Traveling on Green Card / Expired Foreign Passport

[Bogi 0]

Hi Everyone!

Here's our situation. My wife received her green card (conditional) in November. We are planning to take a vacation to her home country (Poland) so I can meet her parents and so she can finally take a much deserved vacation.

My wife's polish passport expired this month (Feb 2007) but we were told that she won't have any problems flying out of the US and into Poland on her expired passport. When we're in Poland she will apply for her new passport (and also register our marriage with the Polish government) using my last name.

We were told that we cannot buy a round trip ticket because she will have two different names on the flight to Poland and then back to the US. On the flight to Poland she will be using her maiden name because that's what's on her old passport. On the flight back to the US she will be using my last name because that's what's on her green card and will be on her new passport. Shoudn't it be possible for the airlines to allow my wife to fly on her maiden name as long as we show the marriage certificates as proof of marriage (we would have the US Marriage certificate, with apostille and the Polish marriage certificate). Or would it be possible for the airlines to create a new ticket with her new name on the ticket after we present them with the documents proving our marriage?

We know we can try to get her a new passport through the Polish consulate in the US but we don't think there's enough time as we want to go on our vacation in June. And it would be cheaper for her to get her new passport made while she's in Poland.

I will call the airlines and see what they say. But I just wanted to see if anyone else has done something like this already and what advice you all have for me.

Thanks,

Bogdan

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Try presenting an expired passport at the airport and the you will only get as far as check-in where you will be denied a boarding pass...

You must have a valid passport to travel...

Kez

[payxibka 10,048]

I would agree that it appears the Polish consulate is in your future

[John & Annie 1]

I agree, you have two options:

Get the passport changed now in the US via the Polish Embassy http://www.polandembassy.org/

or

Get it changed there, I know most countries give you the passport back and you should be able to use the marriage cert to bridge the two names.

Oh, a third option:

You can buy the name change on the ticket by either getting an unrestricted ticket or paying the fee.

Edited February 22, 2007 by John & Annie

[Bogi 0]

Oh, a third option:

You can buy the name change on the ticket by either getting an unrestricted ticket or paying the fee.

Is this a pretty common practice? Do most airlines allow this? I was thinking of doing that but when I spoke with the Polish airlines person she didn't know anything and told me to call the consulate? But the consulate doesn't deal with airline procedures so I don't know why she told me to call them. I think I'm gonna call a bunch of Polish travel agents and see what I can gather by picking their brains.

Thanks

[eau_xplain 2]

Bogi, will Polish immigration accept an expired Polish passport for entry into the country?