LastName (Surname) not in passport

Hello All,

I am planning to file a visa under tier 1 General workers category, so i was looking for the requirements and the forms to be submitted.

I got confused at one place, in both forms vaf9 and appendix1 there is a field Last Name /Sur Name (as shown in passport) but in my passport the field for same is blank and my name "Navpreet Singh" is written under Given names in my passport. I looked into the vaf9 and appendix1 guidance, they say there must be one surname/last name/family name. Originally my surname is "Saini" by its is not mentioned anywhere in my passport or any of my documents or certificates, so i don't use it as my surname anywhere.

So people please suggest me and guide me through that what should i do for this. Or should i leave the lastname fiels blank in the application forms.

Thanks in advance

Navpreet Singh

I think you should leave the surname field blank on the form so that it agrees with the information on your passport.

Many people got their US visa rejected due to the reason that their surname was written under first name in their passport.
I would suggest, please get your passport changed in emergency, it should take some 15 days and then apply for tier 1 visa

rashijain wrote:Many people got their US visa rejected due to the reason that their surname was written under first name in their passport.
I would suggest, please get your passport changed in emergency, it should take some 15 days and then apply for tier 1 visa

Thanks for your reply anyways i missed to mention earlier that i already have US B1 visa stamped, its almost 3 years from now and the visa was filed by my company itself so i don't know how they handled the surname thing that time

Thanks

Navpreet Singh

Fill in your name in the form exactly as it reflects in the passport.


regards

I have seen the same thing in an Indian passport for a relative. This is the most common mistake by the morons at the Indian passport offices. IMO, this is done deliberately in some cases the passport office staff if you do not take the 'implicit' way to fast-track you application.

He applied for visas/permits with the correct details, i.e. firstname in the FIRSTNAME box and lastname in the LASTNAME box, disregarding what is in the passport. Fortunately, neither the US Consulate or the BHC/UKBA have refused/rejected the visas.

If you have a US B1 visa, look at the bottom of the visa sticker, where you name is written in between several arrows. I think BHC/UKBA will do something similar as in the US visa.

Why do you think it is a mistake? It can be an individual's choice too! In case you aren't aware, there're millions of Indians who do not use their surname and it is not reflected in their documents (certificates, bills, passport, licenses etc.).

Can we please stop ill-advising the OP on the issue ... on the basis of what one may have heard or seen with a relative?



regards

sushdmehta wrote:In case you aren't aware, there're millions of Indians who do not use their surname and it is not reflected in their documents (certificates, bills, passport, licenses etc.).

Well, if it was the choice of OP not to use any surname in his passport, he would not have posted this question in the first place. So, the blank surname field in his passport is still a mistake made by the passport issuing authorities. He must have provided supporting documentation with his passport application and clearly a clerical mistake has been made.

Yes, many Indians do not use surname in their passport, but that is out of choice as you said, and they will not post such questions on immigration boards. And we are not advising the millions but the OP here.

However, I must admit that I did not read the OP's post clearly he has a middlename as well and the case I mentioned was slightly different, so my advice may not be applicable/useful for him.

In my relative's case he only has firstname and lastname and no middle name. His passport has firstname and lastname clubbed together in the FIRSTNAME(GIVEN NAMES) field and the SURNAME field is blank. I advised what I have seen and experienced.

When you immigrate to another country, there are numerous forms you need fill and provide you personal information at various places - local authorities, electoral records, banks, social security office, tax office, letting/estate agencies, driver licensing agency, lenders, employment applications. Now again, the individual is faced with a perplexing question, how he/she should fill the name in these forms, the actual name (first name and last name separated in individual boxes) or just follow what is on the passport (which is going to overcomplicate things in future for the individual). The individual may have some other documents from his/her home country which have the name written correctly - driver's licence, marriage certificate, birth certificate etc. On top of this the individual may sometimes fail credit checks as well, and end up with the poor credit history because of the same issue.

In the case I mentioned, there have been no problems at all using the first name and last name in individual boxes, and in retrospective was the right thing to do.

To all that, all I can say is -

Being a person who chose to not use a surname (and therefore none of the 3 passports issued reflect so) - but just a first name and middle name - I have never had any problem in filling up any form anywhere, never been refused a visa to visit / work in countries that I have applied to (US included, if that is seen as a benchmark). Likewise for my family. Lucky perhaps, you might say?


regards

need_a_tier1 wrote:

sushdmehta wrote:In case you aren't aware, there is millions of Indians who do not use their surname and it is not reflected in their documents (certificates, bills, passport, licenses etc.).

Well, if it was the choice of OP not to use any surname in his passport, he would not have posted this question in the first place. So, the blank surname field in his passport is still a mistake made by the passport issuing authorities. He must have provided supporting documentation with his passport application and clearly a clerical mistake has been made.

Not necessarily! Because, as per OP himself, none of his certificates or documents reflect the surname. And suddenly he would want the surname included in his passport which would create more trouble for him (name in passport not matching documents).

navpreet1982 wrote:Originally my surname is "Saini" by its is not mentioned anywhere in my passport or any of my documents or certificates, so i don't use it as my surname anywhere.

Only OP can clarify if it was a mistake or his choice.


As suggested before, OP must fill in the name in the form exactly as it reflects in the passport.


regards

The real amount of luck can be measured when the person DID NOT choose him/herself 'not to use' the surname but the passport issuing authorities have left the surname field blank.

If you choose not to use a surname, you simply leave the surname field blank in the passport application form and all subsequent forms in which you need to provide you personal details.

But what if you have/need/want to use the surname and the information provided in the passport application did not end up exactly the same in the passport?

sushdmehta wrote:

navpreet1982 wrote: Originally my surname is "Saini" by its is not mentioned anywhere in my passport or any of my documents or certificates, so i don't use it as my surname anywhere.

Only OP can clarify if it was a mistake or his choice.

Anyhow, as suggested before, OP must fill in the name in the form exactly as it reflects in the passport.
regards

This makes it clear, and looks like it was his choice not to use the surname. So, your advice is very correct in this case.

I must admit, I did not read the original post clearly.

navpreet1982 wrote: I looked into the vaf9 and appendix1 guidance, they say there must be one surname/last name/family name.

Not sure, how he needs to deal with this one if he just follows what is in the passport.

My US visa was rejected the first time just because my family name was not printed on my passport..

I got the family name added and visa was given at the second interview... The case worker specifically asked me about my complete name and i told him its on the second page of the passport.....

To this date i have to specifically mantion that my full name is on the second page...(untill now as i have recently got my passport renewed)

i believe, OP should not have any issue as "Singh" could be read as the family name... but based on my experiance i would still suggest to get it corrected...

need_a_tier1 wrote:The real amount of luck can be measured when the person DID NOT choose him/herself 'not to use' the surname but the passport issuing authorities have left the surname field blank.

If you choose not to use a surname, you simply leave the surname field blank in the passport application form and all subsequent forms in which you need to provide you personal details.

But what if you have/need/want to use the surname and the information provided in the passport application did not end up exactly the same in the passport?

When surname field is empty in a applicant's passport, the US visa will reflect "FNU" under first name and "Firstname and Middlename" will appear against surname / lastname fied on the visa (Strange yes, but that how it is).

Unless there is a discrepancy in the name in the documents one provides in support of the application, there is no reason for demanding a new passport. Even if the names mismatch, all one usually needs is an affidavit to certify that both names belong to the same individual.

If anyone has been unfortunate to go through the trouble of getting a new passport just for the sole reason that the surname field is empty, ignorance is to blame.

Like I said in my posts above, we as a family have never had a problem in being granted visa to the US (or any other country) even though the surname / lastname field in the passports "has always been" blank!



regards

need_a_tier1 wrote:

navpreet1982 wrote: I looked into the vaf9 and appendix1 guidance, they say there must be one surname/last name/family name.

Not sure, how he needs to deal with this one if he just follows what is in the passport.

The OP needs to read the guidance carefully, as there is no such requirement.


regards

As a famous quote goes "One person's food can be poison for other person".
IMO , op should consider the experiences had by the others, so that op can decide what's gonna be best for him to smoothly sail through the visa process.

sushdmehta wrote:

need_a_tier1 wrote:

navpreet1982 wrote: I looked into the vaf9 and appendix1 guidance, they say there must be one surname/last name/family name.

Not sure, how he needs to deal with this one if he just follows what is in the passport.

The OP needs to read the guidance carefully, as there is no such requirement.


regards

First of all thank you for your replies, below is the link to the guidance for filling the vaf 9

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/resources/en/ ... /vaf9guide

and the below lines are copied from the part 2 section

2.1 Given name(s)
These are the names you were given at birth, or subsequently, for
example your Confirmation name, and including patronymic . Do not
include your family name or any nicknames. They must be the same
as recorded in your passport. Please do not use titles such as Mr or
qualifiers such as Snr (Senior), Esq (Esquire).

2.2 Family name
(also called surname/last name) This is the name by which your family
is known and must be the one shown in your passport. Please do not
use titles such as Mr or qualifiers such as Snr (Senior), Esq (Esquire).


So does that mean that i can leave the Family name field blank? and just have to fill the given names field exactly as filled in my passport. I am correct here?

Also i important thing, i just checked my US B1 visa sticker, in that "Singh" is written under Surname and "Navpreet" under Given Names

Regards

Navpreet Singh

"Must be same as shown in the passport" is not the same as "must be in the passport"!



regards