Fiance' should change name on passport?
 

I'm getting married June 3 and knew well enough to book her airline ticket with her maiden name. While the passport isn't an issue for this trip (staying in the US), it's going to be an issue for the end of July. We are going to the Dominican Republic on a medical missions relief trip. Her ticket for the DR trip is being purchased with her maiden name this week. We don't want to wait until August to start changing her name, but will it be a problem for her driver's license to have her married name, but her passport have her maiden name? She really doesn't want to get a new passport and have it expedited after we get back from the wedding since she would have to wait til then to request the legal name change.

OK, I guess here's the question...If we get back from our honeymoon and start doing all the name changing, will she have a problem using the passport in her maiden name if her airline ticket is with her maiden name, but her driver's license is in her married name. Or can she just skip showing the license and just use her passport as her i.d.? We also have to take official birth certificates for the DR trip, so it will also be in her maiden name.

Please help - we're getting really stressed about this.

Easy enough...keep a copy of your marriage license handy.

JimM

I've never had to show a second form of ID while traveling internationally. As long as the ticket matches the passport I can't imagine there would be a problem.

Just use the passport as her ID since it matches the ticket. You don't have to get a whole new passport for a name change. You just apply for a name change and they send you a page to staple into the back of your passport. Not ideal really -- since you have to make sure that customs agents flip to the back to see your name matches, but it works.

100% agree with JimM. Bring the marriage license. I've done that. So much simpler.

Bring the marriage license for the trip to the Dominican.

As soon as she gets back, download the name change form and mail it into the passport office with the passport and marriage license.

There is no fee and you don't get a new passport. They just add a note at the back of the passport.

And when she changes her name, she should get in the habit of using her maiden name as the middle name....that is...Mary Smith Doe, rather than Mary Jane Doe. Let that be her legal name on bank accounts, library cards, drivers licenses, etc. Makes life much easier and there will be less chance of name mix-ups.

Why would she take a copy of the marriage license with her on the trip, if both ticket and passport are in her maiden name?

I'm also not a fan of changing the middle name to the maiden name (others can do what they want, just not for me). My parents chose my middle name, but not my last name, so I'm sticking with what they chose. In 10 years I've had no trouble at all, other than that my first/last combo is waaaaaay too common at places like doctors' offices and pharmacies, but they use birth date rather than middle name as further identification.

My point? No need to change her middle name if she doesn't want to. It's a personal choice, but either way works just fine.

So she should be able to just use the airline ticket and passport and could actually leave the driver's license at home. I think that will be the easiest thing to do - and just use the passport as the form of identification to go through the security checks. Does anyone see a problem with that?

Yes, of course she can skip showing the license and just use the passport. Since no one in this world is *required* to have a driver's license and no airport I have ever been in requires anything other than a "government issued photo ID"--which, of course, a passport is--I am really confused about what the problem is here. Is the TSA going to demand she produce a driver's license in addition to her passport?? :) Just get married and relax!! You guys have enough to deal with w/o needing to be concerned about this. If you want official reassurance, just call or check the airport/airline website. As we say in the biz, I think some anxiety is being displaced here onto the whole name/ID thing but I think you can stop stressing about that....

The ticket and the passport must match.

Nothing else matters to airlines or immigration agents.

Just use the passport as ID since it matches her ticket name.

Some have posted that to change your name on your passport does not cost money and they just staple a sheet in the back. Not anymore. You now have to get a new passport. Let me see if I can find a link on that.

She doesn't need to leave her drivers license at home. If you rent a car, she'll need it. Just show the passport at the airport and bring along a copy of the marriage license.

She'll be your wife even if it takes her a while to get her name changed on all of the documents. I've been married 15 years, and I just changed my name to my married name on some stock yesterday.

Relax! (or find another aspect of the wedding to obsess about)

It's $67 for a name change due to marriage. So not full price, but not the same as over a year ago (when it was free).
http://travel.state.gov/passport/for.../ds82_843.html

http://foia.state.gov/FORMS/Passport/ds0082.pdf

What crap!

I just had my name changed in August on a six year old passport and it was free and no photos were needed.

pianograd, my mistake that if the airline tickets are in her maiden name as is her passport, she doesn't need any additional ID.

As far as using your last name as your middle name, I am hyphenated and cannot tell you how many times I wish I had never hyphenated my name.

It is a reservations nightmare.

I agree with aileen's advice. Just have all future documents issued in the name of "Polly Smith Pianograd" and she shouldn't have any trouble. I'm quite sure she can continue to use her old passport, (I did for 10 years after I married) but with post-2001 security rules, you should double check with the passport office and the airlines.

GoTravel
I think it changed at the beginning of 06.

Yes, it did change. Please distrgard my previous post. The new law reads:

3. I previously had my passport amended with new or corrected information. Can I still do that?

No. Since September 26, 2005, Passport Services no longer amends currently valid passports. Instead, customers are issued replacement passports. Please see the PASSPORT CORRECTIONS/CHANGES CHART to determine the specific procedure to follow depending on the type of change or correction.

4. Why did the Department of State decide to stop amending existing passports?

Replacing a passport instead of amending it improved the overall security of the document. Additionally, with the upcoming Electronic Passport (EP), the printed data must match the data contained on the chip embedded in the Electronic Passport.

5. Why can't you just rewrite over data on the chip?

The technology used to write data to the contactless chip is known as WORM - "Write Once, Read Many." The use of WORM and digital signature technologies will ensure that the data can be authenticated as having been generated from an official issuance source and that the data has not been altered.

Yes. Please see the PASSPORT CORRECTIONS/CHANGES CHART to determine the specific procedure to follow.

7. I just got my passport in my maiden name, so we could go on our honeymoon, but I plan to take my husband’s surname after we get back. Do I have to apply for a new passport with my married name?

I have a valid passport, but I just got divorced, and my divorce decree includes the resumption of my maiden name. Do I have to apply for a new passport?

We just adopted our foster child, who has a valid passport in his birth surname. The adoption decree changes his surname to ours. Does he need a new passport?

The answer to all three questions is “yes” because all citizens need to travel in their legal names. Please see the PASSPORT CORRECTIONS/CHANGES CHART to determine the specific procedure to follow.

When I was in the process of changing my name after I got married, I carried a copy of my marriage certificate with me just in case. I only needed it once, but was glad I had it.

Your fiance probably wont need any additional documentation since the passport and airline tickets will match, but if you've gotten the official copy of the marriage certificate by that time, it doesn't hurt to bring it along.

Thanks everyone! Stress free now (at least on this issue)! :) We'll plan to do some of the name changes after we get back from the honeymoon, but before the August trip to the Dominican Republic. It's relaxing to know that it will all be fine since the passport and airline ticket are both in her maiden name. Thanks so much - now I can move onto something else to stress about for the next 29 days. ha ha