Travel documentation for a long time ago name change

[psikic]

I want to bring my mother and stepfather with us on a future cruise sometime next year.  My stepfather doesn't have a passport, and if I get a copy of his birth certificate, it will have a different name on it than he uses now on all of his identification like his driver's license.  He changed his name sometime back in the 70's while in the military.  He has no documentation of the name change and isn't even sure of the county that recorded the name change, so we can't get the official documentation.  What can we do?  Can he still get a passport?  Could he board with just his birth certificate, even though the name is incorrect?  What is the best course of action here?  We plan on sailing on Carnival.

[Essiesmom]

If he knows where he was stationed when the change was done, that should tell him the county. How long was he in the service?  Perhaps there are military records that reflect the change.  But in any case, this is his problem not yours.  If he can get a copy of the paper showing his legal name change, that should suffice without a passport.  Just as a married woman might bring her marriage license to show the name change from her birth certificate.  EM

[GeezerCouple]

In the worst case, you could inquire about having some affidavits certifying that "I have known Mr. X Y" since <date> and that is the only name I have know him as", from several different types of people (employer, neighbor, church official, local government official, etc.), plus documentation showing that he is indeed using that name (drivers license, tax returns, etc.).

 

Years ago, I had this situation with two family members.  In this case, there never was an official name change, but they were indeed *only* known to *everyone* now as SameFirstName TotallyDIfferentLastName.  NO one in the state or region ever knew them under any other name.

But if they had used the name on their birth certificates, there would have been no real indication that "this was actually *them*"....

 

I assume I had spoken with the State Department about how to do this, and to get the affidavits, and from which types of people who currently knew them.

 

The Passports were issued as:

"Jane Jones Doe, k.a. Jane Doe Smith" - where the first name matched their birth certificate, and the second name was what they were exclusively known as.

 

The "k.a." was for "known as".  It was *not* an "aka" meaning "also known as", because they were each ONLY known by that 'other' name.  NO one who knew them would have had any possible idea about the "Jones", and there was nothing to show that it was the same person as the one now "known as" having the last name "Smith".

 

We allowed extra time for the Passports, and they were issued without any trouble.

Now, this was pre-9/11, so things may be more strict.  But there are times when documentation is either missing, or, as in our case, there never was any documentation about a name change.  They had just started using the new name some years earlier.

(There was no illicit purpose involved, so that wasn't something to be worried about.)

It might be similar to someone who has a different "professional name" that is what they now only use, without any formal name change...?

 

Keep something like this in mind if the documentation can't be found.

And good luck!

 

GC

[sparks1093]

If he did this while in the military then he had to submit something to the military to support the name change. That something is likely in his military record so he should obtain a copy of his record to see if it's there. 

[lissie]

wouldnt it be easier just to get a passport in  his original name and make sure all bookings are made in that name - plenty of people have "offiicial " names which aren't what they are known as 

[Shmoo here]

8 hours ago, lissie said:

wouldnt it be easier just to get a passport in  his original name and make sure all bookings are made in that name - plenty of people have "offiicial " names which aren't what they are known as 

Except, if, indeed, there was an official name change, he wouldn't be traveling under his "real" name.

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, Shmoo here said:

Except, if, indeed, there was an official name change, he wouldn't be traveling under his "real" name.

Once he gets a passport in a certain name, THAT name will be more REAL than any other. He can then proceed to adjust his aliases to conform.

[Shmoo here]

16 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Once he gets a passport in a certain name, THAT name will be more REAL than any other. He can then proceed to adjust his aliases to conform.

But wouldn't an official name change mean that his birth name is no longer his "real" name?  

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

Just now, Shmoo here said:

But wouldn't an official name change mean that his birth name is no longer his "real" name?  

 

 

The name on one’s passport is about as REAL as a name can be. The fact that you can prove it means you lends a touch of reality.  Lots of people stop using their birth names for lots of reasons - and a birth name no longer used has little reality.

[jcl410]

I'm guessing his driver's license, and all other forms of ID are in the new name?   I think the best course of action would be to go ahead and apply for a passport ASAP... More than likely, it will take some time to prove to the State Department that he's a US citizen, and under the new name... (As suggested above, his military records should have a record of the name change.)

 

Aloha,

 

John