Do I need to change my signature after marriage?

[Chub08 2]

Hi! We’re filing CR-1 this November and I have few questions.

 

Do i need to change my signature to a new one reflecting my married name?

 

Our marriage certificate, my driver’s license and the birth certificate of our daughter have my maiden signature.

 

I wonder if this will affect our visa application and CRBA for our daughter if i still use my maiden signature. 

 

 If I change it, they might question inconsistency regarding signatures in the said documents.

 

Also, do i need to sign the i-130a even if im outside the US?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

[Hank_ 9,171]

Your maiden name signature is not your name anymore.  It is that simple.    With a name change comes a new signature.    

 

No you do not have to sign the I-130a if outside the USA .. that is noted in the instructions 

Edited October 29, 2018 by Hank_

[NikLR 13,220]

You cannot change past documents.  Your marriage certificate and your daughter's birth certificate would have your name as it was when those items happened.  My daughter's birth certificate has my maiden name on it as well. 

If you are choosing to change your name (you do not have to) then you should change your passport and start learning to sign with your married surname.  But you dont change previous documents. 

The USCIS and DOS understand why a signature would charge with a name change due to marriage.  Over the years my signature has changed since I was first married too. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by NikLR

[Hank_ 9,171]

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

You cannot change past documents.  Your marriage certificate and your daughter's birth certificate would have your name as it was when those items happened.  My daughter's birth certificate has my maiden name on it as well. 

If you are choosing to change your name (you do not have to << In the Philippines changing the name after marriage is required) then you should change your passport and start learning to sign with your married surname.  But you dont change previous documents. 

The USCIS and DOS understand why a signature would charge with a name change due to marriage.  Over the years my signature has changed since I was first married too. 

 

[Hank_ 9,171]

5 hours ago, Chub08 said:

Hi! We’re filing CR-1 this November and I have few questions.

 

Do i need to change my signature to a new one reflecting my married name?

 

Our marriage certificate, my driver’s license and the birth certificate of our daughter have my maiden signature.

 

I wonder if this will affect our visa application and CRBA for our daughter if i still use my maiden signature. 

 

 If I change it, they might question inconsistency regarding signatures in the said documents.

 

Also, do i need to sign the i-130a even if im outside the US?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

Couple more comments.   If you have not started CRBA yet, then yes you would use your married name and married signature.

 

Visa application should be in your married name;    And for sure your passport needs to be renewed in your married name.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Hank_

[payxibka 10,044]

5 hours ago, Hank_ said:

Your maiden name signature is not your name anymore.  It is that simple.    With a name change comes a new signature.    

 

No you do not have to sign the I-130a if outside the USA .. that is noted in the instructions 

Not so fast.  From the perspective of the USA your signature can be anything you have adopted as your signature.  It can be an eloquent representation of your actual name to a scribble to a symbol or even a single letter such as an "X."  Even if I changed all of my names I would not change my signature because it is mine. 

 

My ex changed two of her three names and never adopted a new signature.

 

Again, this is only from the perspective of the USA and not a statement as to how the rest of the world would view this subject.

[Chub08 2]

Thank you for your comments  

 

Yes, I’m thinking of changing my signature reflectinf my husband’s surname.

 

However, it will be inconsistent with my documents where i already carry my married name but with my maiden signature. 

 

So, I dont know if I should just retain my maiden signature to be consistent or will that matter in my visa and CRBA applications.

 

I also think that some signatures are actually non-readable and just looks like scribble.

[NikLR 13,220]

Doesnt matter if the Philippines requires the OP to change her surname, the US does not. 

 

Op if you use your married surname you should sign with it.  

My signature certainly hasnt been legible in years.  Lol

[Chub08 2]

13 hours ago, Hank_ said:

Couple more comments.   If you have not started CRBA yet, then yes you would use your married name and married signature.

 

Visa application should be in your married name;    And for sure your passport needs to be renewed in your married name.

Yes, I havent started CRBA and visa yet. 

 

The documents we’ll pass such as our marriage cert and baby’s birth cert all carry my married name but with my maiden signature. I dont know if i made sense. Lol. 

 

So, when we pass those and if I sign using my married name (in the signature), i might be questioned for inconsistencies with those documents and the forms I have yet to sign in my visa and Crba applications.

Edited October 30, 2018 by Chub08

[Chub08 2]

21 minutes ago, NikLR said:

Doesnt matter if the Philippines requires the OP to change her surname, the US does not. 

 

Op if you use your married surname you should sign with it.  

My signature certainly hasnt been legible in years.  Lol

Im kinda confused.

 

US doesnt require changing surname but i need to sign using my married surname if I use my married name?   

 

Do you think it will matter if I pass docs with my married name and maiden signature and then sign with a new one bearing my married name? 

 

Thanks!

[Hank_ 9,171]

5 hours ago, Chub08 said:

Yes, I havent started CRBA and visa yet. 

 

The documents we’ll pass such as our marriage cert and baby’s birth cert all carry my married name but with my maiden signature. I dont know if i made sense. Lol. 

 

So, when we pass those and if I sign using my married name (in the signature), i might be questioned for inconsistencies with those documents and the forms I have yet to sign in my visa and Crba applications.

Yup you are making total sense.  You signed documents with your maiden name after you were married.   Not a big deal, and for sure nothing to worry about.  Simply start signing documents using your married name 

[Hank_ 9,171]

5 hours ago, Chub08 said:

Im kinda confused.

 

US doesnt require changing surname but i need to sign using my married surname if I use my married name?   <<  EXACTLY!  YES.

 

Do you think it will matter if I pass docs with my married name and maiden signature and then sign with a new one bearing my married name? 

 

Thanks!

 

[NikLR 13,220]

9 hours ago, Chub08 said:

Im kinda confused.

 

US doesnt require changing surname but i need to sign using my married surname if I use my married name?   

 

Do you think it will matter if I pass docs with my married name and maiden signature and then sign with a new one bearing my married name? 

 

Thanks!

If the document has your married name you should not be signing with your maiden name. 

Example.. you were born Joan Smith but are now Joan doe.  

You cannot sign Joan Smith if the document says Joan Doe! 

 

I suppose it depends on how legible your handwriting is, mine isnt, but you can tell my 2nd initial is an R not a D. 

[payxibka 10,044]

5 hours ago, Hank_ said:

Yup you are making total sense.  You signed documents with your maiden name after you were married.   Not a big deal, and for sure nothing to worry about.  Simply start signing documents using your married name 

Nonsense.  You are bound by the mark you make on the document, not by what the actual mark indicates.  If your name is Joan Molina Garcia and you signed "The Cookie Monster" it is allowed (unless specifically prohibited, which typically does not exist in the USA) and enforceable against you.

 

Usually, a signature is simply someone's name written in a stylized fashion. However, that is not really necessary. All that needs to be there is some mark that represents you. It can be -- as many signatures end up -- a series of squiggles, a picture, or historically, even the traditional "X" for people who couldn't read and write. As long as it adequately records the intent of the parties involved in a contractual agreement, it's considered a valid signature.

 

In the absence of a statutory prohibition, an individual can use any character, symbol, figure, or designation he/she wishes to adopt as a signature, and if he/she uses it as a substitute for his name, he is bound by it. For example, if a contract refers to"William Jones" but Jones signs his name "Bill Jones," the contract is still enforceable against him. An individual can also use a fictitious name or the name of a business firm. A signature might also be adequate to validate an instrument even if it is virtually illegible. The entire name does not have to be written, and the inclusion of a middle name is not significant.

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

If the document has your married name you should not be signing with your maiden name. 

Example.. you were born Joan Smith but are now Joan doe.  

You cannot sign Joan Smith if the document says Joan Doe! 

 

I suppose it depends on how legible your handwriting is, mine isnt, but you can tell my 2nd initial is an R not a D. 

So not true

[NikLR 13,220]

1 hour ago, payxibka said:

Nonsense.  You are bound by the mark you make on the document, not by what the actual mark indicates.  If your name is Joan Molina Garcia and you signed "The Cookie Monster" it is allowed (unless specifically prohibited, which typically does not exist in the USA) and enforceable against you.

 

Usually, a signature is simply someone's name written in a stylized fashion. However, that is not really necessary. All that needs to be there is some mark that represents you. It can be -- as many signatures end up -- a series of squiggles, a picture, or historically, even the traditional "X" for people who couldn't read and write. As long as it adequately records the intent of the parties involved in a contractual agreement, it's considered a valid signature.

 

In the absence of a statutory prohibition, an individual can use any character, symbol, figure, or designation he/she wishes to adopt as a signature, and if he/she uses it as a substitute for his name, he is bound by it. For example, if a contract refers to"William Jones" but Jones signs his name "Bill Jones," the contract is still enforceable against him. An individual can also use a fictitious name or the name of a business firm. A signature might also be adequate to validate an instrument even if it is virtually illegible. The entire name does not have to be written, and the inclusion of a middle name is not significant.

So not true

sure. 

Sign away OP, sign away.