Husband has to change his name on his documents for his job. Does He Need to change his passport?

Question:  My husband has to change his name on his documents for his job because he is now using his full name (middle name included). We would like to go to France in about a month and a half and we already purchased two tickets. He has already changed his name with DMV and Social Security. Will we be able to use his old passport with his name unchanged? Will we have trouble at the airport because of the difference in names?

Answer:  Being that the name change will not be through marriage or divorce, it will have to be done through a court order. You will not be able to establish a legitimate name change using a driver’s license or social security card.

Since your husband did not change his name legally, then him using that other name will be nothing but a “nickname.” If he would like to change his name legally, then he must apply for a name change on his passport.

If you are entering or leaving the U.S. by air, you must provide a valid passport. Other legal identifications like a driver’s license is not valid as an international travel identification. Names on boarding passes must match the name on the passport before you can fly.

Since your husband’s name change is not legal, you should contact the airline to change the name on the ticket. This will show the new name matches the one on his passport. This way you will have no issues at the gate when you are ready to travel.