married a latvian

thegreatiam

So, married my missus in USA this summer and we have just received the correct paperwork so she can change her name on the passport.

I didnt know before but apparently the latvian government have certain requirements for the name to be written. for example my name ends in S but the feminine version will need to end in A. the W in my name will be written as a V.

So on her main form of ID her name will be different to what it actually is. What I need to know is how this operates in the day to day world.

On our bills her name is written in english conventions, same as her drivers license etc. How does this affect official procedures etc. has anyone had any experiences with this before that they could pass on some information to me that we may not be aware of. im looking for situations where she may need to show ID and there may be a difference in the spelling of her name.

cheers. and happy new year.

ABajaninCork

I'd speak to the Latvian Embassy. They'd be the best ones to advise.

thegreatiam

it was the embassy that gave us this info. Now it has us worried that it will present unforeseen problems down the line.

ABajaninCork

Are you able to contact a lawyer in your wife's country? Maybe you need to swear an affidavit confirming the name, I don't know.

What exactly did the embassy tell you?

thegreatiam

just that the name will be spelled in latvian even though it is not a latvian name.

so williams will become villiamsa. or equivalent. personally i think that is 2 different names and im guessing anyone else who needs to see her id will also.

just want to hear from someone else who has married in similar situations if it caused any problems for them

im sure it's not a big deal as plenty of non western people live here and change their name even though their passport remains with the original name. I just dont want it to be a problem later,

we travel a lot for work so there are visa applications etc to consider.

LED WORLD

After the marriage, she must change her passport .Her old surname will not exist any more.And yes, her surname will be different to your surname, but all eastern Europe is like that and I can assure that its not causing any trouble at all.My wife,daughter and myself live in Ireland for 10 years, our all 3 surnames are different, but we never had any problems,because social,garda or customs know that for many years and don't ask any questions any more.In our country (Lithuania)Surname is different, because it determines gender (male or female), also when it comes to female, it determines is she married or not.

Bigcheeze

LED WORLD wrote: »

In our country (Lithuania)Surname is different, because it determines gender (male or female), also when it comes to female, it determines is she married or not.

Just like Irish names.