Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

I just got married here in Peru yesterday (Congrats to me )
My question is that as an American passport holder, how do I change my name? ONe my marriage cert it just has my maiden name and according to the passport webpage, I need a paper with my old name and my new name.

[khmerhit]

HOOOOOOOOORAY----CONGTRATULATIONZZZZ NATURE GIRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLL-------------------SORRY I CANT HELPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cdaniels]

Congrats!
I don't know about the passport question.

[spiral78]

Congrats! In Prague, the U.S. Embassy has a stamp for officially registering a new/changed name on the last page of your passport. This is a quick fix - obviously, when you have your passport renewed, it will reflect your new name. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but it might be worth checking at the nearest embassy.

[laconic]

This may help:

http://lima.usembassy.gov/amendments.html

[Ariadne]

Why do you want to change your name? I know it's none of my business, but I'm curious.

.

[khmerhit]

Perhaps her last name is too short, like Ng, and she wants to make it longer?

[Sgt Killjoy]

You gotta get a replacement passport. Most marriages certificates don't have a place for the new last name. Just take the marriage certificate in to the embassy and ask them to issue you a new passport. (they no longer do amendments!)

[thelmadatter]

I dont know about the passport, but I do know that no name change is legal in the States until/unless you change your name with Social Security. I dont know if you can do that at the embassy or not.

Ive changed my name twice. Once in 1987 when I married (I had to send the marriage cert. to SS and request that my name be changed... just marrying does not mean you change your name) and once after I divorced in 2002 when I changed my last name to something other than my married or maiden name. Interesting thing there was that the court order changing my name (the second time) was not sufficient to change my name on my driver's license in Arizona... I had to change it first with SS before ANYONE else.

naturegirl... I know youre in love and all that... but you should really think hard about changing your name legally. It will almost certainly have consequences far far into the future - more than you can imagine. My name changes have caused me nothing but headaches... in the States, where women changing names is no big deal it is bad enough (lots of paperwork and some confusion) ... but in Mexico it has been a nightmare. The concept is really alien to them here and everytime I have to do something official I almost always have to provide my marriage certificate and court order (apostilled!) and sometimes birth certificate to prove who I am. I couldnt get something notarized here once (had to do with my divorce paperwork... the AZ court still calls me by my married name because thats what I filed for divorce under. But since my court order documenting my name change was not apostilled... the notary in Mexico would not accept that Name X = Name Y. Apostilles have to be done in the original country!) Next, I havent gotten a drivers license in Mexico because they required my birth cert. and "orginals" of marriage cert and court order (impossible to get) to match the name on my birth certificate with the name on my passport/FM3 (work/residency permit). Supposedy, I have to be a bit more persistant and talk to the right people... a time-consuming process, when I just dont have the time right now. The interesting thing is when I applied for my FM3, they accepted simple photocopies of my marriage cert. and court order..... go figure.

While it might be worth it now to do all this (dont forget changing names on any/all accounts you still have in the States!).... after years it really get to be a pain in the a$$. You can always be Mrs. _______ socially and in the end it really has nothing to do with love. He won't be changing his name and he loves you, right?

[Cdaniels]

[Not St Louis]

Several states recognize common-law name changes, just adopt a new name and start using it. The hardest part is getting SS to recognize the change.

The embassy should be able to provide you with the forms to change your name with SS and by the way, the embassy doesnt care if you change it before getting your passport.

[naturegirl321]

So I just need the orginal marriage cert? I don't need to translate it or anything?

[MELEE]

I know I've said this before. But because I'm living in Mexico I agree with themadatter. Luckily I lived here for several years before getting married and had seen the nightmares married and or divorced women went through with different names on their degrees, birth certs and passports. I had thought about adding my husband's last name as my second last name, but in the end decided to save myself the headaches. But 6 months before I got married I got a new passport. I asked at the embassy what I would do and they said just bring my Mexican marriage cert. to the embassy and they'd stamp in my name change. THAT WAS IN 2003, Killjoy says they no longer do ammendments. If that's true, You might want to wait until your passport expires rather than shell out for a new one now!

[naturegirl321]

Here it's normal (in Peru). They just tack it on the end with the de whoever.

Just out of curiosity, why did you chang eyour last name to something completely different?

I think it will be easier. My name will be similar to all my degrees and certs, just with the de added. And with the de, I should be easily able to prove that we are married.

[thelmadatter]

why did I change my last name?

Well the first time was because I was in loooooooooooove (said with a dripping sarcastic tone) and I wanted a "perfect" marriage ja ja ja ja

When I divorced, I decided not to return to my maiden name or keep my married one. I wanted one that would honor my mother, who raised me alone and who died in 1983.

While my different aliases are really a pain in the a$$ for me here in Mexico, I dont regret the second name change.