Last Name Changes

[scott1956]

SO and I are planning on marrying in Zhanjiang January 20, 2006. I believe we both have obtained all the necessary paperwork in order to register to marry in China.

 

My questions are regarding my SO wanting to take my family name as hers (Pokorny vs Wang - come on seems logical to me that she keep Wang) I have told her that it is her name so it is her choice (as it should be). Now my concerns:

 

1. If she chooses to change her name will the local authorities in Zhanjiang complete the marriage certificate with the name of her choice or will they automatically use her family name since this is the Chinese tradition?

 

2. I would like to complete the I-130, I-129F and G-325A forms before going so I can print them out and have her complete the (name and address in Chinese portion) and sign the 325A's. If she chooses to change family name and is successful in getting it listed as such on the marriage certificate then do we use Pokorny as her Family name on all of the forms? What if they the marriage certificate still shows Wang as family name? Do we still fill out the forms using the family name of her choice or do we stick with the name on the marriage certificate?

 

3. Would she have to write Pokorny in chinese were it asks for name and address in native alphabet?

 

4. Will she have to have her name changed on her national ID and passport before her CR-1/K-3 interview?

 

I am having some difficulty communicating these issues with my SO and every time I approach the subject in order to complete the forms she just keeps saying I will be Li Shu Pokorny

[Carl]

IMHO I think it is a good idea for her to follow the Chinese tradition of keeping her current name till she gets to the US. Then she can change her name to yours.

 

This will avoid any possible delays with her visa.

[mercator]

I'd have to agree with that. I advised my wife the same thing. She wants a full-blown western name when she gets here, but waiting until she is here seems the most practical choice. No delays for any reason!

[ShanghaiFred]

I have to agree with the previous posts. I don't think having her name changed on the Chinese marriage certificate would carry much weight to begin with. Also, I think using Pokorny has her family name would probably create unneeded confusion at every step of the visa process, especially at the name check, and especially if you wrote Pokorny phoenetically in Chinese....I can't even imagine. My advise would be to go the safer route. She go my Mrs. Porkorny while you guys are meeting friends, etc...but for this kind of a think I would say too risky.

[IluvmyLi]

Maybe you should change your last name.

[scott1956]

Maybe you should change your last name.

177117[/snapback]

Believe me I have thought of changing it many times . Of course changing it now would only confuse all the government agencies

[mercator]

I agree with the informal/legal idea.

 

I suggested to my wife the idea of using my name informally, while keeping her maiden name formally, at least until such time as she is here and settled in.

 

Like I said, keep things on track with no delays!

Edited December 21, 2005 by mercator (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

Best thing to do would be to file K-1 instead of marrying in China. Then when she gets here and you marry the name change is very easy.