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Married name vs Maiden name

Sanmari

Sanmari

New Member
I know this has been asked before, but I cant find the thread. Here is my situation:
When we entered the DV lottery, all my particulars where still on my maiden name.
Now my passport is expiring end of June and we have re-applied for the new one, on my married name.
We have been selected for further processing. Do I fill the DS-260 form in on my maiden name, because my current passport is still in my maiden name?
Or do I fill it out on my married name, using my current passport number and stipulating my maiden name?
How does getting a new passport number affect everything?
 
Sanmari said:
I know this has been asked before, but I cant find the thread. Here is my situation:
When we entered the DV lottery, all my particulars where still on my maiden name.
Now my passport is expiring end of June and we have re-applied for the new one, on my married name.
We have been selected for further processing. Do I fill the DS-260 form in on my maiden name, because my current passport is still in my maiden name?
Or do I fill it out on my married name, using my current passport number and stipulating my maiden name?
How does getting a new passport number affect everything?
Click to expand...


OK - first obvious question - did you enter as married?

Now for the names situation when you get married in some countries the marriage certificate acts as a declaration that you have changed your name IF you have decided to do so. Changing your name is your choice. Once you have changed your name, that is your legal name, but you can also use an alias such as your maiden name. My wife did that for years and to this day her passport (issued in Spain where name change for marriage is not typical) was in her maiden name whilst her UK drivers license etc was in her married name.

She entered the DV lottery in her maiden name to match her birth cert and passport. Strictly speaking I think this was a mistake - the same one you have made. However, in our application form (the "old" DS260) we specified both her married and maiden names (married as an alias which was incorrect I believe). My wife already has an SSN in her maiden name, and a US drivers license in her maiden name.

During our interview (which was in the USA) the CO gave us the choice of which name to use going forward - and my wife chose her married name with the understood downside that this would NOT match her passport for now so until her passport can be changed.

Now having explained how I dodged a couple of mistakes - My advice would be to NOT try and do what I did. Treat the married name as your legal name and use the maiden as an alias (the old form used to even specify that). So - get your new passport and along with the marriage cert that will cover you for applying in the married name and the mistake of entering in the maiden name should not be a problem.

I'd be interested in MOMs take on this.
 
If you want the GC issued in your married name (which I assume you do since you're getting your new passport in your marital name), I suggest you submit your DS form with the marital name. There's a section on the form for listing the maiden name.

You will safe yourself a lot of headache down the road if you name on your passport matches what's on your GC. All your official document in the U.S. will be issued based on the name on your GC
 
Sanmari said:
I know this has been asked before, but I cant find the thread. Here is my situation:
When we entered the DV lottery, all my particulars where still on my maiden name.
Now my passport is expiring end of June and we have re-applied for the new one, on my married name.
We have been selected for further processing. Do I fill the DS-260 form in on my maiden name, because my current passport is still in my maiden name?
Or do I fill it out on my married name, using my current passport number and stipulating my maiden name?
How does getting a new passport number affect everything?
Click to expand...

I would suggest Case number permitting, wait for your new passport before submitting your DS 260. I think the form asks you for your maiden name as well so you will be covered. If it helps, my birth certificate is in my maiden name (because I wasn't married when I was born). So is my high school diploma but I applied with my married name.
 
We are in the same boat sanmari. I applied for a renewal on Monday here in London in my married name. I too entered under my maiden name because that's what my passport said. We got married 5 years ago and in the uk I'm known by my married name, but I never changed my SA passport to my married name since I still had 6 years left on it (nine expires next year actually). I'm reading the replies here with interest because I'm due to do my ds260 in the next week or so, once I've come up for air a bit.
 
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