scotchbonnet
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Alabama
Hello! I am hoping someone here can help me. I have attempted to consult three attorneys, but cannot get anyone to return my call or E-mail! Guess this problem doesn't qualify as "big enough." LOL
Briefly: I changed my full name as an 18-year-old (just hated my original given name and had no contact with my father at all and did not want his name), then changed it again at 22 to a name I have loved and used since. I am now 44.
On the original name-change document, there was a typo as my middle name - instead of "Norma" they typed "Marma." My lawyer at the time said this likely wouldn't pose a problem and for about 18 of the 20 years, it didn't really. I lived in several states and every time I needed to use those papers to prove my birth or citizenship (driver license, school for my daughter, etc.), they would scrutinize, ask about the typo and then just rubber-stamp it and I'd be done. Annoying, yes, but no big deal.
Now, though, it is becoming more and more of a problem (it seems since 9/11/2001, really) and everyone wants to make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN I am not trying to pull a fast one - took me six hours to get my last drivers license because of being passed from supervisor to supervisor. No one is nasty about it - they just all keep saying "This name is not the name you are applying for and so technically I could get in trouble...I can't lose my JOB over this." LOL The bottom line is now I've been told I cannot get a U.S. passport until I "get that name thing fixed." SOOOOOO...
How do I do that? I have spent many hours on the internet trying to find an answer, have received no answers to my posts in various forums, no calls returned from attorneys, the clerk at the probate court had no idea what I should do, etc. This is my last resort and I hope you guys can help.
My sister thought that perhaps I should just "start over" with a DIY name change, since I'm not doing anything fraudulent or trying to avoid anything or anyone - I've now had my current name longer than I had the original one. If I start over with the DIY route, would I use my current name on the forms as "The Name You Use Now" AND "The Name You Wish To Change To?" Certainly I wouldn't use my birthname, right? - since that would be a lie as "The Name You Use Now," though it is on my birth certificate. Surely there must be some way to fix this!
I've used my current name for almost 23 years, but now I'm dating a British fellow and he's gone back to the UK and I need a PASSPORT.
Not to mention the maze or horrors that awaits me should we get married and I need visa clearance, etc., all over a five-character typo.
Thanks for reading this far and I hope some of you good and knowledgeable folks here can help me with what I should do next.
Respectfully, S
Hello! I am hoping someone here can help me. I have attempted to consult three attorneys, but cannot get anyone to return my call or E-mail! Guess this problem doesn't qualify as "big enough." LOL
Briefly: I changed my full name as an 18-year-old (just hated my original given name and had no contact with my father at all and did not want his name), then changed it again at 22 to a name I have loved and used since. I am now 44.
On the original name-change document, there was a typo as my middle name - instead of "Norma" they typed "Marma." My lawyer at the time said this likely wouldn't pose a problem and for about 18 of the 20 years, it didn't really. I lived in several states and every time I needed to use those papers to prove my birth or citizenship (driver license, school for my daughter, etc.), they would scrutinize, ask about the typo and then just rubber-stamp it and I'd be done. Annoying, yes, but no big deal.
Now, though, it is becoming more and more of a problem (it seems since 9/11/2001, really) and everyone wants to make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN I am not trying to pull a fast one - took me six hours to get my last drivers license because of being passed from supervisor to supervisor. No one is nasty about it - they just all keep saying "This name is not the name you are applying for and so technically I could get in trouble...I can't lose my JOB over this." LOL The bottom line is now I've been told I cannot get a U.S. passport until I "get that name thing fixed." SOOOOOO...
How do I do that? I have spent many hours on the internet trying to find an answer, have received no answers to my posts in various forums, no calls returned from attorneys, the clerk at the probate court had no idea what I should do, etc. This is my last resort and I hope you guys can help.
My sister thought that perhaps I should just "start over" with a DIY name change, since I'm not doing anything fraudulent or trying to avoid anything or anyone - I've now had my current name longer than I had the original one. If I start over with the DIY route, would I use my current name on the forms as "The Name You Use Now" AND "The Name You Wish To Change To?" Certainly I wouldn't use my birthname, right? - since that would be a lie as "The Name You Use Now," though it is on my birth certificate. Surely there must be some way to fix this!
I've used my current name for almost 23 years, but now I'm dating a British fellow and he's gone back to the UK and I need a PASSPORT.
Not to mention the maze or horrors that awaits me should we get married and I need visa clearance, etc., all over a five-character typo. Thanks for reading this far and I hope some of you good and knowledgeable folks here can help me with what I should do next.
Respectfully, S