Chinese wife wants to take my family name living here

My wife is Chinese and she got her visa to enter Ireland recently and she will be coming back here with me after the Chinese new year.

Here's the thing, she knows my sister took her husbands family name so she wants to do the same (in China the traditions is the wife keeps her family name but the kids take the husbands one).

I'm at a loss how to do this, should she say at the GNIB place that she wants to register using my family name? Will the Revenue let her do this too?

Anyone have any suggestions/advice?

churada wrote:My wife is Chinese and she got her visa to enter Ireland recently and she will be coming back here with me after the Chinese new year.

Here's the thing, she knows my sister took her husbands family name so she wants to do the same (in China the traditions is the wife keeps her family name but the kids take the husbands one).

I'm at a loss how to do this, should she say at the GNIB place that she wants to register using my family name? Will the Revenue let her do this too?

Anyone have any suggestions/advice?

In Ireland or in the west wife can choose between her maiden name or her marriage name, there are no restrictions. I know few friends who go by their maiden name after marriage or in some cases merge their maiden name with their marriage name, for e.g. a friend she was WALSH before marriage, after marriage she is BRADY...but she uses WALSH-BRADY. If your wife wants to register herself with her marriage name then when applying to any governmental department show them your marriage cert (in english if it is not) so they register in her marriage name. Now as far as changing surname in her Chinese passport is concern, i am not sure on this one.