Name change after she gets here

[IllinoisDave]

My fiancee is curious/worried about what happens if/when she takes my name when she gets here and we get married. I told her with so many members here living in China or having lived there that Candle would be the best place to ask. So here goes.

 

Her concern is that she owns a couple of small properties in China. One that the government will be paying her for prior to tearing it down as part of the "modernization" project. The other is just a small apartment that she'll be keeping for awhile as an investment. At some point after she gets AP, she'll need to go back and take care of wrapping things up with one or both of these.

 

Her concern is whether or not changing her name would affect her ability to deal with these thing when she goes back.

 

My guess is that she should just keep everything in her current name in China and only use her married name here.

 

Is that true? Will that allow her to take care of her business in China without any hassles?

 

Thanks for any input.

[jim_julian]

She has a Chinese passport and a national ID card in her Chinese name. These are the documents she will use to identify herself in China for the commercial dealings.

 

We had the AP issued in Lao Po's Chinese name also and the Green Card and EAD in her married name (although it took twice with the GC).

 

The airline tickets should be in her Chinese name to match her passport. If you can, keep the AP consistent. If the AP winds up in her married name you shouldn't have a problem on reentry to the US if she also has her marriage certificate. The only problem you might have is convincing the airline on the Chinese end that Xiao Wang (passport) can travel on an AP that says Xiao Jones.

[IllinoisDave]

She has a Chinese passport and a national ID card in her Chinese name. These are the documents she will use to identify herself in China for the commercial dealings.

 

We had the AP issued in Lao Po's Chinese name also and the Green Card and EAD in her married name (although it took twice with the GC).

 

The airline tickets should be in her Chinese name to match her passport. If you can, keep the AP consistent. If the AP winds up in her married name you shouldn't have a problem on reentry to the US if she also has her marriage certificate. The only problem you might have is convincing the airline on the Chinese end that Xiao Wang (passport) can travel on an AP that says Xiao Jones.

 

Thanks Jim.

As always your info is precise and complete.

I'll just cut/paste this and send it on to Christine. No elaboration needed.

 

Thanks again.

[warpedbored]

I'll add a little to what Jim said since his post was dead on.

 

When my wife went to visit China her passport and national ID was and still is in her maiden name. Her green card is in her married name. She had no problem going or coming home. The only stipulation was as Jim said the airline ticket has to be in the same name as her passport.

 

Since then we have renewed her passport and had an amendment made that says her name is also spelled xxxx xxxxxxxx (her married name) The main page however still has her maiden name. I am curious as to whether or not she can now travel with her airline ticket in her married name with that ammendment. Has anyone tried?

[IllinoisDave]

I'll add a little to what Jim said since his post was dead on.

 

When my wife went to visit China her passport and national ID was and still is in her maiden name. Her green card is in her married name. She had no problem going or coming home. The only stipulation was as Jim said the airline ticket has to be in the same name as her passport.

 

Since then we have renewed her passport and had an amendment made that says her name is also spelled xxxx xxxxxxxx (her married name) The main page however still has her maiden name. I am curious as to whether or not she can now travel with her airline ticket in her married name with that ammendment. Has anyone tried?

Curious Carl.

Where did they put the amendment?

[warpedbored]

On the observations page. It says

"XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXX (her name)

The name of the bearer of this passport is also

spelled XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX (her name)"

[warpedbored]

I just spent a long time on the nwaair website chat function talking with one of their people. I couldn't get a straight answer out of him as to which name my wife will have to book the ticket under next time she goes to China. He refered me to travel.gov where I couldn't find anything.

[IllinoisDave]

Thanks Carl.

Maybe by the time it's an issue for us, they'll have an answer for you.

Edited July 17, 2007 by IllinoisDave (see edit history)

[SirLancelot]

I am curious as to whether or not she can now travel with her airline ticket in her married name with that ammendment. Has anyone tried?

 

Carl, I'm almost certain you can "push" through if you persist. The amendment page of a passport is just as official as the main bio page of the passport. If it's properly endorsed and embossed stamp by a proper governmental seal/stamp, you can absolutely use it.

 

I would suggest bringing along a copy of the marriage certificate just in case, but I personally would be very forceful about being able to travel with the amended passport alone.

 

Dave, the concern would be if Christine wants to be a USC in the future, how does she renew her Chinese National ID and Passport to retain her Chinese name once she becomes a USC. Otherwise what Jim and Carl stated above holds very true.

[IllinoisDave]

I am curious as to whether or not she can now travel with her airline ticket in her married name with that ammendment. Has anyone tried?

 

Carl, I'm almost certain you can "push" through if you persist. The amendment page of a passport is just as official as the main bio page of the passport. If it's properly endorsed and embossed stamp by a proper governmental seal/stamp, you can absolutely use it.

 

I would suggest bringing along a copy of the marriage certificate just in case, but I personally would be very forceful about being able to travel with the amended passport alone.

 

Dave, the concern would be if Christine wants to be a USC in the future, how does she renew her Chinese National ID and Passport to retain her Chinese name once she becomes a USC. Otherwise what Jim and Carl stated above holds very true.

 

Good point Lance.

In fact after I relayed Jim and Carl's info to her she brought up the problem of what happens after she gets citizenship. Her concern is how will she be able to deal with her property issues if she's a USC?

 

Anybody had any experience with this scenario?

Edited July 17, 2007 by IllinoisDave (see edit history)

[notrevorich]

I am curious as to whether or not she can now travel with her airline ticket in her married name with that ammendment. Has anyone tried?

 

Carl, I'm almost certain you can "push" through if you persist. The amendment page of a passport is just as official as the main bio page of the passport. If it's properly endorsed and embossed stamp by a proper governmental seal/stamp, you can absolutely use it.

 

I would suggest bringing along a copy of the marriage certificate just in case, but I personally would be very forceful about being able to travel with the amended passport alone.

 

Dave, the concern would be if Christine wants to be a USC in the future, how does she renew her Chinese National ID and Passport to retain her Chinese name once she becomes a USC. Otherwise what Jim and Carl stated above holds very true.

 

Good point Lance.

In fact after I relayed Jim and Carl's info to her she brough up the problem of what happens after she gets citizenship. Her concern is how will she be able to deal with her property issues is she's a USC?

 

Anybody had any experience with this scenario?

I do not know if this is the answer you are looking for but my friends wife has kept her chinese name and never changed it , she is a USC and still owns property in Hong Kong - I do not know how she travels back and forth , but I think she is only using the US passport to do so .

She has been here over 10 years . Maybe Hong Kong is different than mainland china . and I do not know if she has a chinese passport

[Jeikun]

Just for an example, the 1st time Jun went to China she used her married name. Her passport was still in her Maiden name. They were more concerned with the greencard though which was in her married name, and she had her US driver's license also in her married name.

 

Of course it may have helped that her maiden name is now her middle name, so in a sense, both names were on all documents.

Edited July 17, 2007 by Jeikun (see edit history)

[IllinoisDave]

I do not know if this is the answer you are looking for but my friends wife has kept her chinese name and never changed it , she is a USC and still owns property in Hong Kong - I do not know how she travels back and forth , but I think she is only using the US passport to do so .

She has been here over 10 years . Maybe Hong Kong is different than mainland china . and I do not know if she has a chinese passport

 

Thanks. I guess that's the quandry. To change her name or not. She's afraid that she'll have problems dealing with the gov't on her property if she's a USC with a different name.

[IllinoisDave]

Just for an example, the 1st time Jun went to China she used her married name. Her passport was still in her Maiden name. They were more concerned with the greencard though which was in her married name, and she had her US driver's license also in her married name.

 

Of course it may have helped that her maiden name is now her middle name, so in a sense, both names were on all documents.

 

 

Thanks Jeikun.

Curious. Did she also take an English name as her first/given name? My SO uses her English name with me and I assume would on any docs when she gets here. In order to do what Jun did, she would need to keep her Chinese name as her first and middle names and add my name as her last name no?

 

That would still be problematic wouldn't it?

[IllinoisDave]

To my knowledge, after she comes here, she can add your last name to hers when she join the American citizenship; before joining USC, she has the other way to change her name, that is she goes to Chinese Ambassy in USA asking to do a name parenthetic note to her passport. By this way, her passport could show who she is, before and now,in Chinese name and English name.

 

Thanks Happy.

That sounds like the amendment to the passport that Carl mentioned earlier. I didn't think about it having to be the Chinese Consulate/Embassy we would need to go to for it. Thanks for that additional nugget.