Passport Name Change Question
 

I posted this on the US board by mistake, so I am posting on the Europe board also! I'm still getting used to this site, so please forgive my ignorance!!

I know I should be asking this question to the proper authorities and will deal with them as this becomes a reality...but, I thought I might get some first hand advise from the wealth of knowledge on this site!

I will hopefully (fingers-crossed) be divorced before my trip to Italy in Ocotber. I plan to go back to my maiden name, but my passport is in my married name. We are going to start making reservations (hotel/villa/car etc) very soon. I know that with the villa in particular, there is a passport form that must be filled out with the reservation.

Any thoughts on how I should handle this? When I make these reservations, I'll still have my married name, what kind of problems am I going to run into if I have a different name when I travel? Would anyone recommend not changing my passport until after I travel? I don't even know if that's a possibility.

Please share any thoughts, I'd appreciate them!

Pantelia

Hi pantelia, my daughter had to make an emergency trip from CA to Rome this last June. Her passport was in her former married name. She never got around to having it changed to her new married name (and I had nagged her several times about that LOL).

The website for further information is http://travel.state.gov/passport. Best wishes.

So panic set in. But the airlines said they would issue to ticket in the name on her passport which they did and there were no problems.

If she her passport had been lost or stolen however I don't know if she would have had a problem as her other ID (drivers license), credit cards were in her new name. She did have a photocopy of her passport with her but don't know what kind of problems she would have faced if she had needed a replacement passport.

I do know that the State Dept. no longer amends your passport to show your "new name". They issue a new passport.

If I were you, especially since you don't know if you will be even divorced for sure by October, I would just leave your passport "as is". Also would do the same with the drivers license etc.

Hi P,

I agree with Loveitaly,

Unless your divorce is final by Aug 1, leave your passport and other ID until after you return from Italy.

You should leave 6-8 weeks to file for a name change.

((I))

I would not rush to change any of the names in hopes you can travel with the passport and IDs you have and with your current name. For example, recently married woman travel on their honeymoon in their maiden names to match their passports, not their married name as they don't have time to get it all changed. If you find you will have at least two months between divorce and travel, then you can attempt to have everything changed. If you travel just after the divorce is final, you will be fine as long as everything matches (name on passport matches name ticket), but you can always take along a copy of the divorce decree just to be safe, this in case you loose your passport and you must go to the embassy for replacement, etc.

Just make sure you buy your ticket with the same name as the one on your passport. In May 2004, we had visitors from Ireland he had travelled from Ireland with "Sean" as his first name on his ticket, his passport says "John" (no problems leaving Ireland as Sean and John seemed to be interchangable there). When it came time to leave to go home, the airline here wouldn't let him travel on a ticket that had a different name than the passport, so he had to buy a pricey one-way ticket home with "John" as on the passport. Once home I believe he was able to get a refund - I just hope it was for the higher amount.

Remember that your 'official' name is the one with the Social Security administration. If something (hopefully nothing) happens overseas, you want to make sure your ID matches that. I would do as the others have said, and wait on any name changes until your return. You want your ID to match your Ticket, and both to match your passport. Those should match your credit cards, too!

Thanks so much for your replies.

Rather than go through the hassle of dealing with credit card companies, social security etc, I think I'll just leave things as is and work on changing everything after I return.

I would hate to have to rush and worry before my trip!

Thanks again!