Name Changes for Permanent Residents - Some Pitfalls.

Name Changes for Permanent Residents - Some Pitfalls.        

          Permanent Residents ( Green Card Holders)  can apply and obtain a name change order just as U.S. Citizens can.  New York Courts will grant the order since Permanent Residents have the same legal right to change their names as U.S Citizens do. 
          There are some difficulties, however, that arise for Permanent Residents.  Some countries will not recognize a New York name change order for passport purposes. Notably, Permanent Residents from Brazil seem to have this problem. Thus, if you are a permanent resident, before seeking a name change in a New York court, you should check with your country's consulate or embassy to determine if your country's consulate or embassy would recognize a New York name change order.  You need to do this to determine if you can also change your name on your passport.  If you can not change the name on your passport after obtaining a New York name change order, you may have problems traveling to and from the United States because you will have conflicting identification. Thus, before hiring a New York name change lawyer to petition for a name change, make sure that you can also later change the name on your foreign passport. 
         Permanent Residents will also need to contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS) after obtaining a name change so that the agency knows that you have changed your name as you process toward U.S. Citizenship.  A failure to do so can create processing problems and can endanger your Permanent Resident status. Since the government would not be properly advised of your current identity, a failure to notify USCIS can lead to filing and registration confusion and mishaps which can be difficult to correct in subsequent years following the name change order issuance. 

Christopher Tompkins is an Attorney that has been handling Legal Name Change Matters for 20 years in New York City frequently practicing in Brooklyn ( Kings County) and Queens.  Contact him at 212 962-5363. Email:  NameChangeLawyer@gmail.com.   Visit his website at 
http://www.ny-legal-name-change-lawyer.com/