Name Change?

[makavelli]

Hi everyone hope u all had a nice christmas and new year.

My wife obtained her settlement visa in November last year after we had married in October. We have recently returned from a trip to thailand where on her passport is says her Thai surname and also on her new settlment visa it says her Thai surname. She wants to change her Thai surnname to my name.

How do i go about changing the name on the visa and the name on her passport to my surname?

Thanks everyone.

[ProfessorFart]

She should consult the Thai Embassy in your resident country and do the same at the immigration department and see what they come up with.

[ZOVOX]

Hi everyone hope u all had a nice christmas and new year.

My wife obtained her settlement visa in November last year after we had married in October. We have recently returned from a trip to thailand where on her passport is says her Thai surname and also on her new settlment visa it says her Thai surname. She wants to change her Thai surnname to my name.

How do i go about changing the name on the visa and the name on her passport to my surname?

Thanks everyone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe she needs to change the name on her thai i.d card first at the amphur office, and then change the name on her passport. Not sure about the visa, though.

[Richard W]

I believe she needs to change the name on her thai i.d card first at the amphur office, and then change the name on her passport. Not sure about the visa, though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Back in 2003 my Thai wife got her passport endorsed at the embassy in London to show her married name, and that endorsement was good enough to collect an e-ticket and board the plane in November this year. (I don't remember which name she used for a trip later that year.) At the time of the endorsement, she had neither changed her ID card nor (at least, not in person) notified her local amphur of our marriage. This was all done by phone and by post.

ID card and, I presume, notification of marriage were sorted out on a later trip that year. She doesn't remember paying a fine for late notification of the marriage. We had married, more than 4 years previously, at Phra Khanong in Bangkok. That amphur-equivalent, which is off Sukhumvit Road, is another one that frequently registers farang-Thai marriages.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Richard W

[the scouser]

You don't need to worry about changing her name with the Home Office. In any correspondence just quoting her file number will suffice.

Scouse.

[manfromoz]

There is no need to change her name but if she wants to then just go to any amphur, change her ID, take that to the passport office and get an endorsement stamp inside her Thai passport and that will take care of the visa and all her previuos travel documentation stays in place.

The pasport office will probably offer to give her a new passport which costs more and also makes moving visa's necessary.

[Gazza]

Wouldn't changing her name mean that she can no longer buy land or property in Thailand? Or are there now ways around this?

[ZOVOX]

Wouldn't changing her name mean that she can no longer buy land or property in Thailand? Or are there now ways around this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thai women married to farang can now own property - in the past, it was not allowed. My wife had her i.d card changed to my name and we have purchased two houses in her name.

[makavelli]

I have spoken to the Thai embassy in London today and they say all I have to do to change my wife's name on her passport to my British surname is get a application form frorm them which changes her name, easy eh!

No for the part I was'nt ready for!

So now that she is going to change her Thai surname to my surname this would mean that on her settlment visa it would still have her Thai surname on it, so I contacted the immigration office where I got her settlement from and they said it would cost me another £155 to change her name on her visa??

Is this correct?

Thanks everyone.

[the scouser]

they said it would cost me another £155 to change her name on her visa??

Is this correct?

Thanks everyone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it is. However, it is not important to change the name on the stamp. It will be evident from the alteration to her passport that the the extension was given in her maiden name. See my previous post:-

You don't need to worry about changing her name with the Home Office. In any correspondence just quoting her file number will suffice.

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[the scouser]

they said it would cost me another £155 to change her name on her visa??

Is this correct?

Thanks everyone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it is. However, it is not important to change the name on the stamp. It will be evident from the alteration to her passport that the the extension was given in her maiden name. See my previous post:-

You don't need to worry about changing her name with the Home Office. In any correspondence just quoting her file number will suffice.

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[the scouser]

Oops! Don't know what happened there.

[Richard W]

So now that she is going to change her Thai surname to my surname this would mean that on her settlment visa it would still have her Thai surname on it, so I contacted the immigration office where I got her settlement from and they said it would cost me another £155 to change her name on her visa??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm a little confused by this. Do the stickers recording indefinite leave to remain (and therefore presumably also further leave to remain) now have names on? My wife's indefinite leave to remain sticker does not show her name, only the passport number and what may be her Home Office reference number. Is this old ILR sticker her UK Residence Permit? If not, how does she get a UK Residence Permit if she wants to travel to other parts of the EU?

[the scouser]

I'm a little confused by this.  Do the stickers recording indefinite leave to remain (and therefore presumably also further leave to remain) now have names on?  My wife's indefinite leave to remain sticker does not show her name, only the passport number and what may be her Home Office reference number.  Is this old ILR sticker her UK Residence Permit?  If not, how does she get a UK Residence Permit if she wants to travel to other parts of the EU?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Irrespective of whether the format changes your wife's ILR vignette will remain valid unless, of course, she happens to spend more than 2 years outside of the UK.

Scouse.

[Richard W]

I'm a little confused by this.  Do the stickers recording indefinite leave to remain (and therefore presumably also further leave to remain) now have names on?  My wife's indefinite leave to remain sticker does not show her name, only the passport number and what may be her Home Office reference number.  Is this old ILR sticker her UK Residence Permit?  If not, how does she get a UK Residence Permit if she wants to travel to other parts of the EU?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Irrespective of whether the format changes your wife's ILR vignette will remain valid unless, of course, she happens to spend more than 2 years outside of the UK.

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But is it understood to be the 'UK Residence Permit' by, say, France and Germany? If my wife applied for a visa to France, they would want to see her 'UK Residence Permit'.

[the scouser]

The ILR vignette effectively is a residence permit. Although it is not called such it confers the right to stay in the UK indefinitely and equates to a residence permit.

Scouse.

[Sumppen]

UK recidency does not however allow you to travel to other EU countries (because UK is not in Schengen)

The same applies for my wife, she needs a visa to travel to UK, even though she's a Swedish resident (someone correct me if I'm wrong here)

/Kim

[makavelli]

hi everyone thanks for all your replies,

My wife has currently got a 2year settlment visa then after that we have to apply for another 1 year then she can get a British passport, is that correct?

Anyway I have applied to the Thai embassy for an application to endorse her new British surname onto her Thai passport. Are u all positive that she wont have to change on her Visa inside her passport because next time we go to Thailand I dont want any hassle from airport officials saying why is her names different on her passport and on her visa.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Hope everyone is good.

[the scouser]

The Home Office will already be aware of your wife's married name as, presumably, they took a copy of your marriage certificate when the extension was sought.

Yes, after having married a Brit and having lived in the UK for 3 years, for 1 of which you've held indefinite leave, you can apply for naturalisation. There are other qualifications but, generally, the process isn't too onerous.

Scouse.