Married in USA , but don't want to change last name. Please help!

V

voyager99

Registered Users (C)
Ok here is my brief history.
Got green card (thru employer) in dec 2006
Stayed and worked in USA since then.
Got married with American citizen in USA on nov 2010. Didn't change my last name due to not to have any issue with paperwork.

Here is the problem.I need to renew My native country passport. My native country requires to change my last name to my husband 's last name if I tell them I am married. I don't want that.

Is it ok to get my native country passport without not mentioning that I got married in the USA? Has anyone had similar problem?
Let's say I didn't tell my marriage and I got my native country passport. I need to submit my citizinship documents on August 2011. Do you think it is gonna make a problem?

The only thing here I don't want to change my name and my country says I have to take my hubby last name ( I find this nonsense)
Second I didn't change my last name so everything smooth.

Please let me know your suggestions. Do yo think they will say something if I don't put my native country passport application "married" ? Would that cause a problem on citizenship application?
 
How seriously you take your country's passport form ... it depends on you and your country.

However, it is unlikely USCIS is going to look at this aspect during citizenship processing. They just look at the passport to verify your trips ... if they do look at it at all.
 
I don't really care my native passport because hopefully. Will be using my USA passport. I am not telling them I got married in the USA. This means. Didn't get married in my native country. As long as I am married one and only, I don't se a problem. However, I am afraid they will accuse me that I am lying or something.
All problem occurs because my native country is forcing me to take my hubby last name ( I dont want that, I want to stay with the same name in every legal paper. In future, I might change it. Who knows...
 
If you don't have to travel in next few months then don't renew at all, you are not required to have a valid passport at the time of US citizenship interview.
 
voyager99 said:
Got green card (thru employer) in dec 2006
......
I need to submit my citizinship documents on August 2011.
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No, the earliest you can apply is September.

It would be a bad idea to bring to the interview a new passport that says you're single, or one that has your husband's last name when you want to keep your original name. That discrepancy could complicate or delay your case.

The simple solution is don't renew the passport and don't travel abroad before you get your US passport. Bring the expired passport to the interview, and the interviewer won't see any discrepancy with your name or marital status (of course, the old passport will say you're single, but you got married in 2010 so that's easily explained). You are not required to have an unexpired passport at the interview.
 
Thanks for the advice it really makes sense. The stupid thing now I am stuck here and can't go anywhere because of this situation. I am afraid of an emergency case. My parents are overseas .... Other than that it should be fine.
 
voyager99 said:
Thanks for the advice it really makes sense. The stupid thing now I am stuck here and can't go anywhere because of this situation. I am afraid of an emergency case. My parents are overseas .... Other than that it should be fine.
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If I may ask, which country is this which requires all married women to take their husband's last name? It is rather strange to read of some govt bureaucrat dictating which last name to take. You can apply and obtain your US citizenship once you are eligible, the issue you will have to deal if possible, does your country recognize dual citizenship? If they do, then most countries requires their native to enter using their country's own passport, which could create a pickle jar moment for you as far which last name is on your American passport.
 
Country is Turkey.
The accept dual citizenship and when you enter you can use your USA passport and Turkish citizenship card. My friends do that.
Unforunately country requires woman to take either your last name and hubby last name OR only hubby last name. Very unfortunate.
 
voyager99 said:
Country is Turkey.
The accept dual citizenship and when you enter you can use your USA passport and Turkish citizenship card. My friends do that.
Unforunately country requires woman to take either your last name and hubby last name OR only hubby last name. Very unfortunate.
Click to expand...



Thanks for sharing which country. I would recommend to the EU to require Turkey to remove this absurd requirement before they can be accepted into the EU. I find this to be weird and rather too much involvement in personal issues. What is next? A law requiring all married woman to sleep with their husband 4 days in a row in order to please a bureaucrat? You can tell them you ARE NOT MARRIED, end of the story because they won't devote energy into finding out if you are indeed married or not.
 
Thanks for the reply. Yes it is a very unfortunate rule and needs to be changed. I feel my liberty is limited by this rule as a woman
 
Voyager99, does your passport show marital status? If it does not I would not disclose the marriage, but would indeed prefer to have a valid passport at all times.
 
My passport is showing single. But I have to renew it so I have to get a new passport ( new system they switched). I might just go and fill it as single. Because actually I am married in USA. Not in my country. I just don't think I have to declare.
 
voyager99 said:
My passport is showing single. But I have to renew it so I have to get a new passport ( new system they switched). I might just go and fill it as single. Because actually I am married in USA. Not in my country. I just don't think I have to declare.
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You may have problems at the citizenship interview if you show a new passport that says "single".

If you try to circumvent it by keeping the new passport at home while showing the expired passport at the interview, you'll raise suspicion if you've traveled after the old passport expired.

Other problems may result if you visit Turkey again, especially if you visit with your husband ... you risk being in trouble both for lying about your marital status AND for not changing your name.

If you must renew the passport, the safest thing would be to say you're married, and use a combination of your original last name and your husband's last name, since they will allow that combination. And keep that combined name only on your Turkish passport. When you have to travel overseas, book the ticket with the name on your Turkish passport, and carry the marriage certificate.

Whenever you have to show both your Turkish passport and green card (which would NOT be when you land in Turkey, because at that time you'd just show your Turkish passport alone), have the marriage certificate ready to show them in case they say something about the discrepancy. I don't know how anal they are about it on the Turkey end, but don't worry about it on the US end; it is common for married women to have a transitional period when the green card doesn't match their passport. If the US immigration officer sees the name AAA BBB on your green card, and AAA BBB CCC on your passport, they'll easily accept that it's because you got married.
 
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But the reality is I am not lying or hiding anything. If I take m husbands last name on my passport, I have to also change my citizenship card. And then, I will have to change my green card etc etc... This ranges from banks cards to any paperwork which is a disaster. I want to keep things in their side. Marriage is in the USA . USA doesn't require woman to take their husbands last name ( I love this) . So everything is smooth. So the problem is weather I should inform my consulate or not. I am not going to hide my passports or something from citizenship. I have everything open. All I want to do is to keep the things the way they are. I don't understand why it has to be that complicated. There should be a tolerance if my native country force me to do this, I should have an option! This is not I am overpassing a rule or something. I don't know now I am confused as the replies above.....
 
voyager99 said:
But the reality is I am not lying or hiding anything. If I take m husbands last name on my passport, I have to also change my citizenship card. And then, I will have to change my green card etc etc...
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No. I'm saying to keep your same name on the green card and US documents, but change your name only on the Turkish passport and citizenship card to comply with their silly requirements. If they want to force a name on you because of some old sexist rule, use that forced name only for dealing with them (i.e. only on Turkish documents), and keep using your original name for everything else.
 
In my opinion, less trouble some route for OP would be to change last name (although how ever silly and/or procedural in reality the process is). Though she has GC, she is still citizen of a country that requires her last name changed as soon as she gets married; by not doing so, she is violating her native country's civil law. Risks would be higher when she enters her native country in future; with marriage certificate and either with GC or with US passport. This is if she intends to keep her native country citizenship (aka dual citizenship).
Alternative option would be; as soon as USC is approved, surrender native country's passport and keep only US passport and have OP check inheritance laws of native country. This is to if OP is interested in any ancestoral propoerties in her native country.
 
I am sorry but what is op?
And is the second option involves name change ? Including gc? Or only native passport.?
 
OP -- Original Poster, which is you; voyager99.
Second option involves no changes for you; no GC changes, no native country passport changes, no name change (unless you want to take your spouse last name). You are still required to disclose your marriage when you apply for US citizenship.
Please check with an attorney in your native country whether you would be able to enter your native country only using US passport (may be with a visa?) with your maiden name.
If you have any inheritance on your maiden name, please check (probably an accountant who is well versed with your native country's inheritance laws) how you not changing your last name after marriage affects your ability to claim legal ownership of such inherited property (land, money, etc) in your native country.
While I understand that you didn't want to change your last name on GC; once you become US citizen, you may end up updating social security infomration,driver license, etc..so, adding/changing last name may be easier that time. Unless your native country has timeframe to report marriage, you would still be able to follow law that requires change of last name following marriage.
Bottomline is that; if you still want to maintain ties with your native country, you know that you will need to change last name following marriage; sooner or later. I am suggesting that you may want to chose convenient time for you to adopt to new last name, if law allows it.
 
Thank you for the information. If I don't change anything (since my passport expired and need renewal) how am I going to apply to citizenship? I know people posted above said that it is not a requirement to show an unexpired passport, I assume they would ask me.
I made a little research about this last name issue in my country and I see women in my country taking actions and there are cases in the court in order to keep the original last name. I will have to look every option and see what I can do. I do not want to change my last name ( my hubby aggress). This is who I am and I do not want that. Even I have to change it in my native country, I will try every way to reverse it back.
 
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