First Name is FNU.. Please Help!!

[soorajm]

Hi..

I'm in USA now..

In my passport Given Name is blank and my complete name is in surname.

In VISA also complete name is in Last Name and First Name is written as "FNU" - Stands for First Name Unknown.

In I-94 First Name and Last Name are written seperately. I didnt have any problem in entering here. and I got MY SSN also with first name and last name seperately.

But problem came when i tried for Driving License. DMV said they can't issue a driving license bcause of name mismatch in VISA, I-94 and SSN. They are asking for my original birth certificate. That I dont have.

Please help me out what should I do to correct all these or to get license???

Thanks a lot,
Sooraj

[tprasad]

hi friend,
U can suggest me reg this as u r facing this type of problem,as i am planning to come USA in march 1st week..my issue is
actually in my passport & educational documents
my complete name is under given name,surname blank

i.epassport
surname:blank
given name:ram prasad

visa(H1B) which i got
it is like this

surname:ram prasad
given name:FNU

FNU-means first name Unknown ,
i came to know thru IRS documentof USA(i.e naming conv followed by IRS is that if a person has single name then that name is placed in surname and first name as FNU which i got in visa)

so pls let me know will there be any problem wt the port of entry ..if not how should i proceed in future after stepping into usfilling fN and Lname ...how should i refer with passport name/visa name for further paper work(I-94,ssno...) in US..so that i will not face problems..u r help will be kindly appriciated...thanks in advance..my id thprasad@yahoo.com


thanks

[dallas_buddy]

Please let me know if u found the solution for the FNU Problem as I encountered the same.
Thanks
Dallas Buddy

[soorajm]

hi friend,
U can suggest me reg this as u r facing this type of problem,as i am planning to come USA in march 1st week..my issue is
actually in my passport & educational documents
my complete name is under given name,surname blank

i.epassport
surname:blank
given name:ram prasad

visa(H1B) which i got
it is like this

surname:ram prasad
given name:FNU

FNU-means first name Unknown ,
i came to know thru IRS documentof USA(i.e naming conv followed by IRS is that if a person has single name then that name is placed in surname and first name as FNU which i got in visa)

so pls let me know will there be any problem wt the port of entry ..if not how should i proceed in future after stepping into usfilling fN and Lname ...how should i refer with passport name/visa name for further paper work(I-94,ssno...) in US..so that i will not face problems..u r help will be kindly appriciated...thanks in advance..my id thprasad@yahoo.com


thanks

Hi!!

I've noticed this only at DMV counter.. Before that I didnt notice this in my VISA.. I didnt have any problem at the port of entry. In my I-94 i've written first name and last name seperately and they didnt mind. I got SSN also.. no problem at all. only for driving license they are creating problem.

So i hope u will not have any problem at port of entry.

Any way, regarding filling I-94 u can ask some body who knows this. I-94 should be filled as per your petition document. (This reply I got from Port of Entry guys when I called them.. still u can verify with some body.)

I guess, if u fill complete name in last name and leave first name blank in I-94 problem will be solved.

One thing you can do.. Try to get your original birth certificate with your full name. certificate shud be in english. This will surely help u in getting license.

My problem is still not solved. Will update if i get a solution..

Hey all.. pls tell me if u have got any solution to this problem.

[dallas_buddy]

Hi Prasad,
There was not a problem for me while entering the US.I faced the problem while trying to get the Driving License.thats what I can say from my experience.

SoorajM,
Did u find some kind of solution for getting the drivers license?did u contact any immigration service?I have FNU in place of my First Name and my given name is placed in the last name.please let me know if u found something to convince for getting the driver's license.
Thanks in advance...
Dallas Buddy

[soorajm]

I cant see any solution..

Today again I tried in different DMV.. Still no luck.
This time they said, if i've original birth certificate in english with my name, marriage certificate or original petition document, i can get the license..

I've copy of petition document, but it dont have my name.. its a blanket petition.. only company name is there.. So they rejected..

Now only way I can see is to get marry and get a certificate..!!!

[dallas_buddy]

SoorajM,
Thanks for your reply...hope u will find something...I am trying to contact INS serivice here and I think u also try to contact the Immigration Center(local to ur place ) and tell them the problem....I am also trying to do that...they may give some solution for this...let me know if u find someway
take care
ur buddy...
Dallas_Buddy

[soorajm]

Hi!!

How can I contact Immigration Center? Any website?

Okay tell me if u get any positive reply.

Thanks,
Sooraj

[lovychhabra]

I am facing the same problem guys... "FNU" is my first name as per the H1 visa and the DMV is denying me the drivers license...

Let me know if anyone of you has found any solution to this problem....

BTW... which state are u guys located in?? i am in CT...

Let me know if u find a solution, i am also going to the DMV tomorrow, hope to find a solution...

Thanks
Lovlesh

[dallas_buddy]

trying at a different driving license center will probably help you out as they may consider ur case....

[troubleshooter]

DMV will issue the DL based on ur petition. I am not sure about how to deal with blanket petition but I produced my original petition with full name( although passport has only firstname) and got DL with full name. so there should be proof from USCIS for your full name

[p_p_bush]

Have been facing same issue recently. Came in to US in mid-Dec with First name and no last name. At INS they had added FNU in last name.
SSN is also matching the names as in the INS.
Recently DMV office denied to make change of address in the driving license. Reason for not issuing is that they have received direction (from whom?) to not issue driving license for persons with "FNU" last/first name.

The current problem is solved after showing the SSN to them and also proof of the passport which also does not have last name.

Steps recommended by layer.
a) Change my name (include first and last name)
b) Chnage name in SSA
c) Change name in DMV

One open question in my mind is how to take care of name change in the INS.

Someone may clarify this for me ahead as I have already applied for name change in the Consulate recently.

Hope to hear for some clarifications in this regard, also guide if the steps Iam following is correct.

Tks
Bush

[soorajm]

Hey all my FNU friends....

I Just got license today... that too without birth certificate...

It happened like this...

I was trying for license in different DMVs... last week went to a DMV near to my house.. there they dont have facility for written test, vision test etc..
But they processed my application. The lady at the counter was nice enough and didnt mind my name problem in VISA.. she took photo and and signature.. then said, as i dont have a usa license, i've to take written test.. for that i need to go another DMV. And she issued a letter saying that..

Today with that letter I went to main DMV. There they didnt do much verification of VISA and I94 and asked me to take written test.. I cleared that and got license. In NJ, we dont have to take road test, if we have a valid indian license.. so atlast got it.

In between I've done one more thing.. I got birth certificate from Indian consulate New York. But didnt use that..!!

Cheers!!
Sooraj

[cowboy22]

I am also in the same state.How can I contact USCIS about these.Any help.

[fnusiva]

I am also in the same state.How can I contact USCIS about these.Any help.

I am also going to face the same problem. I have applied for SSN, but they said they will give SSN like Mr. FNU xxxxx .

My Passport detail
Surname -
Given Name - xxxxx.

My H1 Stamping @ Chennai
Last Name - xxxxx
First Name - FNU.

Please advice me how to correct my Passport in NYC, how to correct H1 stamping from US and how to change the SSN name after that.

Thanks

[gaurav1075]

Hi friends,

I have only first name "gaurav" in my passport as well as all my academic ceritificates. I am planning to get H1 in recent quota.
I have already been in USA for 4 year thru L1 and already has ssn with name "gaurav".

1.I guess if we dont have last name we face lot of problem like in getting driving licence , booking on line airticket etc . please let me know if the name can be changed in USA ?
2. I am thinking of changing my name on my passport in india thru name change advertisement in newspaper and affidavit . Wd that help to apply H1 with first name last name ?? I talked to one of consultant and he told me that if I change my name just on passport then I might get problem during green card process and need to change the name on academic certificates as well . Please advise

Please help me as I am thinking to resolve this issue once for all before I apply for new H1

Regards
Gaurav

[surajeet]

Hi Guys,

Am YetAnotherFNUGuy.. i have not yet received my SSN bcoz of this FNU problem..as told to me by SSA authourities..they said its upto INS to provide SSN
can u guys tell me how much time it took to get your SSN ?

Regards
Surajeet

[FNUKIMAAKA]

The DMV drones at Dallas caught me with this FNU problem.
But I got it in Portland Oregon without any problem.
They just saw my name on the front page of the passport and issued the DL.
They never went to the Visa page.

I am taking a big sigh of relief........

[fnusiva]

Hi Surajeet,
I am also waiting for SSN, I have applied on April 13th, 4 weeks are over,.. Still SSN has not come for me. I have enquired with SSN office, they said after 10 weeks only they should be able to tell the status. In the same SSN office in NJ, the persons who applied after me got the SSN and have received within 2 weeks time. Now I have to start my work without SSN.

I just want to know when you have applied for SSN in which state and how long you are waiting??

Regards
FNUSiva

[mailkrishna_23]

Hai peopole.... add me to the list of FNU's over here....
me too facing the same problem.
Please let me know what is the forat of the name given by you when applying for SSN.
Have you given it as in passport(i.e only given name without last name) or as in VISA page(i.e FNU for given name and your name under last name???)

I had gone to the SSN office for applying for a SSN, the officer over there told me that she has to match the details as in VISA i.e "FNU for given name and my name as last name".
Please`let me know if i will be facing any problem in the future with this???
Importantly let me know the format of the name while applying for SSN???

[SMblue]

Hello all,
This seems like a very common problem, which is some consolation but that doesn't solve the problem.

Some of you have mentioned that birth certificate can be used instead of passport. But is this true for getting a NJ state license? I don't think it is one of the 4 pt documents. The following is from the NJ DMV website...

/****************/
Non U.S. citizens must submit at least one of the following primary documents * (4 Points Each):
Current alien registration card (new Form I-551) with expiration date including verification from INS or BCIS
Foreign passport with INS or BCIS verification and with valid record of arrival/departure (Form I-94) or valid I-551 stamp in passport
Refugee travel document (Form I-571)
US re-entry permit (Form I-327)
Valid I-94 stamped “Refugee”, “Parolee”, “Asylee” or “Notice of Action” (Form I-797 approved petition) by INS or BCIS
Valid I-94 with attached photo stamped “Processed for I-551…” by INS or BCIS
/*****************/


I am on and H1 visa and I don't think there is anything besides the passport is acceptable.

Please share your inputs.

[mailkrishna_23]

Hai all... thought this might help someone trying to find some information for this FNU problem...
First of all i had multiple problems....
1. My name was not bifurcated properly in the passport.
My First name including my surname was printed under Given name in the
passport. Hence it became a very long name under first name in passport.
2. As you are all aware, if you do-not have a surname in the passport, the
consulate gives the name in the VISA page as FNU and the actual name
fully under last name.
3. Well..... now when i went to apply for SSN, they agreed to issue me a
SSN with my name matching the VISA page(i.e Mr.FNU xxxxx)
Then came the problem...Guess what.....my name was soo long that it
would not fit under last name in the system that SSN had.
Also the system would not accept the name if it does not match the INS
details(i.e as in VISA).
4. After a lottof discussion and struggle the officer got a way out for me.....
She managed to get-through/bypass the INS and entered my details and
issued a SSN for me... The SSN officer was really kind enuff to get a way
out for me....
Now my name in the SSN would be as it is in passport and not as in VISA
page.... well a big sigh of relief..... was getting really tough for me to
handle this..... as it would have become really complicated....
we'lll still have to get my drivers license... not sure what come next....
Gud luck all......

[dadimahesh]

Hi ALL,


Any processing in place for this issuse.. I have checked with DMV office in NJ there told me that my SSN name was not matching my I797 .. so there asked me to change in the SSN.. but SSN told there cannt change the name .. wht to do.. any lucky on this.. Yesterday I have checked with my lawer he told me that DWV didnt have right to reject like that.. for Driving licence we cannt change the name.. so he asked me to check with Supervisor on this..

Please let me know if any of you have any inputs.. I am waiting for past four months on this..


Regards
Mahesh

[dadimahesh]

It depends on the name how you fill the form in SSN office..

format

Given Name + Middle Name + Surname

[harsharaoik]

Dear All,

It looks like the FNU problem is more widespread than I what I thought of it before. I am having the same problem as a lot of other people who have posted messages over here.

I have a FNU on my visa and on my I-94 as a result of the first name being blank on my passport. The social security office also issued me the SSN with a FNU.

I have now got a new passport with the name correctly split up. The visa still remains in the old passport and it will stay valid. But I want to get it corrected in my visa so that I can get it changed with the social security office.

Can anyone please let me know if that is possible for me to do it over here in US? Or can I get it done in India when I go there sometime? Pls let me know the details on how to go about correcting it in my visa.

Thanks and Regards,

[hegdeananth]

Hey,
How did you get your new passport with correct name? How long did it take? whats the procedure?
Thanks
Anant

[harsharaoik]

you can contact the concerned Indian Embassy and explain it to them. You can then apply for a new passport with the correct name. You might have to give an affidavit stating your first name and last name. Your university might be able to help out with an attorney for that.

I also enquired with the local immigration office whether they will correct the name on the visa. But they said only the US consulate office which issued the visa (Chennai in my case) can do that.

[hegdeananth]

At the consulate what procedure did you follow,
1) the procedure to apply for a new passport
2) The procedure for name change?

Also could you tell me how long it took for you to get the new passport. I plan to visit India in Jan and want to get my new passport before that,

Thanks
Ananth

[neocor]

Wow so many FNU's lurking around, and I thought I was the only one who had to face this problem.
this is so stupid on part of the INS and the US consulate to put the given name as the last name and enter FNU for the First name. If at all they have to put some S*** like FNU, they should put it in the Last Name (such as LNU). They make a mess of everything by converting our First Name to Last Name. Some wierd rule states that a person may not have a first name but has to have a Last Name. Total bull crap!!!! I have had so much problems explaining to each and every one about the FNU crap.

I have been here almost six years now and this FNU problem is now become tertiary. Used to carry my I-94, Visa, SSN, license, credit card, ATM card all with the FNU crap for sometime. All this even though my H1 Approval notice had a proper Last Name in it. The US Consulate went by what was in the passport which like all of us FNU's here, only has the given name.

The DMV, the SSN office and the banks apparantly go by the I-94. The small piece of paper apparantly is the most important paper while you are in US. At the time of arrival I was confused about what name I should write in the I-94 as the Passport only has my first name while the stamped Visa had this FNU crap. So in order to play safe most of us decided to put in the FNU thing there. I realized later that if I had put my porper last name in there I would have been saved all this crap in the SSN and DMV.

So this is what I exactly did when I returned to US the next time around. Now my I-94 had a proper first name and last name. I promptly changed the name on everything including the SSN and DMV. I am now completely free of the FNU crap except for that first Visa Stamp. Once my current passport expires I will be rid of the last remaining FNU crap. But I guess I would have to retain the old passprt with me for eternity I believe.

So here are the lessons I learnt in order to correct the FNU crap.

1. If possible correct the name in your passport to include your last name. I know this is tricky for people like me who come from a community who have no concept of last name. So you can either put your father's first name as your last name which is the best alternative. Else you can also put your caste, sect, sub-sect as your last name. You can also put your place of birth as your last name, which i think is cool. Or the best is to make up bizzare last name that no one ever has. This would make your name truly unique and any name search on you would pop only your name.

2. If you have already got the Visa Stamped as FNU, then while entering the US enter your full name in the I-94. This will solve all the problems then and there. Offcourse you may have to substantiate the name that your are putting there. So use the last name if your already have one in any of your other supporting documents like birth certificate, Graduation certificates etc. Using your father's first name is the safest way to go if there is no other supporting document. Your passprt has your father's name so it can be cross checked.

3. If you have chickened out like me the first time around and ended up with the FNU crap in the I-94 then god bless you.
Actually you still have a way out, if your are doing an H1 transfer or renewing the H1. You will get a new I-94 with he new H1 approval notice. Have your employer put the full name in the H1 tranfer or renewal petition. This effectively will become your new I-94 and using it you can change everything.

4. Last if you are stuck with the I-94 with the FNU crap for 3 years in the same company then make sure your have the FNU crap in each and every thing (SSN, DMV, Bank, Credit Card). This way things will move smooth as you will have a consistant name everywhere. Live with this until you get the corrected I-94.

Changing the name in the passport after coming to US is a real pain in the butt.

Hope this helps any future FNU's.

[hegdeananth]

That was very helpful
Thanks!