Change to Hubby's family name when apply for Finnish citizen

[Ema]

Hello all,

Now that having a Finnish passport seems to be more and more convinence for me, I am planning to apply for it in the next few months. Situation is:

When I got married years ago, I didn't change my family name to hubby's like finnish women would normally do, 'Cause then I will have to change my passport name and all my registeration record in my home country. Now, if I get a new passport from Finland, I would like to change to his family name as he wishes

So, what should I do, do I just write the new name that I want to be on the application?
Or, do I change my passport name first with my embassy, and then change my register name in Finland before I apply for it?

Anyone has ideas?

Thanks.

[Hank W.]

Providing you are a Finnish citizen ( as in applied for the Finnish citizenship and got the paper stating you are one) I don't see what some foreign country has to do with this. People change the name at the Maistraatti, which is simple in this case, then you apply for a passport. (And all your other cards and stuff).

[Ema]

Hi, Hank,

Yes, there is no problem with my home country once I get the finnish citizen. But back then it was an issue.

What I am worry about is not my home contry, it is the finnish embassy, will they approve if my passport shows different name as my application?

what do you mean by 'and you get the paper stating you are one,'

[Hank W.]

Well if you are not a Finnish citizen, then you of course cannot apply for a Finnish passport? You can apply for a citizenship, and once you have the citizenship, then you can apply for the passport, and these at the police. And do the name change in between in the maistraatti. That is if you are living in Finland.

Citizenship and passport are like milk and a cow. You can have cow and no milk but no milk without a cow first. Got cheese?

[Rosamunda]

All my ID is in my own name because my passport is in my own name. It is my understanding that your ID and your passport must show the same name. (However I do not have Finnish citizenship).

If you are applying for Finnish citizenship then presumably this is the opportunity to change your name if you want to.

BTW, a lot of Finnish women do NOT use their husband's name, so you are in no way obliged to do this. It's up to you.

[cedric]

well, not sure if it helps, but my daughter who has double nationality, has her father name on her Finnish passport and her mother name on her French passport... we have had no problem as we are travelling with only one passport and it seems that it does not matter for either authorities...

[Rosamunda]

But presumably she has her father's name on her Finnish ID/KELA card and her mother's name on her French carte d'identité.

I am surprised though. There is potentially some kind of a loophole there.

There was a Home Office blunder uncovered in the UK last year. When someone applied to change their name by deed poll there was no control system in place to collect their old passport. So any person could legally change their name and thereby own two valid passports with different names Given that a passport is valid 10 years, I guess there was nothing to stop someone eventually accumulating half a dozen identities. Then those multiple identities could presumably be used for claiming multiple benefits, driver's licence points etc and.... criminal records.

[cedric]

well, in fact the thing is that you can change family name in Finland and you can not in France... hence the present situation...

[Rosamunda]

Not sure what you mean by "change family name". My sons were born in France and they took their father's (Finnish) family name even though we were not married and my kids were denied Finnish citizenship at the time (because they were not born in Finland and I was not married to their father. They got Finnish citizenship after we moved to Finland, we were married by then). You can change your name when you apply for French citizenship, especially if your name is difficult to pronounce or spell in French.

[cedric]

At the embassy in Finland, when we declared the birth of her daughter, they asked for the names we wanted to declared. We did.
A few month later i got married we decided to use only one name, the father's name.
When we went back to the French embassy to declare that we got married and that we would like our daughter to have the same surname than the rest of the family, they told us that it was not possible anymore... Hence the 2 passports with 2 different names...

[Ema]

Hi guys, thanks for all the reply.

I have figured a way out in order to reduce all the unnecessary work with both embassys.

When I get the finnish citizen, I would have a new finnish passport. I can take the passport to the local police office and change my surname to my hubby's. It takes about a week or so. After that, my bank register info should be changed automatically, but I will have to pay something like 60e for a new drive licence or I can decide to keep the old one untill a police officer on the street stops me. I also can change my name on plussa card, S-market card...., but it is not a must.

So, problem solved

[sy]

When I get the finnish citizen, I would have a new finnish passport. I can take the passport to the local police office and change my surname to my hubby's.

When you get the Finnish citizenship, you only get a paper certificate stating that you have been granted the Finnish citizenship. You won't get a new Finnish passport automatically! You have to go to the local police office to apply for the passport separately (and that costs 46 euros, BTW).

So, I think in your case after you've got the Finnish citizenship, before applying for the Finnish passport, you should go the magistrate to apply for a name change. And after his, you can go to the police office to apply for a new Finnish passport. This way, you'll have your new name on the Finnish passport.

Citizenship and passport are two different concepts, although they come hand in hand. Citizenship is your legal status, and passport is just a document proving your legal status.