Passport Name Change At A Consulate

[daveh]

Has anyone's Thai wife ever dealt with changing her last name in her passport while abroad? My wife and I tried to get the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles to do just this via FedEx, but it didn't go so well.

Before doing anything, I contacted the consulate via email and asked them what steps were involved. We got our marriage ceritifate translated to Thai, sent it, a money order, her passport and a letter stating we wanted to update her name in her passport to the consulate via FedEx. They stamped the translated marriage certificate, and did nothing to the passport and sent it back to us. What a waste of approximately $100 in translation and FedEx fees.

Now we are in a bit of a bind. We purchased a plane ticket a while ago in her married name, but her passport does not have the stamp with her married name, it only states her maiden name. I'm trying to determine what my options are right now.

When I first bought the ticket, they didn't think she could fly under her married name unless her passport showed her married name. I told them she has a valid ID (green card) with her married name. They called the airport to see if that would be sufficient and it seems that it *should* be valid. But I'm still a little worried that they may force us to reticket.

Even if they do let her go to Thailand, I'm worried that she would have trouble returning. Passports are recognized valid IDs worldwide, but green cards are less so.

Upon arriving in Thailand, how difficult would it be to get her new last name stamped in her passport? What are the steps? As in, where to do it? How long does it take? Does she have to change her Thai ID first?

Alternatively, I could attempt to make the 6+ hour drive to the LA consulate and have it done in person. But this is a fairly expensive alternative. I'd have to take a day off from work and spend a bit on gas money. And right now, I am not even sure they can do it there. Their emails have not been very helpful thus far.

Anyone been through this before?

[Gumballl]

Daveh -

Be very cautious with changing the name on the passport. Does your wife have a green card (or visa stamp in passport) issued using her maiden name?

If so, changing the passport name might not be the wisest thing to do without first consulting the USCIS (formally the INS). Your wife could be denied re-entry into the US, if her passport has a name not associated with her visa.

A few years ago, when my ex-wife and I were married, she was initially denied a permanent resident status because the INS would not issue her a visa because we "accidently" petitioned for the PR using her first name and my surname. Her passport still listed her maiden name (and her original conditional residency visa also had her maiden name).

We pleaded with the immigration gentlement to stamp her passport nevertheless, but he told us the issue I wrote about above... visa in one name, passport in another.

After getting the stamp, we drove over to the RT Consulate (in L.A.) to have her passport named changed. A lot of hassle, because that day we had to stand in line outside the Fed Building from 01:30am to 7:00am just to get into the building to get the visa, and then wait at the RT Consulate. Pain in the a$$.

[daveh]

Be very cautious with changing the name on the passport.  Does your wife have a green card (or visa stamp in passport) issued using her maiden name?

She has a green card with her married name. She came over on a fiancee visa, we got married, did the USCIS interview, and recieved her card in the mail a couple of weeks later. When we applied for the green card, we did so with her married name.

The guy at the USCIS warned us to bring our marriage certificate while travelling. I'm mostly concerned that the rules are in constant flux. So while she may legally be able to fly with her maiden name passport and marriage certificate, they might not know that in Tawain during her lay over or as I said, when she tries to board in BKK on the way home.

[vinny]

Another couple had a similar problem to yours:

I would like to update my wife’s passport with her change of title (Miss to Mrs)

I know that to do this I would fill out an application form and send it and passport with pre-paid SAE to the thai embassy in london with the fee

only problem is when my wife applied for her irish visa they placed the visa on the page for endorsements/changes and then upon entry and exit from dublin they stamped the other page in the passport for endorsements/changes, which is next to the first page.

i would like to know if anyone has had this happen to them and/or if anyone has any idea if we can still change the MISS to MRS as they could put the change of title on a different page, which seems logical to me but will the embassy staff see it as logical too?

any ideas/comments

In their case, the Thai Embassy in London gave the following response, some of which may also apply in your case:

1. In the past, the Embassy used to endorse the surname after marriage in the passport. For some cases that the passport holders have changed their surname more than once, the Embassy has no choice to stamp the endorsement in the visa page of the mentioned passports in order to help the passport holders have up an appropriate surname after various marriages.

2. At the moment, the Embassy has already started providing e-passport service. For the new passport, the Embassy is advised by the Foreign Ministry that the endorsement page can be used only for giving the previous passport detail.

If the passport holders wish to change their surname after marriage, the Embassy will recommend them to make a power of attorney at the Embassy with the legalization of the Embassy requesting their relatives in Thailand to change their surnames after their marriages in the House Registration Document at the District Registrar in Thailand. After that, they can use the House Registration Document to apply for new passport at the Embassy.

3. For your spouse's case, I think that she is not holding biometric passport, I will recommend that she can apply for changing her surname in the visa page. However, it will look a little bit suspicious, since the amendment will be stamp in the visa paper, not amendment paper.

4. In the meantime, while both of you are in Thailand, I wish to recommend her to change her surname in the Thai I.D. Card and the House Registration Paper in order for applying for a new biometric passport in the future.

5. We also provide some information at http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk krab.

[tavarich]

You will have to go to the big city nearest her home town. Get the ID changed first. Then go to get the passport changed. One thing keep the old passport with you at all times some times the old name will come back to haunt you and if you don't have it be prepared to deal with the red tape.

[sierra01]

I don't know about the American side of it but to change her name in BKK is easy. Take the passport and marriage cert to the Ministry on Chaeng Wattana road, and its done by next day, they put the new details on another page.

To change her Thai ID card you have to go back to wherever she's registered, with the marriage cert, and they do it there and then.