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-   -   Name Change and Flying After Getting Married (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/341863-name-change-flying-after-getting-married.html)

East Coast Wing Jul 30, 2004 6:09 pm

Name Change and Flying After Getting Married
 
I did a search and couldn’t find threads with similar information…also, not sure if this is the correct forum for this question.

My wife and I got married last month and she is going through the process of changing her name with Social Security and getting a new drivers license. In the mean time her corporate travel department booked two of her business trips for August under her maiden name. Will this be an issue when she tries to fly or do the tickets need to be reissued? I would think if she showed up with an official copy of our marriage license she would be fine but you never know in the post 9/11 world. Does anybody have any experience with this situation? Thanks!

JerryFF Jul 30, 2004 8:18 pm

Yes, if she takes a copy of her marriage certificate with her on the trip, it will not be a problem. She will need to show her Driver's license and marriage certificate when she checks in with the airline. Once she gets a boarding pass, she shouldn't have to show ID anymore, but if she does, just show both again and it will be OK.

East Coast Wing Jul 31, 2004 7:56 am

Thanks for the information...I appreciate it. I was pretty sure that a certified copy of the marriage certificate would work but you never these days, especially flying out of DCA. Thanks again!

erik123 Jul 31, 2004 8:04 am

In my wife's case they never even asked - though a copy of the license is a good idea - I don't think it needs to be certified.

Analise Aug 2, 2004 10:33 am

Your wife waited an entire month? I was wondering how fast I would have to do go about changing my name (I'm getting married next month) so I can do things like get my paycheck. What is the process of getting a new social security card? What comes first: new driver's license, new passport, or new Social Security card? Any easy way to do this?

ChocaholicFlier Aug 2, 2004 1:15 pm

Analise - I went through this two years ago when I got married and changed my name. I'm sure this isn't the best way, but here's what I did:

*First* Get certified/official copies of the marriage certificate. In Chicago, this wasn't available until 5 or so weeks after the wedding. I paid extra to get 5 or 6 of these "official" copies. Most vendors asked for copies of this document, so you can't really start the name change process until you have a copy. Some vendors wanted "official" copies that they then mailed back to me afterward, so it was nice to have extras.

*Second* Get a new SS card. I went to the SS office with one of my "official" marriage certificates and was able to get a new card the same day.

With a new SS card, you can now change your name with your employer. Because of tax reasons, I don't think most HR departments will change your name without first seeing your new SS card.

This may vary by state, but in Illinois I needed my new SS card before I could get a new license, so the DMV was my next stop.

For me, the timing of getting a new license was a big deal. I fly twice a week every week, so I really didn't have any down-time to start the name change process. I had some tickets that were purchased months ago under my old name, then future tickets in my new name. Just to be safe, I told the DMV that I lost my license and needed a new one, and coincidentally, I have a new name. :rolleyes: This way I had BOTH licenses, just in case. This really came in handy for me. Its almost impossible to synchronize the name change with all of your travel vendors. Even if you inform both vendors at the same time, there were HUGE differences on how long it took them to update their records. For example, I couldn't use Avis Preferred service for a few weeks because because my credit card on file had a different name than my Avis account, so every week I had to go inside to the rental counter to explain. I would guess that most places would be willing to take your new license and a copy of your marriage certificate, so the double license thing was probably overkill (and possibly illegal :D ), but it saved me a lot of hassle.

Next, I started the colossal project of changing my name everywhere else in the world. Some places I could just call and change it over the phone, some wanted "official" copies of the marriage certificate, some just wanted a fax with a copy of my new drivers license, it varied by vendor.

The last thing I did was obtain a new passport. The timing on this might also be tricky. When you apply, you mail your old passport to the government, and they send you back the old AND new one. This means you are passport-less for the duration of time it takes them to process the paperwork.

Hope that helps.....

daniellam Aug 2, 2004 3:18 pm

KEEP YOUR MAIDEN NAME! for "official purposes" (such as credit cards, drivers license, ID, legal documents etc.) and USE your "MARRIED" name for "daily purposes" (i.e. your child's gradeschool teacher would refer to you as "Mrs. MARRIED name").

sibley Aug 2, 2004 3:36 pm

Things can differ by state, but my experience was similar to that of ChocaholicFlier. (This was in GA last Spring).

I got a *certified* copy of our marriage license (GA has uncertified copies too, which will do nothing except hang on your wall and look pretty...make sure you're getting the legal certificate!), which I then took to the SS office. Stood in line for a few hours and then filled out forms. The SS card was mailed to me.

However, I was given some type of "receipt", which I took to the DMV. Stook in lines for few hours, and left with a new license.

I had already changed my CC...in fact, I called them a month before we got married to ask about the procedure. The CSR said "I'll take care of it now". Was the one and only easy part of the name change.

I was fortunate in that I didn't have to fly until we had been home from our honeymoon for a few weeks. I still took a copy of the marriage license, just in case.

The name-change process is a serious pain, but for some of us it's important. I am one of those people.


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