Passport name change really necessary?
 

I was married last year and added my married name to my DL, Social Security card, and bank accounts (so they read Lennyba Maidenname Marriedname). My credit cards and passport are still in my maiden name. If I book my flight under my maiden name, is it really necessary to change the name on my passport? I do have time to do it, but I just renewed it less than 2 years ago and hate to pay another $67 if I don't have to (not to mention, the time it takes to get a decent passport photo!).

Just wanted to mention, you don't need a passport photo to change your name. You simply mail in your passport, they stamp it with your new name, and they mail it back.

I did the same thing you did (made my maiden name my middle name), and I had my passport changed. Better to be safe than sorry!

Strass - did you do that within a year of getting your passport? The website seems to indicate that if the passport is older than one year you have to go through the entire renewal rigamarole, including photos.

As far as I can tell, the only place a passport is checked against another document is with the plane ticket. Never have I had to show my passport with any other item of ID, so I'd go ahead with booking tickets in the same name that appears on the passport.

Lennyba,

No, I did it about six years after getting my passport. Maybe they've changed the rules! I had my name changed in my passport in fall 2004.

Hi L,

If your passport and your tickets are in the same name, you are OK.

((I))

Would there be any problem with the fact that her driver's license has a different name?

The current rule is that if the passport was issued more than one year ago, you pay the fees and submit new photos to renew it with a new name.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get...ting_2654.html

Have you ever been asked for your driver's lic going through immigration? What about people who don;t have one? Or don;t bring it to europe since they won't be driving?

The only things that have to match are the passport and the plane ticket.

And there's no reason to ever change it if you don;t want to. What about women who never take their husbands name? Or who use it in their personal life but not their professional life? You can continue to use whatever name you want on anything - there are no legalities - it's all preference.

Very interesting! I didn't know that, nytraveler. I thought that at least the name on your passport and social security card would need to be the same.

Previous posters are correct - I just changed the name on mine. If it was issued more than a year prior, you must send in your passport and provide proof of new name (Marriage Certificate) along with 2 new passport photos. Mine took about 3 months to be returened via mail - I would pay to expedite if you're leaving soon. However, I also booked tickets under my maiden name for about a year beforehand - so that I could use my old passport a while longer. You just ahve to be sure when you book tix online that your booking name matches the ID you plan to carry.

I never take my drivers license or social security card either one on a trip to Europe with me.

To add to Katietwin's information:

Our daughter had to send in a certified copy of her marriage certificate, not just a photocopy.

Byrd

You've got 8-years to make any change. As long as the ticket and passport have the same name, you're fine.

Apparently, they've changed the rules where payment and new photos are required. It used to be just the application, appropriate license and that was it. They didn't even change the face page, just a notation on the last page of the passport. And the turnaround was real fast...like adding additional pages.

Actually, it's only Social Security that needs correct information - you're married and to whom - even if you retain your maiden name.

What has your social security card got to do with going to europe? Your SS card is to record your work history and assue you get the correct pension and medical benefits from the government eventually.

The SS Admin doesn;t care if you've ever gone to France. And France doesn;t care about your SS benefits.

sandi -

And that's only assuming you're going to collect on your spouse's income. If you're each going to collect on your own income it's not an issue.

nytraveler,

I wasn't talking about taking a SS card to Europe (why would someone do that?). I was responding to your comment that "You can continue to use whatever name you want on anything - there are no legalities - it's all preference." For some reason, I thought that items like your SS card and passport had to have your "official," legal name--not just your maiden or married name depending on a whim. I didn't realize I could go by Strass Maidenname on my SS card and Strass Marriedname on my passport, for instance.

Just trying to learn!

Hi NYT,

>And that's only assuming you're going to collect on your spouse's income. If you're each going to collect on your own income it's not an issue.<

That's not quite correct.

Married people get 1.5 x the SS income of the spouse entitled to the most money.

Married people cannot collect on their individual accounts.

That's why some Senior Citizens get a divorce, but continue living together.

It's shameful, but what can you do about old people these days? :)

((I))

Actually for married people, the spouse with the lowest Social Security benefit amount gets the higher of his/her own benefit or the spousal benefit.

(Technically, if the lowest earning spouse can get more on the other spouse's account, they get their own benefit plus the difference between their benefit and the spouse benefit.)

Ira -

Are you telling me that if I give in and marry the beau when we retire I will only get 50% of the SS benefits that I should?

How can anyone possibly justify that - I pay in just as much but only get half the amount in return?

Great - another thing to get Hilary to fix!