solg

I am traveling to Mexico. My passport has my maiden name on it. My drivers license has my full name (first, maiden, married last name). I have not had my passport changed. Is it still valid?

P_M

Your passport is still valid, but if you are flying to Mexico, it is imperative that the name on the passport matches the name on the plane ticket. So you have 2 options: 1. Send in your passport for a name change ASAP, or 2. Book the ticket under your maiden name.

LoveItaly

Hi solg, P_M is absolutely correct. My daughter had to take a sudden flight to Rome the first part of June. The only legal document she had never changed her name on was her passport.

NW airlines said as long as the ticket was issued in the name that was on her passport there was no problem. And there wasn't. She flew to Italy and she is now home.

So depending on when you are leaving for Mexico either have your passport amended to your new name or if there is not time to do that than have your ticket issued in the name that is on your passport.

suze

I am pretty sure you can still go from the U.S. into Mexico on only a photo ID and an original birth certificate, right? But I don't know how the married name plays in this situation.

Change your passport, or make the plane tickets in the name that matches your current passport, and leave your drivers license out of it.

MrsKiss

Two years ago my husband and I traveled to Mexico (Cancun Airport). I had a passport, but at the last minute I couldn't find it and took my driver's license, and birth certificate. When we arrived in Cancun we were showing our documents and my Original marriage certificate was requested! We didn't have it! We were given a hard time about it with a threat to see the supervisor..."You don't want to have to talk to him!" and simply told we may have to get on the plane and return home!
In a nutshell, we had to provide a bribe before continuing on! He told my husband to go to a "drop off box" beside a bunch of pamplets! He only dropped off $20.00 and we got the heck out of there!
Later we read the fine print on our documents and information. You need your marriage license!! Not a copy!
My advice, Have IT! YOu don't want troubles!
When we returned home I found my passport and have traveled to Punta Cana and Mexico again this year. I had to pay about $65.00 to have it amended on the back, stating that I have a name change since it was issued.
My travel agent told me in the very near future you will have to have a passport to travel to Mexico rather than the other ID.

LoveItaly

Hello Mrs.Kiss, when did one have to start paying a fee to have their name amended on a US Passport? I have the US Passport Amendment Validation Application For DS-19 right here in front of me and on the back side it states "THERE IS NO FEE TO HAVE A U.S. PASSPORT AMENDED. I am not shouting I typed that in caps as it is typed in caps on the form.

Now if one is in a hurry you may request Expedited Service which is processed in three workdays from receipt at the Passport Center. That fee is $60.00.

But unless one is in a great hurry there is no fee to amend the name on your US Passport.

Just wanted to post this so that anyone that needs to amend their name on their passport will have the correct facts. Take care.

Flyboy

LoveItaly, I don't think MrsKiss was talking about paying a fee to amend a passport, but of paying an immigration officer off at the airport to avoid some hassles. It was a little shakedown scheme. The way I read it, the passport wasn't amended.

But the info you provided is good for people to know.

P_M

Mrs. Kiss said:

When we returned home I found my passport and have traveled to Punta Cana and Mexico again this year. I had to pay about $65.00 to have it amended on the back, stating that I have a name change since it was issued.

The way I read this, she was already home from that trip where she paid the $20 bribe, and she's saying she paid $65 to have a name change on her passport.

MrsKiss

Yes.

LoveItaly

Hi Mrs. Kiss, just out of curiosity. I assume that you had your passport amended via the Eepedited Service which cost $60.00 plus maybe $5.00 for sending it to the US Passport Office?

Len1953

My girlfriend will be flying from the U.S. to Los Cabos. She was just divorced. Her U.S. state drivers license bears her married name and obviously her certified copy of her birth certificate does not.
1. How long does it take to obtain an expedited passport these days?
2. In the absence of a passport, does she need to present any additional documents in Mexico or returning to the US (a marriage license bearing her maiden name is out of the question) ?

gail

Len - What name did she take when divorce was granted? It seems that it would be fairly simple and fast to go to state Registry of Motor Vehicles and get name changed on drivers license. If her legal name has changed, she needs to do that anyway.

You can get an expedited passport quickly - in a few days - but it costs more.

BeachBoi

Len...I am assuming a new passport, right?Pay the $60 expdeite fee.The Passport Agency guarantees that your passport will be issued within 3 business days after they receive it.It would help if you could include a self addressed FedEx or UPS label.Passport Agency makes no guarantee when the completed/issued passport will be sent to you.I did this on my renewal recently and all told it was 10 days.So it sat somewhere cuz it was validated/issued on April 8 and I received it April 14,and they used the 3 day snail mail from their office.Hope this helps.