What name do I use on my AOS forms? Married name or Maiden name? Posted on August 24, 2014January 6, 2016 by Mrs. Presson If you’ve taken the surname/last name of your U.S. Citizen spouse, you may fill up your I-485 Adjustment of Status Forms (EAD / AP forms as well) under your Married Name. You just have to attach proof (ie. Marraige Certificate) that you had your legal name changed upon marraige, which is usually found on the Marraige Certificate. If your U.S. Citizen wife took your surname/last name, it might be better for her to change her name with Social Security Administration (SSA) as soon as possible and change the name on her passport as these identifications are required for the applicant’s Adjustment of Status. If you retained your surname/last name, sign the documents in your Maiden Name. Do note that your EAD/AP Combo Card and Green Card will be in the name you indicate in your forms. That will serve as your legal name in the United States. If in any case you change your mind after everything has been said and done, you might have to undergo a legal name change that involves a U.S. Court. Legal Name Change through Marraige; Marraige License/Certificate | © 2014 – onwards, State of ND, Grand Forks County, MrsPresson.com Knowledgebase NOTE: Every state may have different laws regarding name changes. I’m from North Dakota. My marriage certificate was issued in North Dakota. Your marriage certificate will be different if you’re from another state. If you’re confused about your Marriage Certificate and how to write your name on your AOS Forms, consult your County/City Hall that issued your Marriage Certificate and ask them about the local law with changing your Maiden Name to your Married Name. You have to remember. You are already in the United States. You have to abide by U.S. laws and standards. If you don’t have the proper documentation to back up your change of name (ie. Marriage Certificate), no matter how your name is written in your home country, you have to use the U.S. Naming Convention. Example: You’re from the Philippines with one (1) First Name, Middle Name = Mother’s Maiden Name, and a Last Name: Maria Santos Gomez Your husband’s Last Name is Smith. When you get married in the Philippines, your married name will be automatically be/understood as: Maria Gomez Smith (Santos will be dropped.) When you get married in the United States, your married name depends your State’s Law, or according to your Marriage Certificate. If your Marriage Certificate states both you and your husband’s single/unmarried name, the U.S. naming convention will be followed: Maria Santos Smith. If the married name that you want “Maria Gomez Smith” is not on your marriage certificate , you will not be able to drop “Santos” as the concept of Middle Names here in the U.S. is different from that of the Philippines. Sources: Wikipedia.org – Name Change USCIS.gov – Interoffice Memorandum: Naming Conventions; Use of Full Legal Name on All USCIS Issued Documents USCIS.gov – Adjudicator’s Field Manual – Redacted Public Version / Chapter 51 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. / 51.4 Naming Conventions; Use of Full Legal Name on All USCIS Issued Documents. (Chapter 51.4 added 09-13-2005, AFM AD05-18.) State.gov – UNCLASSIFIED (U) / U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 7 / Consular Affairs / 7 FAM 1300 Appendix C Page 1 of 32 / UNCLASSIFIED (U)/ 7 FAM 1300 APPENDIX C NAMES TO BE USED IN PASSPORTS Related Posts:What is a Notice of Potential Interview Waiver Case? Does… It is a notice sent by USCIS' National…We are married now and we’ve just recently moved to a… If you're the AOS applicant: You are required to report…I was granted an SSN under my maiden name. How do I change… You might want to read this article I've written: How To…Can I just print out the AOS (I-485) / EAD (I-765) / AP… No. You have to fill the I-485 (AOS) and I-131…Is there a CENOMAR equivalent for U.S. Citizens? There is no CENOMAR equivalent for U.S. Citizens. There’s the “Affidavit…We got separated / divorced a few weeks after marriage, can… There are only two (2) scenarios here: 1. Yes,…
ellie says: hi erika! we’re filling out our aos forms and i am confuse on how to go about my whole name thing since our filipino way of changing names when we get married is by dropping our our middle name, surname becomes your middle name and your current surname will be your husband’s surname. but i think the american way is different and im worried about what name will appear in my green card if i follow the filipino way. thanks!
Mrs. Presson says: You have to fill up your AOS Forms according to the U.S. Naming convention. There is no work-around to it except if your Marriage Certificate (as explained and shown above) reflects your desired married name. There should be no confusion to this because the rule of thumb is: U.S. Forms = U.S. naming convention. PH Forms (especially report of marriage and passport renewals) = PH Naming convention.*** If any U.S. form asks for an alias / other name(s), you will provide your Filipino maiden and/or married name. Vice versa. ***Important note on the ROM/Passport Renewal, the Philippine Consulate will reject your application if you do not follow the Filipino naming convention.
Claire says: Hi, I have a question, I’m the US citizen wife of a k1 and k2 holder, their i-94 will expire on aug. 13, is it ok to write my husband’s surname on AOS forms? because I have not changed my SSS and passport yet
Leah says: Hi mrs. Presson . I am worried because i lost my ds-3025 vaccination record and i cant find it . I am now in the u.s . I just got here last month May 6 and me and my fiance are planning to get married this june 29th. And im now gathering some of the documents i need to for AOS. Im just worried about my vaccination record what shoul i do. Thanks mrs. Presson
Mrs. Presson says: That is an important document. Without it, you will not be able to process your AOS successfully. You will have to undergo another medical exam with a Civil Surgeon to furnish a Form I-693. Please read/search the information within this Knowledgebase.
April says: Hi Mrs Presson. I’m getting a little bit confused with the marriage certificate thing. My husband and I got married last April 9 and on the marriage certificate it’s still on my maiden name and I’m aware than one of the AOS requirements is marriage cert. I’m worried if I change my name I still need to wait a month for the new marriage cert with my new name to arrive and my k1 visa is up to June 9, 2015 only. I really need advice and appreciate of you can help me with this. And I’m getting worried. Does my k1 visa expiration affect this?
Mrs. Presson says: Married name = Please read my previous comments. Your K1 Visa’s expiration date doesn’t matter. The K1 Visa is not valid anymore because you already “used it up”. It’s only a single-entry visa. The expiration date that you should worry about is your I-94. At this point, the K1 Visa only supplements your I-94 which expires 90 days upon your arrival to the U.S.
Mika says: Thank you for reply! One more question. I’m reading that we need to attach the form I-131 then I read that we need to attach supplement letter for travel document which mean like emergency letter while AOS process. Do I need to submit this even no plan to travel until the whole process of my AOS?
Mrs. Presson says: Supplement means “something in addition to”. If there’s not enough space for your explanation on the Form 131, you will have to atttach this Supplement Letter. This is in the instructions PDF found on http://www.uscis.gov/I-131.
Mika says: Hi Ms. Erika. We just got married here in GUAM at the court house and they gave us certificate of marriage which is my last name is still my last name when I was single. We got our marriage license and my lastname is still the same. We asked them on how to legally change my last name and they said that I can change it through updating my SSN information into my married name and we are now waiting for it. I’m now confused what to use. My SSN # will be my married name but our marriage certificate is still my lastname when I was single.
Mrs. Presson says: Rules/Laws/Forms/Certificates differ per state. I’m from North Dakota, you’re from Guam. They already told you how to change your last name.
Steffany says: I got married on April 8, 2015. Could you please advise how do I change my last name before we file my AOS? I live in Texas. Thank you.
Mrs. Presson says: Please refer to the article above and the existing comments. You have to check with your county / city hall that issued your marriage certificate how names are changed in Texas because each state might have different laws on it.
rhea smith says: Hi Mrs presson, good day! Just recently married this April 13,2015 So I need your advice how to get or apply for my green card citizenship Is it OK also to get my ssn# ,temporary working id and parole together or one at a time?I need your advice. Hope to hear from u soon Thank you
Mrs. Presson says: Hi, The “Green Card” is Permanent Residency NOT U.S. Citizenship. U.S. Citizenship is another process and you will not be eligible for U.S. Naturalization/Citizenship till after you’re already married to your petitioner for 3 years. (http://www.uscis.gov/N-400) All the information you’re looking for has already been written on the blog. Please read ALL the blog articles as this was already explained thoroughly. Start with: MrsPresson.com | Adjustment of Status from a K1 Visa » http://mrsprsn.us/AOS Make sure you read the MrsPresson.com | AOS Checklist and Requirements, MrsPresson.com | AOS Walkthrough, and the MrsPresson.com | Responsibilities of a Permanent Resident. For SSN information, read: http://mrsprsn.us/SSN For the list of ALL blog articles: http://www.mrspresson.com/sitemap
prima says: hi! i like your site, very informative. id like to ask for advice on changing my last name. my husband and i filed the aos, ap/ead using my maiden name and now I received my ead/ap with my maiden name. i am about to file for my ssn, can i use my married name when i file for ssn and how do i change that at the uscis database before i get my green card? any help would be appreciated. thanks!
Mrs. Presson says: You should’ve applied for your AOS under your married name. Contact USCIS for information on how to change your name on the cards. You wouldn’t be able to apply for your SSN under your married name, specifically because they need proof (from INS aka USCIS) that is indeed your name (meaning your EAD/AP/Green Cards).
prima says: thank you. apparently, ssa asked me what name i want to put there and i can use my married name even if m maiden name is what is on the ead. she asked for the marriage cert. i am not sure if she gave me the right advice cause she said ssa and uscis are diff entities and i should just come back to them when i get my green card to update the system. it was confusing and i also called the uscis several time but they dont know the answer to that too. they said i schedule an infopass but the infopass from what i read does not deal with aomething as changing names. and i need my ssn to work too.i hope i did not mess anything. she put my maiden name and my married name and i am also using both my maiden and last names which should be hyphenated.
cora collantes says: H Mrs. Presson. Me and my k2 have already filed our AOS recently, what will happen after I-94 expires? Any need to adjust the period of staying or will we wait for the AOS status. Thank you!
Mrs. Presson says: You just have to wait for correspondences. Read: Adjustment of Status / AOS (From a K1 Fiancé(e) Visa) Process Walkthrough
fhey says: Hello! If i file AOS using my husband last name, should i change first my passport into married name? And how long it will take? Thanks 🙂
Mrs. Presson says: No you don’t need to. If you’ve read the AOS Checklist I’ve written, I did not mention having your passport name changed. For Passport Name changes, visit your PH Consulate’s website for instructions on Passport Amendment.
Lorena says: I filled out my I-130, I-485, ect. with my maiden name. This is because I had another pending case through my stepfather, in hindsight I should have used my married name anyways…Do you know of anyone who has changed it after the fact? Any advice will help. 5 days ago I got a letter saying that my case was delayed 6 months and I was also not going to have to be interviewed.
Mrs. Presson says: Hi, Sorry I’ve been quite busy and only was able to reply today. I-130? Spouse Petition? I have no idea what happens when there are other pending cases. Name changes can be done through a court of law. (Check with your local city hall / courthouse). Try to call USCIS and inquire with them directly. Did you get a “Notice of Potential Interview Waiver Case”? If so, it’s just a notice saying you may or may not have an interview. There still is a possibility of an interview. Read it here: What is a Notice of Potential Interview Waiver Case? Does that mean I don’t get to be interviewed for AOS?
Michael says: Hi, I’d like to ask your opinion, we are filling out AOS forms now, and would like to have my (foreign) wife use my last name with her maiden name as her middle name (she has never had a middle name). On our marriage certificate, it only has her first name with my last name, so she is worried about it being slightly different in our AOS forms (by adding a middle name). I don’t think it’s a problem, and it seems like it’s a now or never decision (unless we want to go to a court later to change) Thank you for all your effort to get good info to people!
Mrs. Presson says: Hi Michael, Honestly, this all depends on what your state/local law dictates and what Department of State will allow. I’d always go by the obvious rule, which is follow the Marriage Certificate. What DOS might want is something that’s aligned with all her paperwork. Though I see it as an added distinguishing factor, and like you, something I think that’s ok, but you and I could easily be wrong for assuming so. You might want to check with your county/state, wherever you got married and had that Marriage Certificate recorded. They should know the answer to your inquiry.
jeana says: hi Mrs.presson im new here, nice site by the way.. big help for me i have a question about marriage certificate/license in my marriage certificate the court uses my full maiden name and my husband’s full name.. is this enough proof about name change even though they didn’t change it in married certificate ( like using my husband’s surname) I just recently filed AOS/AP/EAD using my husband’s surname and got ASC appointment.. Is passport enough as proof of Identity? my Bio metric appointment named after my married name not in my passport name which is my full maiden name.. Do i get any trouble about this.. kinda worried here.. my appointment is near so I’m really worried.. your answer might enlighten me.. thanks Jeana
Mrs. Presson says: Hi Jeana, Apologies, I only saw your comment today. Anyway, you having the marriage certificate as proof should be accepted. Some states don’t have the second set of blanks/fields for the married name. Not sure though. Let me know what happens!
jeana says: Hi. Mrs. Presson Sorry late reply, well I got my ead/ ap card today.. Well on my experience on asc I use my passport and also I present my marriage certificate unfortunately I received another Biometric appointment (I have this fingerprint problem as always) so they need to capture my print twice ( well just an advice for those who have biometric appointment a. Don’t use alcohol like always ( I used to work in lab. And isopropyll alcohol is part of the system, it makes my hand dehydrated or dry) B. Stay hydrated as possible or use moisturizer And if still like that ..like mine.. Don’t worry the personnel in asc told me they will just (USCIS) ask you to come back once.. AOS update: I haven’t heard any from them but I’m happy to get my ead/ap today.. I hope to hear from them soon Thanks guys