When to change last name? (Petitioner)

[Dotagirlandboy 30]

Hi Everyone, I appreciate any info/advice!

I (the petitioner-female) am marrying my fiance (K-1 visa) this Saturday and we want to Adjust status as soon as we can, but I am wanting to change my last name also as soon as possible but I don't want to mess anything up

Should I change my name BEFORE filing AOS (just worried that will add a lot of time to our process) or can I do it right after we file? And if we do it in the middle of the process will that mess anything up? Will I have to file additional paperwork with USCIS or can I just continue the process with my maiden name? Or should we just wait until he has his green card before I change my name? Again, thank you for your advice!

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

I changed my name with social security with my marriage certificate. Quick and painless.

You will need your marriage certificate...but you need that to AOS as well and you need to wait till JOP deposits it.

Married 9/29 passport license social all changed all arrived less than a month. DMV and Social Security same day proof of name change.

Furthermore you need proof of citizenship you can provide birth certificate. Non of which would be held up with a name change.

Edited November 22, 2016 by Anitafeliz

[Andrea&Henry 311]

you don't need to make anything special to change your name. I'm also a former venezuelan k1 beneficiary and all I did was submitting the AoS paperwork with my new last name. There is a part of the form where they ask you what was your name by the time you arrived and that's the only time when you have to disclose your maiden name.

I didn't get my ssn but AFTER I received the employment authorization (part of the AoS). And for my driver's license I didn't even have to show my marriage certificate and neither for my credit cards and joint bank accounts.

The only document I have now with my maiden name is my super expired venezuelan passport (I have almost no family there anymore so I decided not to renew it, now that I'm a US citizen)

[Andrea&Henry 311]

There is no an official thing to do to change your name, the marriage certificate is more than enough. If you decide to file your AoS with your maiden name, ALL your documentation will have your maiden name and then you have to do the extra job and change the last name. It doesn't make any sense.

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

There is no an official thing to do to change your name, the marriage certificate is more than enough. If you decide to file your AoS with your maiden name, ALL your documentation will have your maiden name and then you have to do the extra job and change the last name. It doesn't make any sense.

OP is the female petitioner not beneficiary

Edited December 8, 2016 by Suss&Camm

[Dotagirlandboy 30]

Thanks everyone! It's been hard to find an answer I guess since I'm the petitioner (female changing name), but we just (a couple days ago) filed my husband's application (AOS), so now I am wondering if I can go get my name changed and if I do, is there like some form I have to file with USCIS or no since I'm not the applicant only the sponsor? Thanks for the help!

[LionessDeon 2,060]

Wow. I think you are way over thinking this. If you are changing your name, then change it. Why the wait? I changed my name right after marriage. The marriage certificate is documentation that serves as the name change document. I used that whenever anyone asked for the name change document, The bank and SS office are the only ones who asked for it so far. I have not changed my name on my dirver's license yet. I will do that at renewal time next year. You don't have to change everything immediately. You can do it over time. That's what I'm doing. I've changed it at work, bank, and SS, but not all my other accounts yet. It's a work in progress.

My passport is in my maiden name and will remain that way because I just renewed it. When I book tickets I'll just use my maiden name.

So, if you intend on changing your name, then complete the AOS forms with your new married name. You should list your maiden name as well like the form indicates. Please see the example forms.

http://www.visajourney.com/examples/INS-Form-I-485.pdf

Edited December 8, 2016 by LionessDeon

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Thanks everyone! It's been hard to find an answer I guess since I'm the petitioner (female changing name), but we just (a couple days ago) filed my husband's application (AOS), so now I am wondering if I can go get my name changed and if I do, is there like some form I have to file with USCIS or no since I'm not the applicant only the sponsor? Thanks for the help!

Since you are the USC petitioner/sponsor, it does not really make a difference. If you have not yet changed your name, then you can use your name previous to current marriage on the AOS forms. If you change it sometime after the AOS process, then you can use your married name on the ROC documentation a couple years from now. I did it that way. No issues.

[Dotagirlandboy 30]

Since you are the USC petitioner/sponsor, it does not really make a difference. If you have not yet changed your name, then you can use your name previous to current marriage on the AOS forms. If you change it sometime after the AOS process, then you can use your married name on the ROC documentation a couple years from now. I did it that way. No issues.

Omg KayDee! Thank you so much. We just filed with my maiden name so that's exactly what we will do

[Avina 13]

Omg KayDee! Thank you so much. We just filed with my maiden name so that's exactly what we will do

Smiles, now time to play Dota!

[Bfree3 132]

@TNJ17

[TNJ17 1,329]

12 hours ago, Bfree3 said:

@TNJ17

Thanks for tagging me. 

On 12/9/2016 at 5:42 AM, KayDeeCee said:

Since you are the USC petitioner/sponsor, it does not really make a difference. If you have not yet changed your name, then you can use your name previous to current marriage on the AOS forms. If you change it sometime after the AOS process, then you can use your married name on the ROC documentation a couple years from now. I did it that way. No issues.

Good. This is exactly what I will do then.  

[Dotagirlandboy 30]

On 5/10/2018 at 9:57 AM, TNJ17 said:

Thanks for tagging me. 

Good. This is exactly what I will do then.  

@TNJ17 Just Fyi, We ended up doing this (filed with Maiden name, and then immediately changed it (like a week or 2 later). Had 0 issues with AOS 

[TNJ17 1,329]

4 hours ago, Dotagirlandboy said:

@TNJ17 Just Fyi, We ended up doing this (filed with Maiden name, and then immediately changed it (like a week or 2 later). Had 0 issues with AOS 

Hey! How did you make a change?

[Dotagirlandboy 30]

On 6/22/2018 at 3:47 PM, TNJ17 said:

Hey! How did you make a change?

You take your official marriage cert to the SS office and have them update it, then when you get your new SS card, go to DMV and update your license. It was pretty easy. One thing (if for some reason your partner has 2 last names, you can change your last name, to ANYTHING/ANY COMBINATION on the marriage certificate, they bullied me really hard about this (I only wanted one of my husband's last names) but IT SAYS SO ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE that you can have ANY combination of last name(s). Just FYI