 forms will be one name and anything after will be another, at least the way above everything would be in one name except passport and green card which are the things that would matter. I would still have my old passport returned to me and it wouldn't take much to see what had been done, showing the POI my old and new passport ? just my thoughts, i'm obviously open to ideas which is why i posted:)

[Darnell 8,478]

you're forgetting the ds-230 form, methinks.

anything on the ds-230 form trumps the immigrant info on the i-130 and G-325a.

At each stage of this process, name checks are done - so it makes sense (to me) if you are presenting a different name, to do it at the NVC stage with the DS-230 (and a letter explaining what's what) as they will check stuff on prior and current name..

To have the namecheck completed at NVC? Is one less thing the IV Unit has to worry about, so it's less time with the IV unit to facilitate this name change...

Go Get Em !

Edited March 27, 2013 by Darnell

[fcat 79]

you're forgetting the ds-230 form, methinks.

anything on the ds-230 form trumps the immigrant info on the i-130 and G-325a.

I wasn't, i just didn't know it trumps the rest, i presumed it was all gathered together and was worried about them being confused when gathering them!

That does change my way of thinking then, thanks

I presume birth certificate, police certificate etc would still be valid in my old name ?

Edited March 27, 2013 by fcat

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

i would suggest, instead, doing it before the NVC stage, so you have actual proof of name change to submit into the NVC.

WHY? It's much less hassle when the PASSPORT name matches the VISA name matching the GREEN CARD Name, all the way round.

I agree. Fill out the visa application forms for NVC in your new married name. The only drawback I can think of was someone who got a LOT of questions at the embassy for changing from a Muslim name to an American name. It wasn't the same situation though. He changed it in the UK prior to being married and it wasn't his wife's name.

As far as the change, make sure you change it with any UK pension you might have that you want to collect later. And if an employer wanted to email for a reference on you, would your former employer know who it is they need a reference on. If you are leaving nothing in the UK and have no need for future references, it ought to be smooth sailing.

As an FYI, your wife could keep her name she likes. You don't have to have the same last name because you are married.

[fcat 79]

Thanks ever so much for the info Nich-Nick, excellent as usual:)

Our only worry should we keep our names was for any future children.

Do you think i would need a new Police Cert ? i have one at the moment valid till early next year in my current name.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Thanks ever so much for the info Nich-Nick, excellent as usual:)

Our only worry should we keep our names was for any future children.

Do you think i would need a new Police Cert ? i have one at the moment valid till early next year in my current name.

Well the police certificate is in the name you would have any chance of a record on, so is probably of more value in this instance. It will have your photo on it, so that ought to be fine for the medical and the embassy. In both cases, you will be face to face with a person to explain it. Most forms ask for former names used to tie it all together for immigration. Cover letters can explain things to places you won't appear in person. It's kinda the same thing women traditionally go through. New name...what comes first...who do I change it with first? It isn't an instant process, but evolves as you can fit it in. I actually didn't take my husband's name because I didn't want to bother changing a lifetime of stuff for a later life marriage. But you are starting fresh in a new country, so it makes sense to do it before you get there. There may be some bumps because it's non-traditional, but name changes for marriage do happen all the time.

[mindthegap 2,543]

Do you think i would need a new Police Cert ? I have one at the moment valid till early next year in my current name.

100% yes you will do - make sure the new one reflects both new and old names IN FULL- mine didn't reflect my old name 100% correctly and it very nearly delayed my visa pending me obtaining another police cert, despite the name change having been only a few months prior. Thankfully I also had my subject access report with me at the embassy interview, which showed the correct current and former names, which was sufficient to get the visa approved and issued with no delays.

In our case, we made sure that both of our names and passports were changed before we even started the process and submitted the i-130 (we both changed our names to an entirely new one we created). The consular officer interviewing me at the london embassy was more concerned that I may have changed my name to evade some sort of hidden past!

Get your passport done first before anything else - I would strongly recommend making a premium same day appointment for passport so they can see you face to face and of course it is much quicker. Once the passport is done, you can order a new UK drivers license online with the photo and details taken from your new passport- this will take a couple of days to arrive.

Once those two are done everything else (banks and any financial institution etc) is easy when showing passport, license & proof of name change via your marriage certificate. Most places are used to it from the traditional wife name change so it is an established process- you being a guy doesn't really come into it.

Dont forget that you will also have your old uk passport returned to you (cancelled) as proof of your former name if needed. You don't need to do anything regarding your birth certificate- the important thing is that you have the paper trail documenting the change.

Edited March 27, 2013 by mindthegap

[fcat 79]

100% yes you will do - make sure the new one reflects both new and old names IN FULL- mine didn't reflect my old name 100% correctly and it very nearly delayed my visa pending me obtaining another police cert, despite the name change having been only a few months prior. Thankfully I also had my subject access report with me at the embassy interview, which showed the correct current and former names, which was sufficient to get the visa approved and issued with no delays.

In our case, we made sure that both of our names and passports were changed before we even started the process and submitted the i-130 (we both changed our names to an entirely new one we created). The consular officer interviewing me at the london embassy was more concerned that I may have changed my name to evade some sort of hidden past!

Get your passport done first before anything else - I would strongly recommend making a premium same day appointment for passport so they can see you face to face and of course it is much quicker. Once the passport is done, you can order a new UK drivers license online with the photo and details taken from your new passport- this will take a couple of days to arrive.

Once those two are done everything else (banks and any financial institution etc) is easy when showing passport, license & proof of name change via your marriage certificate. Most places are used to it from the traditional wife name change so it is an established process- you being a guy doesn't really come into it.

Dont forget that you will also have your old uk passport returned to you (cancelled) as proof of your former name if needed. You don't need to do anything regarding your birth certificate- the important thing is that you have the paper trail documenting the change.

Excellent , thanks ever so much