# Name Changes when Marrying a Mexican in Mexico



## Lipstickpaddy (Feb 12, 2015)

plane:

Hi, my big trip to Mexico will begin in just 15 days, with only 39 days until the wedding.

BTW, I'm getting married in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and that is the place I will be living with my beautiful fiancé Madel. If you want to know anymore check out the wedding website I made... madelandseamus.com

Anyhow, the upper two paragraphs are full of excitement so excuse me for getting distracted for just a minute.

So I'm Seamus, and wondering:

Q1 *What is the law concerning name changes in Mexico when marrying?*

Q2 *Is the law on name changing rigid, or are there options like we see in Europe?*


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

in Europe..it varies by country so what are the rules in Ireland? I know the rules in France are different from Spain . Do they have European rules above those of the various countries?

I know in France there is flexibility on what you want to call yourself but the legal name does not change and for women it is the name shown on the bith certificate which is the paternal name.
The names you take when you marry is a AKA . Our passports show our paternal name and then" wife of" gets added on all of our papers including the passport. I we divorce we lose the name unless we get permission from the ex to use it and if we lose our husband we become "widow of " on the passport.


Here the women retain the name shown on their birth certificates. Some call themselves" de and the husband´s name" but I am not sure if it is an AKA or a legal name. 
The SRE told me it was not a legal name and a notario told me it was ....maybe they were not talking about the same thing .. I do not know .
It is legal and acceptable to only have your father´s name , a pain on some sites later on but it is legal.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Life in Mexico will be easier if your name is the same as it is on your birth certificate....for everything: Passport, Marriage, licenses, deeds, wills, CURP, RFC, and even INE when you become naturalized.
Mexican officialdom gets very confused by name variations and will refuse many things to you. So, it is best to keep it simple.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

100 % yes on that one, keep the official name the same as the birth cerificate and call yourself whatever you want outside of official papers..


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## Lipstickpaddy (Feb 12, 2015)

Yes, but in Ireland

If Mr "A" marries Miss "B" then their married names will be the same and the options are:

Mr and Mrs A
Mr and Mrs B
Mr and Mrs A B (Double barrel)
Mr and Mrs B A (Double barrel)

But in Mexico names do not change? So the only symbolism of marriage is your ring on your finger and not in the name?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

correct in Mexico names do not change. You can deviate a little but if you are going to live in Mexico you should try to stay as close to their monenclature as you can because deviations cause problems further down the road. 

Talk to a notario and see what he says before you make a decision.

By the way in Mexico you must decide under what contract or status you get married, community property or separation of assets. It is a pretty important decision as well and have a name that will remain consistent with birth certificate and passport is a good idea if it is possible.

The children will have your husband paternal name and your paternal name.

I got married in the States and took on my husband´s name in the US so I had a passport showing my paternal name as my legal name and an add on saying married to plummer and my green card in my husband´s name
When I came to Mexico the immigration told me my name had to be the same as the passport which was not possible since Mexico does not add "wife of husband´s name" so I went by my paternal name and de Plummer
When I applied for my permanent visa the immigration told me de husband name was not permitted so I dropped the" de" and went by my paternal name and husband´s name.
When I became a citizen SRE told me I could have
my paternal name
my paternal name and maternal name
so I went back to my maiden name..meanwhile we had bank accounts and houses, will and other paperwork under various names...it is a mess. A notario can make a type of attestation saying all the names are the same person but it is a simpler if you can go by the Mexican structure if you can...

Many married people I know do not wear a ring so there is no symbolism...to make it more confusing many people live together, have families without being married and the kids have the father and mother´s name and refer to each other as esposa and esposo .


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