Given Name vs Surname passport application
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Applying for Indian Passport – Given Name vs Surname

Students applying for passports encounter a particular kind of confusion on how to fill-out the Given Name and Surname fields in their Indian passport applications.

We have already written a few articles related to this problem, namely those with Blank Surnames in Indian Passports.

Question:  My first name is Sriram. My father’s name, Sampath. I have all my certificates with the name – S. Sriram. When applying for my passport, what do I fill-out in the name columns with? Should the first name be Sriram Sampath or just Sriram?

Given Name vs Surname in Passport

indian passport application given and surname

You can apply for Passport in India using the online form from here.

  • Name of applicant as it should appear in the Passport (Initials not allowed)
  • Surname and Given Name

In your case, your

  • Surname: Sampath
  • Given Name: Sriram

Always remember that your Surname (or last name) is that of your dad or family name. Not everyone use’s their dad’s name as Surname. Instead, they have a common family name which will be used as initial. If you have only initial in the certificates, expand the initials in the Passport under the Surname field. So, your family name or your dad’s name should be used as the Surname in your passport application.

Surname in India is equal to the Last Name in the USA.

If you don’t have a Surname in your Indian passport (left blank) and if you are planning to go or study in the U.S, you better first add a Surname in your passport before applying for a visa or booking GRE exam dates.

Some students apply for passports without Surnames and end up facing lots of issues. Be warned!

Name on the Certificate vs Passport Name

In India we follow in colleges and school, only the initials are used. Not the full name of the person.

There will no issues because of that if you get the passport with initials expanded as Surname. When submitting the applications to U.S. universities, there will be a field similar to this:

  • Do the documents have names different from the above name?

When you encounter this, you can include the name you normally use in India (S. Sriram) and other names formats used in the documents you are submitting.

Series: GRE Registration vs Names

  1. What names to use when Registering for the GRE Test (this article)
  2. How to Register for GRE with Multiple Names
  3. How to Change the Name After GRE Registration (But Before the Test)
  4. How to change the name after taking the GRE Test
  5. Problems without Surname in the Passport, GRE, Transcripts and College Application
  6. How to Change the Name in the Passport in the USA (& why you should change)
  7. No Surname in the Passport. Apply to US Universities?
  8. If Last Name Changes, Would GRE Scores Become invalid?
  9. How to complete DS-160 without Surname in the Passport
  10. I changed my name in the Passport to avoid problems
  11. How to complete the Passport Application in India (this article)

Similar Posts

219 Comments

  1. Hello Sir,

    I have one query regarding my child passport..

    Child Name : Sneha Solanki
    Father Name : Suresh Kumar Mali
    Mother Name : Chandra Mali

    I want to apply for my child passport ..My child have different surname (SOLANKI) than parents(MALI)…we are using our caste -MALI as our surname but I have updated my child surname as gotra -SOLANKI in her birth certificate…Can this will create any problem while applying for my child passport due to different surname…Plz suggest ..If any issue then what we have to do while applying for her passport..

    Thanks!

    1. I can’t comment on how your name change in birth certificate will impact passport application. You have to ask passport office.

  2. I am applying for my new born childs passport. I would like to give my child a surname, but the problem is neither mine or my dad has their surname in the passport. Is that a problem.? Is there any proof required for the surname in such cases or I can just go ahead with adding a surname

      1. There in lies the problem; In the birth cert they just asked for the name..and I added my name to the baby’s. Now, for passport I want to add the surname (since there is a column for it). And then you hear you cannot add a surname if it isnt in the birth cert , and the qn..can I add a surname ‘justlike that’? I wish they standardized every birth cert and passport applications..:(. I am lost here! How could I have added a surname in the birth cert, when there was no column for it..or should I have just added it anyway..coz thats how its done? But then how do they differntiate which is the surname in the name

  3. Hello Raghu, this article was helpful, yet I want to clear my doubts. My name is V.S.Karunagara Pandian.

    V – grandfather’s name, S – father’s name. So please clarify me if my name can be given like this.

    Given name: Karungara Pandian
    Surname : Vellaisamy Shanmugavel

    1. I would make it simple, if you have an option.

      Given name: Karungara
      Surname : Vellaisamy

      or

      Given name: Pandian
      Surname : Shanmugavel

  4. Hi

    My full name in all documents is KRISHNA SHARMA V.
    My father’s name is VISHWANATHA SHARMA K.

    What I should fill in GIVEN NAME and SURNAME?

  5. Hello sir,
    In my passport surname field is blank and my complete name is written in given name field ie,VIJAY RITESH AGARWAL.
    In my all memos my name is same as that of my name in passport’s given name field.
    I have given my GRE and IELTS too and also I have applied for universities in USA for MS in CS.
    Now what should I do with blank surname in passport , should I change my passport or there is no need to change.
    Please help me out sir….
    Waiting for your reply

  6. Hello Sir,

    My name S NITIN in 10th and 12th marksheets , NITIN S graduate degree certificate , as stated in the post i will use SRIDHARAN as surname and NITIN as first name . My doubt is regarding initials order in my degree in degree certificate and 12 th certificate , is that an issue by any chance for any admissions or job opportunity ..

    1. I’ve got the same problem, mate. But I don’t think one has to worry too much about this issue. In case a problem arises, you just have to get a certificate from the local municipal or taluk office confirming that both names belong to the same person

  7. sir my name is Bharat. I need to apply for my passport but my birth certificate has my name as Bharath with the additional H. Will this be a problem and if yes, what’s d solution???

  8. Hello sir. i am from bangladesh. i have only single name as “ZZZ” and it is same for all my educational documents and passports. but in passport it is written in surname and given name is blank. i am facing problem to process the indian visa. Cause given name is mandatory for indian visa. please give me a good advice… Thanx

  9. Hello Sir,
    My name is Aniruddha Chakrabarty. In my Birth Cir it is Aniruddha Chakravarty, and my 10th it is Aniruddha Chakraborty and XII and rest all (i.e. Voters ID, AAdhar, PAN) its Aniruddha Chakrabarty.. Will it become a problem and get rejected ????? Please help me out … My Doc Verification is on 1st Aug.

  10. Sir..My name is
    Nitin .K.S.
    Father name is Srinivasa
    Surname is KABADI (FAMILY NAME)
    Every where I have given name as Nitin.K.S.
    In passport application what should be my Given name..should it be
    NITIN
    or
    NITIN SRINIVASA
    Everyone calls me only NITIN

  11. sir my name is SATHISH KUMAR S R…wat am i supposed to fill in first last and middle name..plz help

  12. Hi All,

    I have my passport ready with valid first name and surname. But While registering the GRE exam , I have not expanded my last name and have just given initials . one of my friend told it will not be a problem as he also given like that only and in all other places he has given the name with initials expanded. He has already got admission and the Visa. But my question is should re register the GRE exam by creating one more account with last name expanded instead of initials or go ahead write with the same same name.

    Thanks in advance

      1. Hi Raghuram,

        My name is Mayank Raj. In my passport my entire name
        appears in Given Name. Should I go for name bifurcation? But, the
        problem neither my First Name (Mayank) nor the Last name (Raj) matches with my parents name.

  13. Sir my name is Subham, in all my documents it is mentioned as Kumar Subham, how do i put this for passport application? plz. help me..

  14. Sir my name is T.hemanth and my fathers name is tamilara,for passport application which should be applied as given name and surname ,help me

  15. Hello sir my name mohammed sameer Ul has in my certificates but in my passport my name was came with my surname at the last it’s sameer Ul haq mohammed. Then there will be any problem at the time of immigration. .at airport. ..can any tell me pleasr

  16. sir my name in marksheets is S.Husna Shahzia but in all other proof documents it is full name i.e shaik Husna Shahzia.and i also have a caste certificate that i belong to shaik.Even my fathers’s name is with initials in marksheets and full name in proofs and documents. will it be a problem while issue of passport(verification)?

  17. I have a question about my father’s passport name. My father’s First (Given) name is JOHN, middle name is XAVIER and last name (surname) is PETER.

    In the passport application, the questions (and my answers) were are follows:
    Applicant’s Given Name (Given Name means First Name followed by middle Name (if any)) * JOHN XAVIER

    Surname PETER

    when the passport was issued, it appears as follows:
    Surname XAVIER PETER
    Given name JOHN

    When someone looks at this, doesn’t it appear that the surname is now XAVIER PETER?

    Is this how they include middle names in Indian Passports or should the middle name have followed the Given name, as follows:
    Surname PETER
    Given name JOHN XAVIER

    Thanks for any input.

    1. Indian Passport with multiple names is hit or miss. You would have to reapply for passport to get the name corrected.

  18. i stay in gulf (qatar)-recently i got a new born baby-and i have apply for birth certificate in qatar when i get a birth certificate name is x-y-z- (x-is given name ,y-is father name ,z-is surname)this format i got birth certificate.
    when i go to indian embassy for passport they ask me in passport given name will be x,and last name will be y z—-and this same happen to my 1 child also given name is x–and last name is y & z –

    so its a normal procedure or i m thinking to much

  19. Greetings,
    I am applying for a fresh passport.
    My Name is Aseem
    Surname is Sheikh Mohd.
    In all my certificates it is shown as ‘Sheikh Mohd. Aseem’
    What should I fill in the Given name and Surname.
    Thanks in advance.

  20. Hey,
    My name is Padmashini. I wanted to know if in the given name field, can my father’s name also appear as middle name? My father’s name is Kannan.
    Given name: Padmashini Kannan
    Last Name: Nair

    Would this cause any problem?

  21. Hello Sir,
    I thank you for all the help that you are providing, it is really hard to find people like you these days. Your blog is just amazing, easy to understand and to the point. I thank you again for all the effort you have put up into the blog.
    I went through the article above regarding the “surname requirement” in the passport, and i have a query.
    The following are the details in my passport :
    Given Name – Mithun Rajan
    Surname – Blank
    As per all the records, the name matches with the passport.
    So basically,
    First Name – Mithun
    Last Name – Rajan

    My question to you Sir is that :
    Reading the article I guess i should put ‘Rajan’ as my last name, but you have mentioned that the last name should be you Father’s name. The problem is it does not completely match my Father’s name as it had been shortened like this –
    father name : Rajendran Nair
    So my last name had been shortened to ‘Rajan’ in my passport as shown above. This change is something that exists from Day 1, so it reflects everywhere.
    So the question is – is it okay if i give the surname as ‘Rajan’ even though my Fathers name reflects as ‘Rajendran Nair’. ?

  22. my name is vignesh K R
    in all my documents the name is vignesh K R
    but in passport we should not enter the initials
    so how to enter my given name
    and surname??
    K-Kantha R-Ramanathan R is my father name pls help

  23. My Name in Passport is : Given Name : Parama Eswar Nathan
    : Surname : Narayanan

    Now i am going to apply Passport for my Son
    Birth Certificate Name is : Prem .P. Nathan ——– P – stands for Parama

    Now in my Son’s Passport Application what should be the Given Name and Sur Name
    and Fathers Name

  24. hello sir,
    Actually i have an doubt on applying passport
    My name is
    R DILLI RAJAN
    my 10th and 12th marksheet my name was printed as
    R DILLIRAJAN (no space)
    where as in my degree certificate it is printed as
    R DILLI RAJAN (with space and a correct format)
    .
    So because of this do i get any problem on applying the passport..?
    Please help me with the solution of your valuable information.

  25. In the passport, i have my name as

    Given name : Ramkumar Surname: Shri Swaminathan

    and the Father’s name mentioned in the passport as : ‘Shri Swaminthan’ but actual father’s name is ‘Swaminathan’

    I have all the certificates been mentioned as Ramkumar S S and father’s name as only ‘Swaminathan’.

    I havent registered for the gre exam yet. What if i take the gre exam now, and change the passport for changing the father’s name later, after registering for the exam.
    And am not going to change any of ‘my names’ while applying for the new passport.

    Will it cause any problems in future, or when applying for visa . Please clarify by mailing me sir.

  26. hi sir i want to know that after my sis graduation she is at home doing nothing, what should i mention in employment blank … not employed or home maker

  27. Hi,

    My name in passport is
    given name :Nxxxxx
    Surname : Pxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxxx

    While filling the university application they are asking for 3 fields:
    First Name:
    Last Name:
    Middle Name:

    Is it ok if i provide my

    Middle name as : Pxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Last Name: Rxxxxxxxx
    First Name: Nxxxxx

    While applying to some universities i am not able to fill my middle name to the full as there is a character constraint. Please help me out on what can be done about the same.

    please reply asap.

  28. hello …..here i have a small doubt m applying for passprt there they are asking first name + middle name that is given name and also surname…..in all my tenth,intermediate and b.tech certifcates my name is D.Anirudh Bhatt……and in my pan card it is Dharpally Anirudh Bhatt ….can any one pls tell wat should i have to fill in my passport?????.

    name: D.Anirudh Bhatt wats my first name ,midle name and surname?????

  29. Hi, my name is Komal i.e. I don’t write a surname. All my documents bear the same name. Even my father’s name bears no surname. I have already applied for the passport by the name Komal. Later I got to know , from these blogs of course that last name is compulsory for studying in US and also for applying for the GRE as the GRE scores with a name different from the passport. I have not yet received my passport but surely I will apply for a name change as soon as I receive my passport. Because of this I could not apply for GRE 🙁 . I want to apply for the new name as Komal Srivastava. I wanted to know that will there still be any problem in name change as my father’s name doesn’t bear surname ??? Plzzz do reply ……

  30. Hello sir,
    My name in all certificates is C.Aswini
    If i fill my first name is Aswini and my initial i.e my father name Chandrasekar is my surname. can you pls tell me how it ll appear in my passport in name colum.. whether ASWINI C or ASWINI CHANDRASEKAR.

  31. Hi all,
    My name, according to what my certificates say is Kiran (my name) R*********th (a short version of my father’s actual name, which is R*********than). My doubt here is if I can give my “given name” as Kiran and Surname as “R*********th (which is substantiated by all my certificates) for my passport, or should I give the former as Kiran R*********th and latter as R*********than.
    Please shed some light on it as I need to get a passport for my higher studies.

  32. sir, my name is AJAY KUMAR i want to know what is my middle name and sir name(last name),
    is KUMAR is the last name??????/

  33. In my passport the given name has been mentioned as- yogesh rajendra and last name as-Jain but rajendra is my middle name and in matriculation certificate my name is yogesh r Jain, is this a problem? I’m applying for Germany

  34. sir
    iam g. sasipriya and i applied for my son g.s. rakshan for passport in the entrance of form issuing and checking they checked my child application form and they didnot accept the form because the name is g.s. rakshan they say that mother initial will not be accepted and give any other explanation for s initial. the birth certificate issued by municipality is G.S. Rakshan in school and in bank statement it is G.S. Rakshan. since they dint accept the form i returned home. please reply with solution whether what can we do. we both have our passport. what can be done for my child passport please give a positive solution so that i can take this information to the passport office where they said the mother initial cant be accepted.
    thank you

  35. Hi Sir,

    The given name in my passport is : Sandeep .The surname field is blank in the passport.

    All my certificates have the name as “Sandeep ”. But in my Pancard & Driving licence my name is “Sandeep Khokhar “. And the Name with my Company is “Sandeep Khokhar”.

    Now i m applying for Soudi Arab visa. having any problem to get visa as i m using two name.
    Regards,
    Sandeep Khokhar

  36. Hi,
    My daughter’s name in birth certificate is “Manushri Kirana Katawa”.
    In her schooling, we registered as “Manushri Katawa”. (First Name, Last name).
    In the passport, can I give the first name as just “Manushri”?
    And last name as “Katawa”.
    I don’t want to add “Manushri Kirana” as her first name in passport.

    Thank you,

  37. Hi,
    My name is Harshad Yashwant Patil
    First name Harshad
    Middle name Yashwant
    Sirname Patil
    I jst received my passport where given name written as Harshad Yashwant
    Is there any problem?

  38. Hi Sir,

    The given name in my passport is : Ajmal Ali Haneef.The surname field is blank in the passport.

    All my certificates and id proofs have the name as “Ajmal Ali Haneef”.

    My confusion was while registering for the GRE/TOEFL.I just gave the first name as Ajmal and last name as Haneef. I have not booked the GRE slot(just registered).

    I am planning to add the surname field in the passport. Would the below mentioned combo be ok???
    Given name : Ajmal Ali
    Surname : Haneef

    Regards,
    Ajmal

  39. Hello sir, I am padmaja. In my 10th class certificate my name is sanganigari padmaja and in my birth certificate it is s padmaja. will any problem encounter while applying for passport.

    1. S. Definitely.
      Immediately publish the correct name in the Govt Gazette by telling that you have changed your name from “s padmaja” to “sanganigari padmaja”.
      This is because we are living in computer an idiot age where even an error in spelling with throw out / reject the document.
      But I am confused between what is first name and what is last name.
      Under no circumstances one’s father name can be called a surname. Like in my name “V” stands for Viswanathan my father’s name and Sivaraman is my name. Where is surname?

  40. my name in 10th memo and birth certificate is casula shalini
    my name is shalini and my surname is casula
    in my passport form i wrote my first name as shalini and last name as casula
    so is it gonno get printed as shalini casula .
    if thats the case then my memo has casula shalini.
    let me know soon , coz i booked my gre date .

  41. Dear Sir/s,

    I am going to apply for a passport. Mt documents primarily starting from Leaving Certificate bears the surname ‘ ACHARIYA’. My parents in their document have the surname spelled ‘ACHARYA’. Can it be an obstruction for gaining passport. Can my surname be changed from my parents surname. Can you please explain me the legality in Indian Context.

  42. hello!!!
    please give me suggestion for changing in my old passport which is going for renew…
    in my old passport the name is apurva and i want to replace with apoorva…
    and the second question is i became major on 06/06/2012..so please give me suggestion for fresh passport…

  43. Hello,
    I wanted to ask how to add a surname in my passport. It is only written Mahima. I my surname is Verma but I dont have any proof of it anywhere nor does my father use it. I haven’t passed class 10th. I am in 10th. So can it be like after getting my 10th certificate I can apply for a fresh passport where my name is written Mahima Verma?

  44. Hi,

    My Name is Praveen.My problem is In all my academic certificates my father name was made wrong.I continued with that name up to my PG. But my All residence proofs are with my father original name.Now in want to apply for passport i have all doc but certificates having wrong father name put me into trouble. How can i get passport by overcome this mistake.Please help be ASAP

  45. I have no surname in my passport.
    Can I apply for US B1/2 visa without surname?
    Can the tickets also be issued without surname?
    Pl advise

  46. my name is Nimitha Sugathan ,where Sugathan is my father’s name , all my documents are with this name only,no surname. Now i want to make passport and came to know that passport without surname will lead to visa without surname which will cause lots of problems in future.
    i can add my house name “panikkassery”(generaly added as surname in kerala) as my surname,bt only my birth certificate have my father’s name as Sugathan Panikkasery,no where else its mentioned…….can i make my passport with name as “Nimitha Sugathan Panikkassery”, and if i get it will there a problem in future due to conflicting names in other documents??
    plz reply……………..

  47. My Name is Tariq Mohd.
    My Father Name is Mohd Anwar
    My Mother Name is Maha Talat

    Can you please tell what should I fill in Passport for Surname for the above Name

  48. Hi my name is Jees tessy John.

    Recently my company started my H1 B visa initiation but later found my Surname field to be Blank. I need to rectify this as early as possible. My first name is Jees; Middle name is tessy and last name is John. Could you please advice me while making the changes what should I provide as my Given Name: and last Name:? Please advice.

    1. hi jees
      when u company apply h1b visa. hdfc bank visa fee receipt is given to you or not?
      they have some possible to change.
      if there given hdfc bank visa fee receipt got that and enquiry.

      1. hi jees
        when u company apply h1b visa. hdfc bank visa fee receipt is given to you or not?
        they have some possible to change.
        if there given hdfc bank visa fee receipt got to hdfc bank enquiry.

  49. Hi ,
    My Name in Passport is XXX Belaguli Pattabhirama is Given name field and Surname is swamy.In all my documents i have Mokshith B.P.
    Here Belaguli stands for my place name Pattabhiramaswamy stands for my fathers name.
    My fathers name is split now between given name and surname
    some people are advising me to go for name change to have my complete fathers name as surname(Pattabhiramaswamy) .As in initials it is B.P.
    And in none of documents i have swamy or S.
    I am applying for a Uk work permit.
    will it be a problem?
    Should i go for a name change or not?
    please guide me.

  50. Hello,

    This is Madan I want to apply for my passport. My full name is MadanYR Madan is my first name Y is my native and R is my father’s name. Raghunath. All my documents reveal the same. Can I exclude my middle name Y in the passport and make it as Madan is my first name Raghunath is my sir Name. If yes what is the procedure .

    Regards,
    Madan

  51. I need your guidance. My name is Hafiz Muhammad Wamiq.
    As far as i know “Hafiz Muhammad” should be my Surname , as my short name is Wamiq.

    Recently i received my passport in which Surname is “Wamiq”, while Given name is “Hafiz Muhammad.
    Kindly guide me is it fine or i need to get it rectified.?

    1. hi wamiq,
      sorry to say you u have apply new passport .
      whiling apply new passport u have to return your old passport with new passport application,
      only in regional passport office is possible.

  52. Hi
    I have a valid passport that was issued from kerala. Now i am in ghaziabad. Problem is like at the place of given name it is mukesh singh but surname is blank.
    like given name – mukesh singh
    surname –
    How can i rectify this problem
    it should be
    given name – mukesh
    surname – singh
    Could you please help me out of this. what all steps i have to follow to rectify this problem.
    Thanks

  53. Hello,
    The sirname i was supposed to use is not my fathers name or a family name, but my father name is given as an initial what should be my firrst and last name on my passport ??
    My Complete name is A B ( “A” and “B” are seperated by a space)
    Fathers name is C D ( “C” and “D” are seperated by a space)
    Legal Name as per official documents: A B . C
    So could you please advice me on the name needed to be given on passport as first and lastname so as to match the legal name i have used for this many days i.e A B . C

    Any help/guidance would be much appreciated and thanks for a wonderful blog

  54. Hi

    I would like to apply a fresh passport. But there is an issue with my name. As in my academic certificate my name is mentioned as YOGESH G but in the passport application initials are not applicable. So please suggest me how i should proceed in applying the passport. By the way G stands for Govindan (Fathers name).

  55. Sir,
    i got married,
    My name is SWATHI REDDY and my father name is GOPAL REDDY ,
    last Name –’ MADI’ Last Name – ( In ‘ALL CERTIFICATE),
    but my father lastname -’ M’ lastname(In ’ALL CERTIFICATE),
    in my passport i mention my father name-MADI GOPAL REDDY
    my husband is applying for i 485, know i have a problem regarding birth certificate.
    now i am applying for birth certificate as per ‘ALL CERTIFICATE” or ‘PASSPORT’?

  56. Sir,
    i got married,
    My name is SWATHI REDDY and my father name is GOPAL REDDY ,
    last Name –’ MADI’ Last Name – ( In all ‘ALL CERTIFICATE),
    but my father lastname -‘ M’ lastname(In all’ALL CERTIFICATE),
    in my passport i mention my father name-MADI GOPAL REDDY
    my husband is applying for i 485, know i have a problem regarding birth certificate.
    now i am applying for birth certificate as per ‘ALL CERTIFICATE” or ‘PASSPORT’?

    1. in my ration card the surname appear as thakkar, while in other documents it shows as daiya. I want to apply for passport. whether affidavit is required? VIJAY THAKKAR

  57. I spelt my father”s name wrong during my marriage interview and i am on student visa.Is there any solution to this and what do you think that will hapen on the wedding day? please reply.than you.

    1. hi,
      my name is kiran kumar, in my passport surname was blank and in my given name it was kiran kumar Ande, Ande was my surname, actually my 10th, intermediate, ug and pg certificates are given as kiran kumar Ande, i have taken passport in 2005 and it is going to expire in 2015, i have appeared for ielts with the same passport naming kiran kumar Ande for doing phD in uk, now i would like to aks u whether i want to take a new passport or to reissue of passport help me and what are the documents to be submitted to the passport office, and tell me what should be written in application form in surname column and given name column now i want to reissue of my particulars means, please help me

  58. URGENT:
    i am giving GRE in two weeks time.
    in passport
    given name:Soham Shaileshkumar
    surname :Ghormade
    but on gre hall ticket
    given name:Soham
    surname:Ghormade
    PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO?
    thanx.

  59. Sir,
    My name is ARUMALLA SOMA SEKHAR. Where, ARUMALLA is my surname, we in south india use to represent it as first name. My given name is SOMA SEKHAR. But, while I apply for GRE, it asks first name without spaces! and last name/ surname! While the maximum entry space for middle name is only one character! Please give me an idea how to fill the form of GRE.

  60. My name is Ashok Kumar TR.
    Ashok is my first name and kumar my last name!! T stands for place of birth i.e, Thindlu and R stands for my fathers name i.e, Rajanna. I’m applying for GRE and im really confused abot the passport application Name columns!! So please help me out with the same!! thank you.

    URGENT!!!!!!

  61. sir i m waiting for ur immediate response……so just asking the Q.
    sir my name is TANGELLA SANDEEP REDDY on 10th and B.Tech certificates…..and on 12th certificate it is ….TANRELLA SANDEEP REDDY
    where
    TANGELLA is my surname
    SANDEEP REDDY is my name

    sir i haven’t yet applied for PASSPORT…..but now want to apply as soon as possible……..now what shall I do? please reply quickly

  62. Sir,
    My full name is veeramani and my father name is narayanan how should i use surname, first name, middle name and last name. pls advice me there is a more confusion

  63. Sir,
    My name is veeramani and my father name is narayanan , how should i use surname ,first name ,middle name and last name pls advice me as soon as possible

  64. sir, my name is SUVEC.A.S.A..
    NAME–>SUVEC
    INITIAL-> A.S.A WHICH IS ABBREVIATION OF
    A- ALAGARSAMY
    S-SETHURAMAN
    A-ALAGU
    how should i fill in my passport application???????
    is it like this
    name- SUVEC
    surname- ALAGARSAMY SETHURAMAN ALAGU

  65. My 5 year old daughters indian passport is getting expired and I need to reissue it. She does not have a last name in her passport as her first name A and last name B was put in given name as A B by the agents who helped with her first passport in india. Now we are in US and visa has her first name as FNU and surname as A B. When we reissue the passport, should I apply it correctly or as it is in old passport , will it cause problems in the visa stamped while travelling from india to US and back?

  66. hello sir,
    I just applied for passport sir.i did a mistake in that my fathers name is srinivasa rao.i dint leave the space between srinivasa and rao would it cause any problem that is the mistake i did it in machine readable page sir .

  67. Hi

    Need some information on H1B. My Last name is blank in passport, so I am planning to add it.
    First Name – Ravi Last Name – (In all certificates,passport, Pancard, DL)

    Do I need to get my name change certificates also?If yes any idea of the procedure.

    Thanks
    Ravi Singh

  68. hi i have two surnames nagda was my original surname but while taking admission in school its shah so all marksheets has shah surname but in ration card its nagda we also have gratuite copy of surname change so for passport only gratitute copy is ok or we need any thng else.

  69. Sir,In my renewal passport surname is wrtten as RAMSAMY instead of RAMASAMY by mistake. In my old passport the said surname is given correctly as RAMASAMY.Now the spalling mistake has to be corrected in the renewal passport asRAMASAMY.For this what I have to do? Please mention the correct proceedure in this regard .Thanking you.

  70. Hi
    I have named my son as Hritik V.G (according to birth certificate)
    where,
    V -> Vinodhkumar (Father’s name)
    G -> Gurupriya (Mother’s name)

    While applying for his passport, can I expand his initial partially.
    For e.g., Hritik VinodhGuru instead of Hritik VinodhkumarGurupriya

    Pls Help!!!

  71. hi,
    In all my documents-ssc,hsc,B.E, voters id. driving license- I have my name as Richu B Varghese.
    but in my old passport my name is given as Richu Benny Varghese (due to GCC visa requirements).now in my renewed passport my name is given as Richu (given names), Benny Varghese (surname). is that the correct format? i meant my first name is Richu, middle name is Benny and last name is Varghese. so my surname is only Varghese, not Benny varghese isn’t that so? should i correct my passport name to Richu Benny (given names) and Varghese (surname)?
    i am going to apply for a student visa to the UK soon. will this create any problems in the future? i will be so grateful if you help me. thank you.

  72. Hi,
    I just wanted to know if i dont use my husbands surname after marriage and continue with my old surname then will there be any problem in passport or getting visa.
    Thanks

  73. hi my name is bhargav,
    my name is KAKUNURI VENKATA SAI BHARGAV and
    my father’s name is KAKUNURI DASARATHI
    in my 10th inter and engineering certificates,
    but in my birth certificate it is written
    my name as VENKATA SAI BHARGAV and
    my fathers name as KAKUNURI DASARADHI
    if u clearly observe the names in my father’s name a letter(instead of T it is printed D) is misprinted in my birth certificate, also my name is missing last name in my birth certificate, but my birth date is same in all the certificates, is it a probelm, can i apply for the passport, please help me i’m really worried

    1. My passport surname is Paudel whereas my certificate reads poudel…is it a serious matter ..?????plz comment ….plzzzzz

  74. sir,
    i have my birth certificate, but the date of birth in sslc certificate is differant from my birth certicate.. so what i do for correcting my date of birth in sslc certificate & applying for a passport??
    please help me!!

  75. sir my name is P.Hemalatha P stands for pasupala and given name is hemalatha how can i fill the application form for pan card ther is first name and last name suggest me

  76. Hi. my name on passport is Divesh . My Ration Card have my full name “Divesh Bansal”. I am currently in US. So Can I change my passport and get my Surname added on passport with Supporting document of Ration Card ???

  77. Hi,
    My Name is Manoj without surnmae/last name. In all my certificate starting from HSC name is written as Manoj. But I want to apply UK Workpermit. Can I get the UK workpermit without surname ? Please give me the suggestion/advice how to do it ?

    1. Hi Manoj
      I would like to suggest you to add your surname to your passport before you apply for any work permit for UK.it is easy to do .you need to give notice in local two newspapers that you are going to change you name from Manoj to Manoj x………….? with you address and DOB and wait for one month and if nobody has objection then just apply new passport with these newspaper notice.it is easy . i have also done it.

      Greetings

  78. Hi my name is Karthik
    Certificate Name – Karthik.S.V
    S – Shanmugam( Grandfather Name)
    V- Vijayakumar(Father Name)

    i’m having licence in the name of Karthik.S.V
    But now i need to apply for passport. How to give surname and First name ???
    Please Reply ASAP..
    Regards,
    Karthik S V

  79. HI
    My name is Seerat (on all marksheets including my pan card, passport, DL and other documents too).
    Do i need to include my surname if planning for abroad travels.??Is no surname a TROUBLE??
    Plz help me and guide me what should i do??

  80. hi i need some info about my child passport.. his name is abdullah and father name is khurram bhatti.. in his passport his name abdullah has been written in surname section ang given name is blank.. we are from pakistan and now we r in uk with that passport but now i want to ammend his name abdullah in given name and khurram bhatti in surname… can any one help me out plz

  81. hi
    will some one help me get a passport i have everything correctly except my birth certificate the date on it is different and the date in all the others certificates are different, so kindly i want any one to guide me or help me in this matter , i have got a job offer from an another country, and im hardly in need to go there to support my family , so plz help
    PS:my date of birth is after1990

  82. My name is sd saif mohinuddin in SSc certificate my name is same as above and my father name is just khaja mohinuddin problem is that in my pass port my name is sd saif mohinuddin but my father name is as syed khaja mohinuddin now i went for ECNR they are not accepting as the in my certificate its not mentioned syed what should i do now please help me out

  83. My name syed yusuf. Father name syed dastageer. My initial is D.What can i do. Syed is my family name. So my initial is start with d. But they are not accepting what can we done.

  84. hello sir,
    i have a problem regarding my surname.my 10th and 12th certificate has only my name written ,no surname as my parents did not wrote surname during admission.but i read your articles which states that i should have my surname in passport.having name as “nupur aggarwal” in smart cards would be fine for adding my surname in my passport?please do reply

  85. sir,my name is written as Y S N MURTHY TXXXX in ssc memo how should i fill my name in passport application form should i expand YSN or not plz help me

  86. Hi everyone,

    My name is written as Alfred S. Niangchu in all my certificates and documents.

    ‘Sxxxxx’ is my surname.
    Niangchu is my Tribal name.
    Alfred is my First name.

    In my passport, in the SURNAME section i wrote Sxxxx, and in the middle name i wrote Niangchu, first name as Alfred.
    my name is now read as Alfred Niangchu Sxxxx.

    when i applied for PAN card, The printed name is Alfred N. Sxxxx which does not match any of my cerftificates and documents.

    now i am worried. should i change the sequence of the names in my passport? will i face any trouble once i apply for universities??

    please HELP!!!!!!

  87. hello
    my name is Tilak Kamath M.
    where M is Mithrabettu which is my family name..
    my Surname is Kamath
    whats should i fill in the details in passport?

  88. Dear HSB,
    i don’t have surname in my passport but when i got the i20 they issued me i20 with my given name as surname. will i face any problem pls help. i have visa date on 25 July. how long will it take to correct name in passport at hyderabad. pls help I’m in dire need. anyone pls help. thank u

  89. Dear Sir/Madam,
    My name is Prasanth A.S. In which A stands for Angya which is my family name and S stands for Srinivas which is my Father name. In all my certificates my name is mentioned as PRASANTH A.S. Now I planned to apply for the passport. They are asking me the expansion of the Initials. From whom Can I get the expansion certificate or else please suggest me the solution as I want my name as Prasanth Srinivas Angya in the passport. Thanks in advance for the solution.

  90. Hello sir,
    My name is Yogesh Kumar Jaju.
    By mistake i fill the given name field in passport with my full name “Yogesh Kumar Jaju” and in surname field i fill “Jaju” , so is it printed as “Yogesh Kumar Jaju Jaju” in passport , can u tell me what to do so name printed on passport is only “Yogesh Kumar Jaju”……..

    1. hi my name is priya i am married .now i need to change surname in passport .imy husband name instead of my father name . pls tell me what is the procudure for its

  91. Hi,

    My complete name is Ramesh Mysore Rangachar. Here Ramesh is my actual name, Mysore is my native place & Rangachar is my father’s name. Could you please suggest me what i should provide as given name & surname in my passport.

    Regards

  92. Hi, My name is Monu Sharma from (Rajasthan). My issue is that in my Passport my surname is blank n while filling the application no one guide properly and now most of my friends says that the last is must in Passport. So please can someone help me out how can i get the Last name updated in the passport. And also do i have to back to my native to get the name updated or can i apply in the same city where i’m staying currently (Bangalore). I’ll be very glad if someone helps me out with this.
    Thank you.
    Monu Sharma.

  93. That was comprehensive. I have the same issue but in my case, In my Indian Passport, the surname area is blank, wheres under Given Name : Leah Alexander Daniel is typed. I had to apply for an interview with the US consulate and had required me to type exactly what was given in my passport. Since my surname isnt given on the passport, can I still type in Daniel since its my surname?

    Thank you

  94. Dear Sir/Madam

    My name is krishan kumar. whole written in first name and last name or surname is blank.
    In every document my name is krishan kumar.

    my last name is chhillar. what should i do??

    please suggest me..

    but thats not written on even single document.

  95. hi i had doubt in filling the field of first/given name:………….in gre registration form ..my full name is raju kumar bandaru..if i type raju kumar as first name it does not accepting space….if i type only raju its accepting……….but middle name field is asking only MIDDLE INITIAL…………means only one charecter,so i have to type as K..last name is bandaru……
    my doubt is in my passport the given name is raju kumar ..but in gre regis if i type only raju as first name ,there is any problem due to mismatch with confirmation letter and paassport

  96. hi..am confused for filling the names in gre date registration ..the field consisted of first/given name: ,middle initial, sur name.. name is shiva reddy nagas..if i fill the first name as shiva..middle name feild is asking only initial..than i must fill r
    and sur name is nagas……………my doubt is if we fill only middle name intial then my score report will be named with shiva r nagas..is there any problem..

  97. hello sir

    m havin problems n gtng d passport

    m an adoption case n dat s of single mother,actually divorced

    n in every documents only my mother's name s written

    but d passport officer says

    father name has to be written n nw dey r recommending it as a special case n dey r sayin dat dey r gonna send a application to the ministry n it s gonna tak a long tym

    plz help me out sir

    is bein adopted by a single mother a crime

  98. I want to ask from you guys that my all documents like my transcripts have my name MUHAMMAD SOHAIB,but on my passport my name is MUHAMMAD SOHAIB AWAN

    AWAN is my family name/cast, is that going to make any difference in visa processing because its a great confusion for me and from Canadian university i received an offer letter by name MUHAMMAD SOHAIB AWAN

  99. Hi sir,

    I have the same problem many have. I have my name in the passport as:
    GIVEN NAME:- Ahmed Basheer
    SURNAME:- blank

    I have taken up the GRE & toefl and also applied to universities. In the application I ave entered as,

    First Name: Ahmed
    Last Name: Basheer

    Problem now is that I have got admit in one of the universities, but they need a Last Name to send the I-20. So, they have asked me to change my name in passport.

    So, I have to change my name in passport as,
    Given Name:- Ahmed
    Surname:- Basheer

    So, pls tel me wat is the procedure to do this. And how long would it take… Its really urgent.. Help me out soon.. 🙂

  100. Hello..

    I ve, In all my documents , my name without Surname or initials..Like " GANESHA"…Im applying for passport and my question is Is it necessary to ve last name(surname), in ma passport..??? i ve heard that ,US embassy's wont provide VISA if we dont ve surname in passport…Pls guide me..

  101. Hi Sir,

    as per passport, name is Kumar Saurabh

    Surname(Family name) is Arora

    But in GRE Registration

    First Name : Kumar

    Middle Name: Blank

    Last Name: Arora

    I forgot to mention middle name

    Will there be any issue?

    Please help!!!

    Thanks,

    Saurabh

  102. Sir,

    My surname is blank in passport.

    my name-xxx

    surname-yyyy

    but in passport it is

    surname- blank

    name -yyyyy xxx

    I want to change my name. What is the procedure to change the name. I already applied to universities.What is the fast procedure to fix my problem.

  103. My cousin’s name is A.J.M.Anne, where Anne is the name by which she is called and in all the certificates also her name is given as A.J.M.Anne.

    Only ‘A’ stands for her fathers name.

    ‘J’ stands for Juliet and ‘M’ stands for Michael which are both my cousins name, followed by Anne with which she is called.

    J and M were given as initials bcoz the name appears to be longer when all the 3 names are given.

    So,Now while applying for passport what should be given in surname and given name…?

    If in the given name we write it as ‘Juliet Michael Anne’ will any problem occur while applying for Visa later, as the name in all the certificates differ from the name given in passport.

  104. Sir,

    My cousin's name is A.J.M.XXXX, where XXXX is the name by which she is called and in all the certificates also her name is given as A.J.M.Anne.

    Only 'A' stands for her fathers name.

    'J' stands for Juliet and 'M' stands for Michael which are both my moms name, follwed by Anne with which she is called.

    J and M were given as initials bcoz the name appears to be longer when all the 3 names are given.

    So,Now while applying for passport what should be given in surname and given name…?

    If in the given name we write it as 'Juliet Michael Anne' will any problem occur while applying for Visa later, as the name in all the certificates differ from the name given in passport.

  105. Sir,

    I am applying to study in UK this year. My name is Prabhushankar H.A where 'H' stands for 'Hadya' which is my native place & 'A' stands for 'Ananda' which is my father's name. Hence my passport is showing my surname as 'HADYA ANANDA' & my given name as ' Prabhushankar'. But I want to use only 'Hadya' as my surname instead of 'Hadya Ananda' . Can I do it without applying for a change of name in passport at this stage?

  106. my name in my birth certificate is different from my all certificates.its written as

    X kumar…….and in my different certificates i hav my name as X.

    so wat documents ill need for makin a passport n applying to universities..

  107. Hi, I also have a blank surname in my passport, since we
    only add father's name! 🙁 And i have to apply soon for US visa.
    My passport says: Given name: Anupama yyy Fathers name: yyy zzz
    Surname: blank Now i want to split it to : Given name: Anupama
    Father's name: yyy zzz Surname: yyy What would be the procedure?
    Will i need to re-issue a new passport or can the old one be
    chnaged? How long would it take? What happens if i apply for my
    visa giving split name, without changing my name in the
    passport?

  108. Hi Sir,

    i would really really appreciate a repsonse to my following question.

    My passport has the following name :

    given name:- Lxxx Dyyy

    surname:Mzzz

    fathers name: Rxxx Mzzz

    now for GRE my regisered name is:

    first: D yyy

    Middle (blank)

    last:Mzzz

    however my educational certificates have Dyyy Rxxx Mzzz.. since fathers name is arbitrality added as middle name .

    will this create a problem when applying for universities as it is not consistent with passport?

    should i have my passport name changed by dropping the Lxxxx as thats the only place it appears or will an affidavit do??

    or do i need to change my gre name to Lxxx Dyyy Mzzz as to be consistent with passport and if so do they allow it??

    please help. I would be highly indebted if you could give me a solution.

    Thanks so much.

  109. Hi Sir,

    i would really really appreciate a repsonse to my following question.

    My passport has the following name :

    given name: Lxxx Dyyy

    surname:Mzzz

    fathers name: Rxxx Mzzz

    now for GRE my regisered name is:

    first :Dyyy

    Middle :(blank)

    last:Mzzz

    however my educational certificates have Dyyy Rxxx Mzzz.. since fathers name is arbitrality added as middle name .

    will this create a problem when applying for universities as it is not consistent with passport?

    should i have my passport name changed by dropping the Lxxxx as thats the only place it appears or will an affidavit do??

    or do i need to change my gre name to Lxxx Dyyy Mzzz as to be consistent with passport and if so do they allow it??

    please help. I would be highly indebted if you could give me a solution.

    Thanks so much.

  110. Hello Sir,

    My name is as follows:

    First: Mohammed

    Second: Shoaib (Actual called name).

    Family: Quraishi

    But in my passport the names are interchanged and written as:

    Surname: Mohammed Shoaib-

    Given name(s): Quraishi

    As my name is huge and written by hand in passport.

    All my documents have my name as Mohammed Shoaib Quraishi. Will there be a problem going ahead to the US with my name or should I follow the passport name in which case my surname and actual name get interchanged.

  111. Hello Sir,

    My name is Kanchana Devi Shanmugam.My doubt is how to write the given name it should be written as Kanchanadevi or Kanchana Devi.Kindly let me know.Thanks.

  112. hi my name is reshma i ve applied for passport the problem
    is my fathers name is ramappa but in my birth certificate n other
    documents its mis spelt as ramanna. all the residence proofs bear
    his name ie ramappa will it be a problem if i submit them during
    verification? please do reply

  113. My name is Md Zishan Asad, but in my GRE registration its Md ( first name ) Z ( middle name) Asad (surname) but during apllication i want it to be as Md Zishan as given name…in passport its printed as Mohammed as surname Zishan Asad as given name , will this create any problem..during applications..

  114. hello sir,

    my name is chakravarthi. i have mentioned my last name as first name and first name as last name while registering for the gre. on the exam day, they called me with my sir name instead of my given name , since i have mentioned like that while registering for the gre. i got the gre score report as i mentioned in the registration. will there be any problem while applying for the universities? please help me…please…

  115. Hello,

    I have read all your posts and I am happy to see that information on this crucial topic is available. But still my problem is little different. I have my name on the passport as Meenu only and no surname. My father’s name is PXXXX RXX. I have already given GRE and TOEFL with the name MEENU MEENU. on all my degree certificates my name is MEENU only. If now I go for a name change in the passport, like MEENU MEENU or MEENU PXXXX RXX, would it be problematic?? Or this is the best solution to avoid further problems. I have already applied to 3 universities with name MEENU L.N.U. and got to know that I must provide a last name.

    1. Hi Meenu,

      This is Preethi. I’m facing exactly same problem as you have mentioned. As this comment was posted long ago, can you please let me know if you had found any solution for it. I have also read HSB blog on your comment but I would like to what step you have taken.

      Thanks in advance!

  116. Dear sir,

    My surname is narala.But in my ssc marklist its appears as a naralaa.I have all my certificates with my surname as narala,even in voter Id and ration card.what do i do to change my surname in passport.Please help out from this problem.

    Thanks,
    vinay

  117. hello sir iam somu , actually i completed my b-tech in 2008 but i have applied for passport on my intermediate due to some problems so is there any problem i need to face while iam going to other countries on job

  118. Hello Sir,

    My name is as follows written in all my certificates:-

    Kumar Kushal

    But in my passport it is written as follows:-

    Given Name:Kumar Kushal

    Surname:BLANK

    I have given my GRE and TOEFL with the name registered in following format:-

    First Name : Kumar

    Last or Family Name: Kushal

    So i want to know that by only changing my name in Passport will be enough?

    Also i would like to know whether a new passport will be issued ???

    Could this create a problem because i have already given GRE and Toefl

  119. sir,my name is pintso and i am a student, i have one question to ask.. Actually i want to register a fresh passport account but the name printed in my birth certificate mismatches the spelling with the school and college degree. The spelling in birth certificate goes as PINCHO and how ever in my other identities such as voter id, ration card and college certificate spells as PINTSO..so im little afraid that the form will be surely rejected even if i applied the form…is that so???

  120. Hi,but my PAN card has Priyanka Narayan ie. my surname is blank so now if i change mt passport name it wont match even with my marksheets…How do i go about it?This is urgent please reply

  121. Hi,

    In my passport , Given Name included as Sowmya Repaka and i have no Surname . It is empty . Now while filling DS-160 Application form what do i need to fill in Given Name and Surname . Both of them are mandatory.Will it create any problem ? As, no surname there in passport . Please suggest me how to fill any consequences to face regarding this ?

    Thanks ,
    Sowmya.

    1. I have suggested to get surname added to your passport. I'm unable to provide further advise on how to fill DS-160 without surname.

    2. Hi Sowmya,

      In your case you have to give last name as "Sowmya Repaka" and first name as "FNU".

      FNU mean First Name Unknown. as there is no LNU (Last Name Unknown) so we have to do this way.

      Thanks,

      Jaspreet

    3. I too have the same problem. I think an FNU in DS 160 will cause lot of issues later on. I dont have enough time to change my name in passport either.But in my i 20 my name is splitted and I do have a surname.Is it posssible to get the name changed in US within first two months.Please help me, this is urgent.

      Thanks in advance.

  122. Hi,

    My Husband's passport has my name in Wife's section as sumalatha sharath kumar but it should have been sumalatha sharath kumar chandolu. Surname is missing on it. My marriage certificate shows my married name as sumalatha sharath kumar chandolu. Will this be a problem to appy for dependent visa to uk?

    I am pallning to change name on my passport to married name. But I would like to know if my missing surname on my husband's passport will create any problem.

    Thanks

    Sumalatha

  123. HelloHSB,

    I am going to write GRE exam to do masters in USA(planning to write on jan 5,2011). On the day of my GRE exam, Yes i know that i need to bring the passport and show it to the officials there.

    The thing is i havent applied for the passport yet.

    Also my fathers name in my Birth certifiacte is G RangaRam and in all my SSC,12th,Degree its written as G V S H RangaRam…Will there be any problem with the initials not matching?

    If i apply for GRE without my passport , can i give these details as:

    In passport application:

    Surname: Gudur Given name: LaxmanSandeep

    While registering for GRE:

    First name=Given name in passport application ; Lastname=Surname in passport application ?

    Father's name : G V S H RangaRam or G RangaRam ? what should i fill in?

    Should i take the risk by going without a passport? I have no other go.

    Please reply me soon, as i got to book my GRE exam slot urgently otherwise i may loose the slot i thought(tentatively jan5 2011) ..I really need a passport by that date.

    Other users also can express their voice on my problem ..Most welcomed !

  124. Hi,

    I am in process to apply for my parents US visa. However today i have noticed, my mother passport doesn't have surname. I wanted to know does the passport needs to changed to add surname before they goto consultate for visa stamping. Or is it ok with without last name to go for visa stamping. My parents ar planning to stay

    4-6 months

    Thanks

    Rajesha MS

    1. If your parents are applying for touyrist visa, they will not have any issues. Are they going to apply for SSN, driving license? if not no worries.

  125. Hi,
    My name is Syed hassaan Hussain , where Syed is my Surname . In all of my documents my name is Syed Hassaan Hussain. I want to know that what should be my surname and first name.If i write,
    Surname: Syed
    First name: Hassaan Hussain
    then my name becomes Hassaan Hussain Syed, is it same as Syed hassaan Hussain?
    or should i write as
    Surname: Syed
    First name: Syed Hassaan Hussain
    so it becomes Syed Hassaan Hussain Syed.Which one is right?.I want to apply in foreign Universities.

  126. hi

    my name in all the educational certificates is arpit b parekh but the passport form says no initials…. it says we need to expand the initials(i.e. b)… if i do so then the given name will be arpit bxxx n the surname will be parekh…

    i want to know if there will be any problem while applying to the universities…

    reply soon…

  127. hi my name in all the educational certificates is arpit b parekh but the passport form says no initials…. it says we need to expand the initials(i.e. b)… if i do so then the given name will be arpit bxxx n the surname will be parekh…

    i want to know if there will be any problem while applying to the universities…

    plz reply soon…

  128. Hi, Need info urgently…..

    While applying for the GRE test,

    I gave my first name as BADRI

    Middle name as NARAYANAN

    last name as ANANTHARAMAN

    but in the passport ma given name is BADRI NARAYANAN AND THE SURNAME IS ANANTHARAMAN.

    In my confirmation mail i saw ma mail as BADRI ANANTHARAMAN, all my certificates carry ma middle name also AS BADRI NARAYANAN.A will it be a prob wile appearin for the test as well as applyin for univs please let me know ASAP… THANKS

  129. hi sir,

    i have given my name as mohd zaheeruddin in all of my certificates where mohd is taken as short form of mohammed.but when i applied for passport full name was required so i got as mohammed as surname and zaheeruddin as given name.this means my name according to passport comes as zaheeruddin mohammed will i have any problems in future and my license and pan card have my name as mohammed zaheerudin and i want it like that and its correct too.but getting confused with passport as surname comes after name can u help me….

  130. sir,

    i am applying for passport in a few months…….please clarify me about surname,first name and last name……….my name is G.shruthi Rao(gadhe shruthi rao)….and in my ssc my name is printed as shruthi gadhe but in my inter its printed as gadhe shruthi….which one should i stick to? please give me the order of first,last,given names i should apply passport and gre test……..

    waiting for your reply…..please reply as soon as possible…….

    shruthi

  131. Sir,

    In all my certificates my name is K R Mythili, where K for my grand father name kanagaraj and R for my father name RAJAMANICKAM How can i fill my passport application in surname and given name column pls reply me.

    I got married, if i want to change my name, can i add my husband name as my intial. whats the proof needed for it other than marriage certificate

  132. sir,

    I am also planning to write GRE exam before the pattern changes,

    i m soon applying for the passport,by reading all the above,as u siad that there will be difficulties if the order of name went wrong,sir my name comprise of three words,in all my cirtificates it is "OMER BIN KHALEEL" but for passport i m a bit confused,how should i fill the feilds over there..

    sir i want my whole name to be displayed

    SIR PLZ I NEED YOUR HELP,THANK U

  133. Hi

    I am applying for a UK visa for me, my wife and my son. All three of us do not have any surname in the passport. My Given name in the passport is Krishnan Subramanian (my second name is my father's first name), while my wife and my son have their second name as …. Krishnan (i.e. my first name). Will this create any confusion while applying for the visa as we would have different Surnames?

  134. I have some naming problem in my Certificate and Passport.

    My Name is in

    1.High School Certificate,all university certificates : Arvind H.S

    2.Passport : a) Given Name :- Arvind

    b) Surname :- Hariharasubramanian

    With the initial then the passport name will correspond to Arvind.H

    If I take the exam now with the passport name of Arvind Hariharasubramanian, then will it cause a problem during my admissions in the colleges there in U.S as the name in my certificates are Arvind H.S

    Can you please advise me that will this cause a problem?

  135. Hello,

    I want to apply passport for my kid.

    As per the birth registration certificate his name is AMRIT D MORIAL,

    First name : AMRIT

    Middle name : D

    Last Name : MORIAL

    Will there be any problem while applying passport ? As I heard initial is not allowed for names, though his middle name is "D" it's not an initial.

    Will it be considered as initial?

  136. hello.!!!!!!!!!

    my name is divided as follows

    lastname :CHITLA

    first name: PRIYANKA

    middle name: REDDY

    ALL MY CERTIFICATES(10TH,INTER, B.E.,college ID card etc.) WERE NAMED AS CH.PRIYANKA REDDY

    so when i booked a date for GRE, in given name i typed CH PRIYANKA and in middle name i left blank and last name i filled it as REDDY

    so my name in GRE registration was CH PRIYANKA REDDY but in my passport it is CHITLA PRIYANKA REDDY,so will there be any problem at the test centre?????

    will they allow me to the hall?????????????????

  137. Hi,

    In my passport, 'Surname' is blank and 'Given name' says Manish Anand.

    Now i gotta apply for US visa (B1)..issue is that in the visa application form 'Surname' is a mandatory field.

    What should I fill in the 'Surname' field.

    Any help is highly appreciated….

    Manish

    1. @Manish,

      I had the same problem. In the visa app you have to fill the Surname as "Manish Anand" and first name as "fnu".

      I got my name corrected last year, i would recommend you to correct the passport and then apply for visa. As you wouldn't face any problem if you apply for SSN here. Hope this helps.

  138. Hello Sir,

    I want to apply for new passport, But in my 10th(SSLC) certificate my name is AKASH and in rest all documents have AKASH G GUTTEDAR, So what should i do for applying for new passport.

    Thanks in Advance

    Regards

    Akash

  139. hi,

    my surname is Balliwar

    n my name is ravali..

    how will my name get printed in passport n how shud i book my gre exam??

  140. Hello Sir,

    My Name is: A.N.J.Syed Ali. My Father name is Jamal Mohamed.

    I already have a passport where my Given Name is written as ‘Syed Ali’ & Surname has been written as “Adhamba Noormohamed Jamal Mohamed” (A – Adhamba, N – Noormohamed, J – Jamal Mohamed).

    I am about to apply for Re-Issue now & wanted to know if I should still use the same name as SURNAME or can/should I change it?

    Am I allowed to use only my Father’s name as Surname or should I follow the same as how it is in the current old passport, with all 3 names?

    Please kindly advice. Thank you in advance.

  141. My name in my passport is mentioned as:

    Mohammed Kashif Aslam-Given Name(s) and nothing in my Lastname field.

    I want to change it as

    Mohammed: Last name

    Kashif Aslam: First Name

    Please let me know the procedure to apply for this name change.

    Any comments will be appreciated.

    Thanks.

    1. Hi Kashif,

      You can contact the passport office and they would provide you the form to correct the name. Basically you need to split your given name in to "Surname and Frist name". Hope his helps.

    2. Should just be a correction. You need a notary (available around the passport centers) to type that the name is to be split and corrected as you want. They have this ready made matter to type. They will charge you some money, but it should be fine. If the passport office accepts you are lucky.

      Sometimes the passport office will say you need to get application for name change then you are in trouble. Mostly you need to give ad. in the paper saying that you have changed your name from xxx to yyy. And after some 30 (?) days only you can apply for name change along with the application and the paper ads.

      1. Hi,
        I amtrying to change the Name in my Passport(wich was wrongly splled previously),just wanted to know ,how the Pasport Authority is going to Issues the Passport(New?),do we need to cary the two passports,old and new one,if theyare going to provide the both..

        thanks,
        Anitha N

  142. Hi…I am K.V.VIDYA SHANKAR..Ive got prob regarding the name mismatch.. Ive taken my GRE and the details were:

    FIRST NAME: K.V.VIDYA

    LAST NAME: SHANKAR.

    But in the passport the details are as follows:

    SURNAME:KRITHIVASAN VAIDYANATHAN

    GIVEN NAME: VIDYA SHANKAR.

    Now that ive taken my GRE i know i cant make any changes to it anymore. But do i need to make changes in the passport? Are the details given for GRE and the passport same? Will this mismatch, if so, create touble during admission? What is the change m supposed to make in the passport?

  143. hello sir…

    my name is dharshan kl

    all my certificates ( 1oth , puc , degree) have my name as

    DHARSHAN K.L

    K is the name of my native… karekyathanahalli

    L is my father`s name…. lakshminarayan

    how should i fill my name in passport…

    what should be my GIVEN name & SUR name…?

    please help….

  144. Name on All certificates : Padamdeep Singh

    My Surname is "Rehal" but it was never added to any of my certificates.

    Given Name on Passport: Padamdeep Singh

    Last Name on Passport: It was earlier Blank but then I added "Rehal" to last name field of my passport.

    So now there is Name Mismatch in my Certificates and Passport and I'm going to apply for US VISA. Is it going to create any problem?

    1. Hello Padamdeep

      You said you had later added last name to your passport.

      What was the procedure you followed to get it done.Does it need a change of name advertisement in newspapers or is it just like applying a new passport????

  145. hello,
    I've gone through your articles regarding surname in the passport.My question is, is it only USA which is so particular about surnames or will i face the same problems as mentioned in your posts with other countries like Singapore ,Australia,UK etc?
    thank u.

  146. all documents have diff names….
    birth certi – C V N Ravitej
    10 class C Ravitej Lakshman
    plll help me

    1. Should not be a problem, but when applying for passport see that it is like :

      Surname : your surname (Cxxx)

      Givenname : Firstname (Ravitej) + middlename (Lakshman)

      If you want to include the Vyy Nzz in your Middlename, its fine.

  147. Hi,
    I hold an indian passport where the sections in passport are as follows –
    Given Name – Sibi Mathews
    Surname – Kaniamparampil
    My other educational and work experience documents just have 'Sibi Mathews' within them. Will this cause an issue while applying for US VISA? If yes how can i work around this?

  148. i want a help i applied for pass post were
    1) my name: SHARMA POOJA
    2 FATHERS NAME I WROTE: SHARMA MANOJ
    3)MOTHERS NAME : SHARMA GITA
    PROBLEM IS IN CASH RECIEPT THEY WROTE MY NAME AS
    POOJA SHARMA
    BUT FATHERS NAME AS SHARMA MANOJ WILL MY PASSPOST GET CANCELLED?
    what i need to do for correction

  149. Hello sir , my name is nandan b m , where 'b' stands for balasa (family name) , 'm' stands for madan kumar (father name), i'm totally confused how to fill my name in passport application so please help me sir

    1. hello frend….i to have a same problem…would u got any solution for this? r else is it ok to carry the same certificates that v have now?

  150. Dear sir,
    I am going to apply for GRE and TOEFL before that i have read all of your post regarding the Name controversies me too having a very big dilemma regarding my name:
    In 10th:L VENKATA RAMANAN
    In 12th: L VENKATA RAMANAN
    UG:VENKATA RAMANAN L
    PG:VENKATA RAMANAN L
    In Passport:
    Surname : LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
    Given Name: VENKATA RAMANAN

    and my question is how i have to give my names while
    1) GRE Regristration (First name:? , Middle name:? , Last name:?)
    2) TOEFL (First name:? , Middle name:? , Last name:?)
    3) Filling Online application for US admissions

    Plz help me sir,

  151. Hello.

    The given name on my passport says Rahul Karan and the surname section on my passport is Blank. When I apply for visa online using the vfs website, I get an error saying the Surname is required.
    What do I do in this case?

  152. Dear Sir,

    I'm gonna apply for my passport in the next few days and am also facing problem in sorting out my name.

    My name is Shivguru.A.G.E. (Initials expanded : A-Native, G-Grand father's name and E-Father's name)

    Is it ok if i enter my father's name alone as surname excluding other two initials and my name as given name?

    or

    Should i expand all the three initials for my surname?, your advice on this would be of much help. Thank you.

    1. That is upto you on how you have your last name, but make sure you have a last name. You have few options on how to use the names.

      First Name – Shivguru; Middle – A G; Last – E
      FN – Shivguru; Last E
      FN – Shivguru A; Middle G; Last E

      Make sue you have expanded name as last name. Not just initials. Wich ones you have expanded is something you have to decide.

      1. Dear HSB,

        Is it possible to register Gre with last name like "E", as u said here?!

        I have been facing difficulty.

        Gre Registration site asks for atleast 2 letters for last/first names. 🙁

        Please , reply early.

  153. Hello Sir, I am Kishan Krishnamurthy. In all of my documents SSC, HSC marksheets, migration, Engineering marksheets, migration, and also in other documents viz. Voter ID, Driving license etc. I have my name as Kishan. I haven't applied for my passport yet.

    Although post above suggests that I should get my passport as

    Surname: Krishnamurthy

    Name: Kishan

    and get registered with GRE and TOEFL with the same.

    Won't visa officer taking my interview will ask that why there is the difference between my name in my passport and my documents?

    Also, with what name I will get my MS degree and marksheets in USA,

    Kishan or Kishan Krishnamurthy? Because if it is Kishan Krishnamurthy, there will be a discrepancy in my documents in my bachelors degree and my masters degree.

    Will this create any problem in getting CPT, OPT or job afterwards in USA?

    Also Sir, do all universities have this field-

    Does documents have name different than above name?

    1. You have to apply for passport with Surname – Krishnamurthy. Degree in US will be awarded as Kishan Kirshnamurthy and thats absolutely fine and you will not have any problems.

  154. hi

    wit regard to your response abt surname and first name i ve another query. all my school and coll certificates say deepak v. while applying for univs i would ve given my first name as deepak and last name as venkat. in all univ applications there is a column asking whether my documents would arrive in some other name. should i specify deepak v in these columns or is it understood?

    1. URGENT :

      Ive booked my GRE dates and ive given my

      first name:Ramanathan
      last name:chockalingam

      but in my passport its

      sur name:chockalingam
      given name :Ramanathan

      so will there be any problem in writing the exam or while applying for universities????in my certificates its given as C.Ramanathan..so wat should i do???change the name in passport or should i cancel the exam???

      1. last name = sur name = chockalingam

        given name = first name + middle name = Ramanathan

        So you are fine my dear friend.

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