Passport -- Name Change Issue

[dcombs44]

We're getting ready to cruise abroad, and my father has applied for his first passport.

 

His parents changed his middle name as a child, and when receiving his birth cert from the courthouse, they had simply scratched his old name out and penciled in the new one.

 

We're now about a week past my mom receiving her passport in the mail, and still nothing for dad.

 

Any thoughts on how big of an issue this may be? We don't travel until August, but I'm afraid we may face denial and reapplication that will leave us very close to travel date.

[missymac222]

call and ask????? :confused:

[6rugrats]

No idea, but they could consider this document defaced and not accept it. If this is all they did, his name was not legally changed.

 

Did you check his application status:

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/status/status_2567.html

[dcombs44]

No idea, but they could consider this document defaced and not accept it. If this is all they did, his name was not legally changed.

 

Yeah, I have no idea as it took place 25 years prior to my birth. I just know that he has always been under the impression that his middle name is what is penciled in on the BC. You'd think they would have reprinted the thing if his name was in fact, legally changed. I believe his social security card has the updated name on it.

 

Maybe I'll have them call.

[6rugrats]

Yeah, I have no idea as it took place 25 years prior to my birth. I just know that he has always been under the impression that his middle name is what is penciled in on the BC. You'd think they would have reprinted the thing if his name was in fact, legally changed. I believe his social security card has the updated name on it.

 

He would at least have paperwork from the court. Please post back what happens.

[dcombs44]

He would at least have paperwork from the court. Please post back what happens.

 

He has no paperwork as his parents (both deceased) made the change when he was an infant. I suppose if it comes down to needing proof, he could come up with the court documents through the court, but we'll see how it plays out. We'll hope for slight delay and no hitches :)

 

I'll post back with the outcome.

[Keith1010]

Yeah, I have no idea as it took place 25 years prior to my birth. I just know that he has always been under the impression that his middle name is what is penciled in on the BC. You'd think they would have reprinted the thing if his name was in fact, legally changed. I believe his social security card has the updated name on it.

 

Maybe I'll have them call.

 

Your Dad probably needs to call them but someone should. I would first try to check the on line status.

 

Keith

[dcombs44]

Your Dad probably needs to call them but someone should. I would first try to check the on line status.

 

Keith

 

Status says in process. We checked today. I'll try to call first and have him call this evening if I can't get a general answer.

 

Thanks everyone.

[LHT28]

How old is the copy of his BC?

Who penciled in the name change? the BC office or maybe his parents?

Does not sound very official

 

 

Maybe he can apply for a new BC ..that should have his official name on it.

[bonsai3s]

We're getting ready to cruise abroad, and my father has applied for his first passport.

 

His parents changed his middle name as a child, and when receiving his birth cert from the courthouse, they had simply scratched his old name out and penciled in the new one.

 

We're now about a week past my mom receiving her passport in the mail, and still nothing for dad.

 

Any thoughts on how big of an issue this may be? We don't travel until August, but I'm afraid we may face denial and reapplication that will leave us very close to travel date.

 

 

We had a similar problem. Our nephew's girlfriend applied for her passport. She discovered that her birth certificate showed her name as Jenifer instead of Jennifer. She's been using "Jennifer" all of her life. The Department of State informed us that she may have to provide documentation showing she's used the name "Jennifer" all her life. (driver's license, other photo ID's, etc.) We waited for her application to be processed. Bottom line...she received her passport and she is now "officially"....Jennifer. No calls, no documentation required. It took approximately 4 weeks. Hope that helps. :)

[dcombs44]

How old is the copy of his BC?

Who penciled in the name change? the BC office or maybe his parents?

Does not sound very official

 

 

Maybe he can apply for a new BC ..that should have his official name on it.

 

This was an official copy ordered less than a month ago. It came from the court house with a raised seal with the penciled change. My parents paid for the copy, so this is as official as they can get without the courthouse recreating the original.

[dcombs44]

We had a similar problem. Our nephew's girlfriend applied for her passport. She discovered that her birth certificate showed her name as Jenifer instead of Jennifer. She's been using "Jennifer" all of her life. The Department of State informed us that she may have to provide documentation showing she's used the name "Jennifer" all her life. (driver's license, other photo ID's, etc.) We waited for her application to be processed. Bottom line...she received her passport and she is now "officially"....Jennifer. No calls, no documentation required. It took approximately 4 weeks. Hope that helps. :)

 

Thanks. It'll be 6 weeks for him this Saturday. We made a call, but they couldn't tell us anything. Only put a notice to contact by phone if there was an issue.

[centurycruiser]

I don't use my first name, just an initial and my middle name. Been doing that almost forever. Generally for travel I would just use my middle name.

 

When TSA got strict everything based on my birth certificate showed my first name. I had to send the passport agency copies of things showing how I represented myself in the past. I sent copies of my drivers license (dating to 1992), deed to my house (from 1972), professional license (also 1972).

 

My pp and DW pp arrived home at the same time.

[LHT28]

This was an official copy ordered less than a month ago. It came from the court house with a raised seal with the penciled change. My parents paid for the copy, so this is as official as they can get without the courthouse recreating the original.

Well that is just plain sloppy on the part of the court house

I would return it & have them fix it @ no charge

[jcl410]

This was an official copy ordered less than a month ago. It came from the court house with a raised seal with the penciled change. My parents paid for the copy, so this is as official as they can get without the courthouse recreating the original.

 

 

My original birth certificate (from 1960) had a typographical error - my middle name was spelled "caldwell" instead of "coldwell". They used a pen to make the change at some point; sctatching out the "a" and writing an "o".

 

My certified copy shows the ink change; it is obvious that the change was on the original, and not put on the paper after the copy was made. I have had no issues with it for 30+ years.

 

In your case, could you tell if the pencil changes were made to the original, or to the copy afterwards. In the 2nd case, the State Department MAY ask for extra documentation.

 

good luck,

 

Aloha!

 

John

[dcombs44]

Mom said it was obviously a copied change, and not a change made after the copy was made.

 

It'll be 6 weeks on Saturday, and a week and a half after my mom received hers.

 

Website still says "Processing". We'll wait and hope. We're not overly nervous yet, but just don't want to get hung out to dry if we need to take further steps to get it on time.