Originally Posted by König

If you don't mind me asking, how did they make it hard for your wife to change her name with the SSA? Well, when my wife and I naturalized, we went to a SSA on the same day and changed our names there. She received her new card the next day (!!!), and I received mine in 1.5 weeks. The delay, according to a SSA representative, was due to the USCIS slow response in confirming my change of status. Still, not that long. If it's a simple name change (due to marriage or a court order), it shouldn't take weeks.

As for the passport, if it had the same name as the SSA, then that old man from the Petaluma's story had to keep it current to avoid the problem's with the DMV. A citizen can bring a passport or a passport card to prove the full name and legal status.