Passport name
 

I'm travelling with my family to Japan at the end of the month, and just realized that the name on my passport differs from the name on my plane ticket - I was married recently and haven't changed my passport yet.

I called United and they want to charge me $200 to change the name on my ticket. I know that for domestic travel, you can take your marriage license and they will accept the different names, but United says that doesn't work for international travel.

I feel like an idiot, as I should've thought of this before. My husband bought the tickets and put it in my married name.

Do I have any other options, other than paying United the $200?

Make an appt at the nearest passport office and go in for a name change. You'll have to buy a new one eventually, and it will be cheaper than $200.

Of course this assumes there is a passport office near you.

Unfortunately, we've already bought our Japan Rail Passes - the name on the rail pass matches the passport name.

Also, I think that even with expedited service, I do not have enough time to change the passport - we leave a week from tomorrow.

Boy, do I feel like an idiot on this one. *Sigh*

No, you didn't by a JR Pass, exactly. Not if you are talking about a 7-, 14- , or 21-day pass, that is. You paid money and got a voucher for a JR Pass. It is refundable. I would not be surprised if you took it to a local travel agent that sells JR passes and get the refund and new pass right away.

If you go to a passport center they might be able to expedite getting a new pp. You could check it out. I realized less than a week before a trip that I needed additional pages for all the stamps and visas I would collect. Was able to get it done. A whole new pp is a bigger deal, but don't give up yet.

Is it possible that United thinks that changing the name means changing the person? My wife, who uses her maiden name, once had a notation on her passport with her married name, but then it proved no longer necessary. You might see if you can get a similar notation quickly added to your current passport. You're not using both names in a way that constitutes fraud. I know your case is different--because you reserved under one name but are travelling under another--but onllne chats are full of cases of people who marry while abroad and seem to be in the same situation. The general advice is that carrying your marriage certificate clears up problems. This seems really draconian of United. Why not call them again and see if there's a different answer?

I don't want to you to end up stranded at the airport, but I agree with the previous poster. I have been married for almost 20 years and have never "officially" changed my name - I generally use my maiden name professionally and my husband's name when traveling with the family. On international trips, I have occasionally used tickets with the "wrong" name without any problem.

I have added my married name to my passport (using my maiden name as a middle name) because it's easier when traveling alone with the kids. But before then, the only I.D. I had with both names was a credit card. You can get one overnight and that, along with your marriage certificate, should be enough to satisfy the airline.

I called United again, and got a different answer. This woman said that as long as I take along the marriage license, I am fine. She said it happens all the time.

After some more searching on the United website, I found in their FAQs that if I take along official documentation of my name change (ie, the marriage license), having a different name on my travel documents is no problem. Whew.

Thanks again for all the responses!

Well, at last this makes sense--congratulations! Now you can enjoy Japan.