Thai Wife Changed Last Name, Thai Passport Woes.

[maxbus1]

So,

I got married in the states, great wife, well brought up, and very old fashioned. She is thai, obviously.

She has a greencard, but she took on my last name at marriage, and the greencard has that name. She renewed her thai passport (it was ten years old and required to be updated) in LA but she cannot change it to reflect her new last name, she is required to do this in Thailand. We are visiting there in December, and will do that.

BUT, the thing is, the plane ticket must have the same name as the ID. Her Thai passport will have her old name on it flying to Thailand, and after she updates her Thai passport in BKK, it will have her new last name on the flight back. It will also match her greencard.

So, We can't buy her a round trip ticket for this reason.

Is the simple solution for us to buy her two one way tickets, the first in her old last name and the return in her new last name? I don't want Thailand to retain my nice new wife. I got used to her cooking, and it will be hel_l not having her around.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Are we on the right track?

What will we be up against with her flying back on her own a week after I fly home(for job).

Thanks.

[apetley]

Hi, the passport office can put a stamp in her new passport detailing her old name and her old passport.

This was good enough for Thai and UK immigration and Emirates when we travelled back to the UK this summer.

I would check with US immigration and ur airline to see if this is ok.

I was a little worried before we travelled and Emirates said that if I wanted too have total peace of mind they would do a name change on the ticket if I provided details that the old and new name were the same person.

We didnt go that route and had no problems travelling under her new name with the ticket in her maiden name using the Thai passport office stamp.

Andy

[kevc]

So,

I got married in the states, great wife, well brought up, and very old fashioned. She is thai, obviously.

She has a greencard, but she took on my last name at marriage, and the greencard has that name. She renewed her thai passport (it was ten years old and required to be updated) in LA but she cannot change it to reflect her new last name, she is required to do this in Thailand. We are visiting there in December, and will do that.

BUT, the thing is, the plane ticket must have the same name as the ID. Her Thai passport will have her old name on it flying to Thailand, and after she updates her Thai passport in BKK, it will have her new last name on the flight back. It will also match her greencard.

So, We can't buy her a round trip ticket for this reason.

Is the simple solution for us to buy her two one way tickets, the first in her old last name and the return in her new last name? I don't want Thailand to retain my nice new wife. I got used to her cooking, and it will be hel_l not having her around.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Are we on the right track?

What will we be up against with her flying back on her own a week after I fly home(for job).

Thanks.

When we married in the Uk many years ago my wife sent off her Thai passport to the Thai embassy or immigration, can't really remember which now as it was that long ago with our marraige certificate and they stamp it to say she had married and change her surname, always caused a bit confusion at check ins as her Thai name was still was still there, we had to always show them the name change page further inside, but never a problem once pointed out.

[Mahout Angrit]

Buy the ticket in her Thai name and she leaves USA on her current Thai passport and when she arrives in Thailand she enters on her current Thai passport . She gets new Thai passport in her married name whilst in Thailand and on leaving Thailand she shows both old and new passports (together with marriage certificate showing reason) at check in and immigration, then enters USA on New Thai passport (they dont check ticket name against passport on arrival, but if they do in USA then it is not difficult to explain is it?)

I dont see a problem

She can change her passport to a different name at Embassies overseas (as far as I'm aware) but she must have her Thai ID card already changed to her married name which she can only do at her Amphur in Thailand. If you were still concerned she could travel on her old passport, only get the ID changed whilst in Thailand on your next trip and get a new passport issued in LA on her return.

Edited October 6, 2007 by Mahout Angrit

[moonhunt]

So,

I got married in the states, great wife, well brought up, and very old fashioned. She is thai, obviously.

She has a greencard, but she took on my last name at marriage, and the greencard has that name. She renewed her thai passport (it was ten years old and required to be updated) in LA but she cannot change it to reflect her new last name, she is required to do this in Thailand. We are visiting there in December, and will do that.

BUT, the thing is, the plane ticket must have the same name as the ID. Her Thai passport will have her old name on it flying to Thailand, and after she updates her Thai passport in BKK, it will have her new last name on the flight back. It will also match her greencard.

So, We can't buy her a round trip ticket for this reason.

Is the simple solution for us to buy her two one way tickets, the first in her old last name and the return in her new last name? I don't want Thailand to retain my nice new wife. I got used to her cooking, and it will be hel_l not having her around.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Are we on the right track?

What will we be up against with her flying back on her own a week after I fly home(for job).

Thanks.

I don't see the problem with round-trip ticket.

Your wife can book for round-trip ticket with her new surname.

Your wife can carry marriage certificate issued from US shown maiden name with new surname, Green Card with new surname, and current Thai passport with maiden name.

So when you fly to Thailand, your wife can show current passport with green card. Because both have photo, it should be enough to prove both are same. Also, if airline check-in counter ask for name-change document, marriage certificate will do for that purpose.

When your wife come back from Thailand to US, she will have two passports - new passport with new surname, and old passwort with maiden name along with "VOID" stamp or something like that.

So if airline check-in counter person or immigration officer ask for name-change document, your wife can show old passport along with new passport and/or marriage certificate.

I think green card with new passport along will be sufficient.

[AsiaCheese]

When we got married (year 2000), my wife got a fat "Endoresement" stamp on page 3 of her passport which says "... the holder whose name was shown on this Passport as __________ has henceforth assumed the name of _____________ after her marriage on...".

Confused some immigration/airline people, but has always worked.

[Mahout Angrit]

When we got married (year 2000), my wife got a fat "Endoresement" stamp on page 3 of her passport which says "... the holder whose name was shown on this Passport as __________ has henceforth assumed the name of _____________ after her marriage on...".

Since Thailand now issues epassports (biometric passports) unfortunately it is no longer possible to have a passport endorsed with a name change, you have to get a new one.

the new passport does, however, have a comment in it mentioning the passport previously used.

[samran]

just carry around the wedding certificate.

my wife travelled for a year under her married name while her passport retained her maiden name. Present at check in. Sorted.

[walt]

just carry around the wedding certificate.

my wife travelled for a year under her married name while her passport retained her maiden name. Present at check in. Sorted.

There is no problem here.

My wife has been traveling from the U.S. to Bangkok and back every year for about thirty years, sometimes twice a year, and she has never encountered a problem flying with her American green card name on those roundtrip journeys on NWA.

Sometimes the NWA folks want to see the Thai passport. She shows it, they smile, and off we go.

[maxbus1]

just carry around the wedding certificate.

my wife travelled for a year under her married name while her passport retained her maiden name. Present at check in. Sorted.

There is no problem here.

My wife has been traveling from the U.S. to Bangkok and back every year for about thirty years, sometimes twice a year, and she has never encountered a problem flying with her American green card name on those roundtrip journeys on NWA.

Sometimes the NWA folks want to see the Thai passport. She shows it, they smile, and off we go.

Thanks to everyone that replied with your insight. Tickets purchased. Everytime I ask somone at United, they give me a different answer. Basicly they just don't know what the BKK Customs will do in the situation. We're going with the maiden name on the ticket, and bringing documentation.

Wow, 54 days in LOS, what to do...

[donx]

My wife has my name last name on all of her US documents. This includes her US passport, drivers license, old green card, etc. She has never changed her last name on any of her Thai documents including both her passport and her citizenship card. This has been this way since 1999. We have a duplicate US marriage certificate which shows that she with her maiden name married me and thus she could now take on my last name. Every time she travels we issue tickets in her married name. If she needs to show her Thai passport and her boarding pass, she always also shows them her US marriage certificate.

She's done this and traveled back and forth to Thailand at least five times since coming to the US. I recommend that you use your wife's married name on the tickets and not her maiden name. By the way, we always fly United since I get free tickets because of my frequent flyer status.