Question:
How do I sign my new US passport?
(I apologize for the question not being directly related to marriage,
but it's a citizenship question, and the answer(s) may be useful to
anyone.) So here are the details.
Answer:
I'm a naturalized US Citizen. I normally sign all my documents with an
abbreviated and modified version of my last name (e.g., Smixaxaxax). I
use the same signature on all utility bills, bank documents, US
driver's license, etc. Why going through the oath ceremony they told us
to sign our Naturalization Certificates with full legal signature, i.e.
"first name last name" (e.g., John Smith). They told us it was the only
acceptable signature on the certificate, and signing differently would
invalidate the certificate and we won't be able to receive the
passport. Anyway, so I did and now I have the passport. Now, how do I
sign the passport? John Smith or Smixaxaxax ?
I also signed my certificate first name - last name
Never even thought about the fact that soon
(I applied for a passport last week)
I need to sign that thing as well...
I'd like to know too. My husband's signature is just a
scribble....the only way he can write his full first and last name is in
childish printing - i.e., all caps - nothing I would call his
"signature", and in no way resembling his REAL signature.
On our marriage certificate, they made him write it all out in messy
caps, and then sign below that. Maybe you could somehow fit both the
full name and your signature on the one line, that way they'll both
be on there.
Incidentally, both my USC ex-hubby Ian's signature and Mark's signature
are scribbles, with only the first letters of their first and last names
somewhat legible. So Ian's signature looks like "I~~B~~~" and Mark's is
like "M~~S~~~".
Ian's handwriting is so bad in general that I don't think he ever signed
his name any other way. He couldn't write it clearly even if his life
depended on it! I know he scribbled his name on our marriage
certificate, our joint tax returns, our divorce certificate and his US
passport, not to mention on bank signature cards and credit cards, etc.
He's never had any problems.
Mark's signature is scribbled the same way on his VA drivers license,
his UK passport and US green card. So far, so good. USCIS didn't have
a problem issuing him a green card or EAD card with his messy
signature, and the London Consulate didn't have a problem issuing him
a K1 visa, either.
Personally I think that 1) if natural-born USCs can scribble their
signatures; and 2) if US federal and state government agencies accept
scribbled signatures in order to issue various documents issued to visa
applicants and LPRs, why would it be any different for a naturalized US
citizen and their passport??
I say go with your regular signature -- after all, it's what's going to
match the signatures you have on everything else. I honestly don't know
of the LEGAL ramifications of signing your name in an unnatural,
illegible style, but that's what makes logical sense to me.
I know this is a different question from the original post, but....
We just received our daughter's passport today in the mail. She's 5 mths
old. How do we sign the passport. I was going to call to get the
answer, but wondering if someone here knew.
Either one of the parents or legal guardian can sign the US passport for the
infant. Just annotate in a parenthesis who signed it.
Going back to my high school class of business law, 101, for your
husband, his scribble is his legal signature. Even though it is
unreadable in script, that is how he would sign his passport.
Sign the passport in the name that is shown on the passport. If you
wanted to change your last name you had the opportunity to do so at the
time of naturalization. Since you chose not to do so, then sign in the
name shown on the passport.
Huh? What name change? The question was, if my only name is John Smith,
do I sign with "John Smith" or "Smixaxaxax".
Apparently I got your "real" name confused with your "phony" name. Sign
the passport with the name you were given at birth and which appears on
the passport/naturalization certificate.
The OP actually has the same
question, it's just not coming across that way.
He was asking whether to sign "John Smith" in clear handwriting (much
like Sadegh's printing), or his real signature, which is more scribbly
(like Sadegh's blob...lol).
I think we've decided it's the blob, real, signature that should be on
the passport, not the nice neat printing or full name writing. Your
signature is your signature, no matter how it looks or reads.
I know your post was clear at the start of this thread but the OP's
didn't come across to me in the same way.
I would agree with you, you sign the passport in the manner in which
you would normally sign a document. If your signature is eligible,
then so be it ;-)
