Name Change due to Marriage

M

Munchkin

New Member
I have had my green-card for a year and half now. I got married and would like to change my name to m married name. I have heard opposing things regarding the same. I have heard that I do not have to file for a formal name change since it is due to marriage and I have also heard that I need to go through the entire process. What is the actual process??
Also, If i get my name changed now, will it affect me when I apply for citizenship within 3 years? Is there any extra paperwork or will it complicate the case any?

Thanks!!
 
Immigration name change

Yes, this is correct. You should not need to file for formal name change if your marriage took place in the USA. You only need to show your marriage certificate as evidence of your new name. Ultimatley though, it is at each company's discretion what documents they will require to change the name on your account. Therefore it is best to get your licence updated first, then you can use this as evidence of your new name.
You should also contact immigration and advise them you are using a new name. They may have a procedure you need to go through.
Finally, you should contact your embassy to ask how to change your passport. As you marriage took place in the US, you may need to lodge a formal name change in your home country to have your passport updated.

If you were not married in the USA you will need to change your name in a different order. First you will need to update your passport. COntct your embassy to ask how to do this while living in the USA. I would also recommend allowing up to 6 months before travelling on your passport as these changes can take a while as you will need to deal with both US immigration and a your local embassy. You should always have a consistent name across all ID and ensure imigration are notified as soon as you start the change. I also recomend you keep copies of all correspodence with the immigration department as it can be time consuming in getting this matter finalised.

Genevieve Dennis
EasyNameChange.ca
 
If you change your name now, you'll have to pay to obtain an updated green card with the new name, which costs $370 and takes 2-6 months and you have to send in the existing card while you wait. Then when you apply for citizenship, they will run a backround check both with the old and new names, increasing the chances of a delay (although these days the name check delays have been a lot less severe ... people used to get stuck for YEARS).

So if you obtained your green card via marriage to a US citizen and therefore have only about 18 months left to become eligible for citizenship, you might want to wait until you apply for citizenship, where the name change can be included in the process for free.
 
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