SemiMike

Going to France with daughter and son-in-law in 2 months. She checked her passport earlier for validity, but has just realized it’s still in her maiden name. She was married over 3 years ago. I have known people who have carried the existing passport and an original, notarized marriage license, and have not had a problem – but this is not what the State Department Web site advises. Anyone tried to do this recently? Thanks.

hetismij

If she buys the ticket in her maiden name there will not be a problem - the ticket name and passport name must match I believe. If the ticket is in her married name then she will have a problem.
Can she not get the passport amended?

julies

I believe my daughter-in-law, whose passport is in her maiden name, has done this but it was a year or two ago. It'a a long story about whay she hasn't changed her passport--she's not a US citizen but has permanent residency status in the US. I know she always takes her marriage certificate when she flies because she needs to prove that she is married and is the same person whose married name is on her permanent resdency card.

Why doesn't your DIL just change her passport? If she is a US citizen it should be a relatively quick and easy process. We just renewed our passports, regular service not expedited, and got them back in two weeks.

Lawchick

Ticket and passport must match.

I had this problem a lot after getting married and changing my passport...my office kept booking my flights in my maiden name - I wouldn't notice until I got to the airport....hey presto ....had to buy a new ticket each time.

If it's two months before the flight - the simplest thing would be to change the name on the ticket rather than the passport. Surely the airline allows this for a fee.

Padraig

Lawchick, my curiosity is piqued.

Many flights in Europe are fully sold, so if I turned up without a ticket I might not be able to buy one at the airport. Were you able to cancel the ticket with the wrong name, then tell the airline it had a seat that it could sell to you in your current name?

djkbooks

Absolutely name on airline ticket and passport must match. If they do not, she won't be allowed to board. Notarized marriage license will not help.

There will definitely be a fee to change name on ticket, as it has to be re-issued - could be $200.

Recommend getting new passport - expedited. ASAP.

mikelg

Why should a woman take her husband´s name? Isn´t it a bit outdated?

BTW, women in Spain never change her maiden name after getting married.

Lawchick

Padraig,

For work I usually get issued with Business class tickets or fully flexible economy - which is as expensive as Business - but you don't get the complimentary orange juice!

I just had to buy a new ticket and then my office was able to recoup the original one.

The first time it happened I was going from Brussels to Toulouse. A new ticket cost me over 900 euros. Quite a hit at about 6.30 am.....but I got the money back. Phew.

jamikins

Not sure about the US but in Canada you can get the name updated quite easily...without getting a new passport...they just put something in it that states your new name due. It was quite cheap as well...

Padraig

mikelg asked: "Why should a woman take her husband´s name? Isn´t it a bit outdated?"

Of course she doesn't have to; it's simply a long-established convention. In countries where it is customary, the first alternative she might consider is to keep her maiden name, which is almost certainly a surname given to her by another man. So she can't win.

LoveItaly

Hello SemiMike. Your post is not clear if a ticket has been issued for your daughter. If no ticket has been issued than if your daughter does not want to have her passport amended before the trip she has to have the airline ticket issued in the name on her passport..her maiden name.

If the ticket has been issued and it was issued in the name that is on her passport..her maiden name, there is no problem.

If the ticket has been issued and it was issued in her married name she will either have to have the airline reissue the ticket to the name on her passport..her maiden name OR have her passport amended or reissued (it seems to me they no longer amend a passport but instead issue a new passport) in her married name.

My daughter failed to have her passport amended or reissued when she remarried. Northwest issued her ticket as her name on her passport read as that was all that was necessary EXCEPT..

If you daughter has a Frequent Flyer account the name on that account must also read exactly as the name on the issued ticket reads.
At least that is true with NorthWest Airlines.

AAFrequentFlyer

I don't believe that the name can be changed once the ticket is bought, regardless of the fee.

In the old days some folks made a huge business of buying all the lowest priced tickets when they became available and then just waited until the fares got high enough that the change fee and their profit made it possible to resell the tickets to the public at somewhat lower fare that what was available through the normal channels. The airlines caught on to this practice and pretty much shut the door on this loophole.

dherron

My assistant was told to book a flight for Samantha. Apparently word had not filtered down to her that Samantha had gotten married so she booked the flight in her (Samantha's) maiden name. THE day of the flight, Tuesday of this week, Samantha came and asked me if she would have a problem. Duh. My assistant was out so I got on the phone with US Air. I spoke to someone in the Phillipines so it was certainly frustrating trying to translate what she was saying but I did gather that she said she was making a note on Samantha's reservation. Samantha went off to the airport and everyone kept their fingers crossed. Next day, she called from Florida. She made it with no problems!

BTW, she was flying from Ohio which is not her home so she had nothing with her that had her maiden name nor did she have her marriage license. Somewhat of a unique situation, I know, but it really just took a phone call to say she had gotten married and the reservation was booked under her maiden name.

Maybe it won't work with all airlines but it worked with US Air.

nytraveler

No one cares if she's married or not. Or what name she is using for other purposes.

All that matters is that her passport and airline tickets match. If they don;t she won;t get on the plane - no matter what certificates or notarized documents of witnesses or preists she brings with her.

If they don't match she must either change her passport - or have her ticket reissued (cost unknown).

SusanP

I don't see why she just doesn't have the passport changed, even if it means getting a completely new one. With two months, it shouldn't be a problem.