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Hi,
I am planning a trip abroad next month with my wife and children. When my wife was naturalized in 1998 she changed her name from Maria to Blanca. Then when we got married in 2000, her last name changed to mine. With my children being under 14, they require us to have both parents present or their consent at the time of travel. However, the name of the mother on the children's birth certificate and my wife's current names don't match due to these changes. Two years ago, I went to the passport office in Miami for an emergency passport to travel abroad with my children, and as it turns out the children were denied passports. I brought along the certificate of naturalization with my wife's new name but it was not enough. I also brought a notarized note with her new name on it. What made it more difficult was that she was not present. The federal officer who interviewed me said that the name of the mother on the birth certificate of both children appears to be a totally different person from the mother's name on their passport applications. I explained the situation to them to no avail. This year I planned ahead and submitted their passport applications at a county courthouse along with the only picture ID we've got with her old name on it (copies of an expired Salvadoran passport). Their passports have been issued and I received them through the mail yesterday. My question is do I need to go one step further in trying to obtain proof of her name change or is this sufficient for travel? I already bought their plane tickets and wish to avoid any surprises at the airport on the day of travel. Can anyone advise me as to what else I need to have to assure a non-eventful stay at the port of departure? If I need to request an affidavit of her change of name, can I obtain that thru my local county court here in Florida or does she have to go to the courthouse where she became a United States citizen in New York? Can I request one online from the US govt? Please help!!!
I am planning a trip abroad next month with my wife and children. When my wife was naturalized in 1998 she changed her name from Maria to Blanca. Then when we got married in 2000, her last name changed to mine. With my children being under 14, they require us to have both parents present or their consent at the time of travel. However, the name of the mother on the children's birth certificate and my wife's current names don't match due to these changes. Two years ago, I went to the passport office in Miami for an emergency passport to travel abroad with my children, and as it turns out the children were denied passports. I brought along the certificate of naturalization with my wife's new name but it was not enough. I also brought a notarized note with her new name on it. What made it more difficult was that she was not present. The federal officer who interviewed me said that the name of the mother on the birth certificate of both children appears to be a totally different person from the mother's name on their passport applications. I explained the situation to them to no avail. This year I planned ahead and submitted their passport applications at a county courthouse along with the only picture ID we've got with her old name on it (copies of an expired Salvadoran passport). Their passports have been issued and I received them through the mail yesterday. My question is do I need to go one step further in trying to obtain proof of her name change or is this sufficient for travel? I already bought their plane tickets and wish to avoid any surprises at the airport on the day of travel. Can anyone advise me as to what else I need to have to assure a non-eventful stay at the port of departure? If I need to request an affidavit of her change of name, can I obtain that thru my local county court here in Florida or does she have to go to the courthouse where she became a United States citizen in New York? Can I request one online from the US govt? Please help!!!
